Vulnerabilities to Depression Boosted by Smoking Marijuana

According to the conclusions of a new scientific study, it would appear that teens who are predisposed genetically to developing depression have a higher chance of developing the condition if they smoke marijuana. The new investigation was conducted in the Netherlands.

But the team also determined that smoking cannabis in general can lead to an increase in depressive symptoms, regardless of the genetic inclination smokers originally had towards developing this mental disorder, PsychCentral reports.

“The effect is robust. It still remains, even if you take into account a series of other variables that could cause the effect, such as smoking behavior, alcohol use, upbringing, personality and socioeconomic status,” researcher Raoy Otten explains.

The investigator and his team are based at the Radboud University Nijmegen Behavioral Science Institute. The experts add that more the 67 percent of the global population displays the gene variant that makes one sensitive to depression.