What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in PloS one on January 1, 2026.

Cannabis users 3x more likely to test positive for COVID-19

Association between cannabis use and result of COVID-19 testing among scholarised adolescents in Andalusia: A cross-sectional study.

PloS one • January 1, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This Spanish cross-sectional study examined the relationship between cannabis use and COVID-19 infection among 1,051 adolescents aged 14-18 years. The research found that adolescents who tested positive for COVID-19 were almost 2.89 times more likely to have used cannabis in the last month compared to those who tested negative. The study also revealed that cannabis users experienced higher rates of isolation and demonstrated a concerning lack of awareness about transmission risks associated with sharing cannabis during the pandemic.

The findings highlight behavioral and perceptual gaps in how adolescent cannabis users understood COVID-19 risks. Cannabis users showed significantly lower perceived risk that their substance use could exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms or that smoke could facilitate virus transmission. Additionally, the practice of sharing cannabis among adolescents emerged as a potential transmission vector during the pandemic—a factor often overlooked in public health communications about both substance use and infectious disease control.

While the researchers emphasize caution in interpreting these findings due to the study's exploratory nature, limited sample size, and Spain-specific context, the work provides important insights into how substance use patterns may interact with public health emergencies. The research suggests that future larger-scale studies should examine how cannabis use influences health behaviors and risk perception during crises, and that public health messaging about infectious disease transmission should specifically address substance-sharing practices among adolescents.

📄 Original Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted cannabis use among the adolescent population. Therefore, it is important to understand the potential factors linking cannabis use to COVID-19 and vice versa, as well as the consumption patterns following the onset of COVID-19. This study conducted in Andalusia, Spain. Although, 1,051 adolescents aged 14-18 years were included in this cross-sectional study, of these, the 89 (8.5%) reported testing positive for COVID-19, who were the main target for our analyses. Sociodemographic, psychological, and cannabis use variables, as well as COVID-19 testing positive, isolation and some perceptions about cannabis and COVID-19 were analysed. A binary logistic regression, was conducted to examine the association between COVID-19-related factors and controlled for sociodemographic and psychological variables, assessed estimations with cannabis use. Adolescents testing positive for COVID-19 are almost 2.89 times more likely to have used cannabis in the last month. Additionally, number of isolations was higher among cannabis users and positive testing. Cannabis users showed a lack of perceived risk that cannabis use could exacerbate COVID-19 and that cannabis' smoke could spread COVID-19. Sharing cannabis among adolescents during the pandemic may increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Informing whether adolescents who use cannabis may be more likely to test positive for COVID-19 can contribute to a better understanding of substance use patterns during a public health emergency. However, given the exploratory and cross-sectional nature of this study, as well as its limited and context-specific sample, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Despite this, we believe that this research may inform future studies exploring the impact of cannabis use among adolescents during public emergency situations in larger samples and other contexts.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: PloS one
Published: January 1, 2026
PMID: 42096480
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0347098

Authors (3)

María-Carmen Torrejón-Guirado Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Podiatry, University of Seville, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain.
Miguel Ángel Baena-Jiménez Department of General and Specialist Surgery, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Spain.
Marta Lima-Serrano Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Podiatry, University of Seville, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain.