https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-026-00430-y

Background and Aims. Cannabis is one of the most used psychoactive substances worldwide. This study presents nationally representative data on core mental health symptoms and other characteristics among individuals in Germany who used cannabis in the past 12 months, stratified into those with and without problematic cannabis use.

Methods. Data were drawn from the 10th wave (2021) of the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse, a cross-sectional survey of adults aged 18–64 years living in private households in Germany. The analytic sample included 1,004 past-year cannabis users. Problematic cannabis use was assessed using the Severity of Dependence Scale with sex-specific cut-offs [...]. Core mental health symptoms were measured with the DIA-X-Core Screening Questionnaire and categorized [...]. Analyses were weighted to match the German population. Descriptive comparisons between individuals with and without problematic use employed ...tests. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations between problematic use and cumulative symptom scores, adjusting for covariates. P-values were corrected using the Simes–Benjamini–Hochberg procedure.

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