A study in JAMA Network Open examined the presence of cannabis in suicide cases, as reported to US poison centers from 2009 through 2021. Researchers found intentional, suspected suicidal cannabis exposures increased by approximately 17% annually. According to national data, 18,689 exposures were reported in the time frame, and nearly all (96.5%) cases involved exposure to more than 1 substance in addition to cannabis. Overall, 9.6% of exposures resulted in death or major adverse outcomes, such as disability or disfigurement. The number of cases involving children aged 5-13 years rose in the study period from 1.3% to 3.1% (P< .001).
No direct link: The authors note that “due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, we could not identify a causal association between cannabis use and a suicide attempt.”