Prospective associations between cannabis use and depressive symptoms across adolescence and early adulthood

•Cannabis use and depression are common during adolescence, but little is known about the directionality of the association between the two. Does one cause the other, if so, in which direction, or is it more complex?•Depressive symptoms significantly predicted cannabis use 1 year later but not at the same time point but did predict more days of cannabis use at the same time point.•Cannabis use significantly predicted depressive symptoms at the same time point and 1 year later.•The relationship between cannabis use and depression is complex and not unidirectional.