Overview

• The peer-reviewed study in Molecular Psychiatry analyzed survey and genetic data from 131,895 23andMe participants, with frequency-of-use information from 73,374 people.
• Lifetime cannabis use was associated with loci near CADM2 and GRM3, and CADM2 also related to how often people used cannabis.
• Gene-based analyses identified 40 additional genes for lifetime use and four for frequency, including 29 not previously linked to cannabis traits.
• Genetic liability for trying and frequently using cannabis correlated with more than 100 traits spanning psychiatric conditions, cognitive measures, and physical health, as well as tobacco use, infectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders.
• Researchers used NIH All of Us and Vanderbilt biobank datasets to map cross-trait correlations and report heritability, and they note there are no FDA-approved medications for cannabis use disorder.