Causal Association of Educational Attainment with Substance Use Disorders: A Mendelian Randomization Study

• Genetically predicted higher educational attainment is causally associated with lower risk of alcohol dependence, cannabis use disorder, and opioid use disorder. • The protective effect of education on substance use disorders is robust across multiple Mendelian randomization sensitivity analyses. • No significant causal association was found between educational attainment and other substance use disorders, suggesting specificity. • Improving educational attainment could be an effective public health strategy to reduce the burden of substance use disorders.