Relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experiences in college students

Emerging data suggest cannabis use is a component cause of psychotic disorders; however, the sequence of processes accounting for this association is poorly understood. Some clues have come from studies in laboratory settings showing that acute cannabis intoxication is associated with subclinical hallucinations and delusional thinking, i.e., "psychotic experiences". Although psychotic experiences are relatively common, those that are severe and distressing are linked to an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder. This study aimed to investigate the association between the frequency of cannabis use and psychotic experiences in young adults.

1034 U.S. college students completed questionnaires to assess: cannabis use in the past week, delusional ideation (Peters Delusions Inventory), hallucinations (Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory).

Participants reporting higher rates of weekly cannabis use were more likely to report hallucinatory experiences and delusional ideation. The relationship between cannabis use and hallucinatory experiences, but not the relationship between cannabis use and delusional ideation, remained significant after controlling for levels of depression. Moreover, those who reported greater amounts of cannabis use had more distressing delusional ideas, that were held with more conviction.

Cannabis use is linked to the presence of subclinical hallucinations and delusional ideation in U.S. college students.