Marijuana use trajectories during college predict health outcomes nine years post-matriculation

Abstract

Background: Several studies have linked marijuana use with a variety of health outcomes among young adults. Information about marijuana's long-term health effects is critically needed.

Methods: Data are from a ten-year study of 1253 young adults originally recruited as first-year college students and assessed annually thereafter. Six trajectories of marijuana use during college (Non-Use, Low-Stable, Early-Decline, College-Peak, Late-Increase, Chronic) were previously derived using latent variable growth mixture modeling. Nine health outcomes assessed in Year 10 (modal age 27) were regressed on a group membership variable for the six group trajectories, holding constant demographics, baseline health status, and alcohol and tobacco trajectory group membership.

Results: Marijuana trajectory groups differed significantly on seven of the nine outcomes (functional impairment due to injury, illness, or emotional problems; psychological distress; subjective well-being; and mental and physical health service utilization; all ps<.001), but not on general health rating or body mass index. Non-users fared better than the Late-Increase and Chronic groups on most physical and mental health outcomes. The declining groups (Early-Decline, College-Peak) fared better than the Chronic group on mental health outcomes. The Late-Increase group fared significantly worse than the stable groups (Non-Use, Low-Stable, Chronic) on both physical and mental health outcomes.

Conclusions: Even occasional or time-limited marijuana use might have adverse effects on physical and mental health, perhaps enduring after several years of moderation or abstinence. Reducing marijuana use frequency might mitigate such effects. Individuals who escalate their marijuana use in their early twenties might be at especially high risk for adverse outcomes.

Keywords: Cannabis; Health care utilization; Health outcomes; Longitudinal studies; Mental health; Physical health.

Figure 1

Marijuana use trajectories (N=1,253). This figure was originally printed in Caldeira, K.M., O'Grady, K.E., Vincent, K.B., Arria, A.M. (2012). Marijuana use trajectories during the post-college transition: Health outcomes in young adulthood. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 125(3), 267-275. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.02.022.