Individuals with depression were more than twice as likely to use cannabis than those without depression, according to study findings published in Addiction. Researchers noted that the prevalence of cannabis use in the United States has increased among individuals with and without depression.

“Screening for cannabis use among people seeking treatment for depression, especially among young adults among whom nearly 40% reported past-month cannabis use, may be increasingly important as the risks of cannabis use for persons with depression are not known,” Renee D. Goodwin, PhD, of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, told Healio Psychiatry. “If depression is treated with either medicine or therapy, cannabis use is generally likely not to be indicated or helpful toward recovery. Medicinal cannabis is not approved to treat depression.”