Participants with the lowest incomes had higher odds of cannabis use disorder than others. Income disparities in distal and proximal form are related to cannabis outcomes, including early exposure to disadvantaged macroeconomic environments (59), low parental socioeconomic status as a moderator of the risk of family history of addiction (60), and current residence in high-unemployment neighborhoods (61). Cannabis disorders and concurrent economic disparity may be related if the stress of disadvantaged economic conditions leads to marijuana use as a coping mechanism, increasing the risk for cannabis use disorders among users with a vulnerability to such disorders. However, the relationship may be bi-directional, since early adolescent use of marijuana is associated with subsequent lower adult cognitive functioning (3–5), which could impair the chances for the educational and occupational achievement (6–8) that would bring higher incomes. This important yet complex relationship merits further study to inform policy and personal decisions regarding marijuana use.
