20 Dec Marked Increase in Marijuana Use in E-Cigarettes Among School Kids

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Hongying (Daisy) Dai

Hongying (Daisy) Dai, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biostatistics | College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: E-cigarette use increased significantly from 2017 to 2019 among U.S. adolescents, and marijuana and other substances besides can be used in e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, restrictions on marijuana use have been relaxing and social acceptability of marijuana use is shifting among youth.

This study analyzed 38,061 middle and high school students from the 2017 and 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey. 

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

The key findings from this study include:

• Ever marijuana use in e-cigarettes among U.S. youth increased by 32% from 11.1% in 2017 to 14.7%.
• The increases were observed in many demographic groups, including male and female students, adolescents 13 to 17, high-school students, and non-Hispanic white and Hispanic students.
• In 2018, 42.7% of ever e-cigarette users, 53.5% of current e-cigarette users, and 71.6% of poly tobacco users reported ever using marijuana in e-cigarettes.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: This study identified a significant increase in self-reported ever marijuana use in e-cigarettes from 2017 to 2018 among U.S. students. The increase could be attributable to the increase in sales of pod-mod style e-cigarette products, access to marijuana through informal sources, and reduced harm perception of marijuana use among adolescents.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

• Longitudinal studies are needed to assess the acute and long-term health effects of vaping marijuana in e-cigarettes.
• Tailored substance control strategies to prevent vaping marijuana among adolescents and young adults are warranted.

I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Citation:

Dai H. Self-reported Marijuana Use in Electronic Cigarettes Among US Youth, 2017 to 2018. JAMA. Published online December 17, 2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.19571

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Last Updated on December 20, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD