Cannabis is the most common illicit drug used in the US, and ~10–30% of cannabis users meet criteria for a cannabis use disorder (CUD) at some point in their lifetime1,2. Twin studies have suggested that individual differences in cannabis use and CUD are due to genetic (45–75%) and environmental factors3. Recent advances in gene identification via genome-wide association studies (GWASs) led by consortia and biobanks (e.g., International Cannabis Consortium (ICC)4, Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, UK Biobank), combined with existing theoretical frameworks for studying gene–environment interaction (GxE)5, permit new ways of identifying contributions of common variants to cannabis use and problems and allow for an evaluation of whether genetic susceptibility to cannabis involvement varies in the context of well-studied psychosocial risk and protective factors, such as trauma exposure and religiosity. This may aid in our understanding of genetic influences on cannabis involvement and inform translation of genomics findings into useful risk factor targets for public health and clinical intervention.
