Teenagers and Young Adults Who Use Cannabis Have a Higher Risk of Progressing to Regular Tobacco Use

Strategic Insights -

As tobacco use among teens and young adults in the United States has significantly declined since the 1970s, a worrying trend has emerged: cannabis use has not followed the same downward trajectory, raising concerns about a potential reverse gateway from cannabis to regular tobacco use. To investigate this association, researchers analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) survey, which followed a sample of 13,851 respondents aged 12-24 years over four years.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that 15.4% of teens and young adults aged 12-24 years who reported never or not regularly using tobacco in 2017 had used cannabis within the past 12 months, with the likelihood of cannabis use increasing with age.
  • Among U.S. teens aged 12-17 years who had used cannabis, 32.7% progressed to regular tobacco use four years later, which is 15.6 percentage points higher than their matched controls.
  • Among young adults aged 18-24 years who used cannabis, 14.0% reported regular tobacco use, which is 5.4 percentage points higher than their matched controls.
  • The researchers attributed 13.0% of total new regular tobacco use to cannabis use, estimating that 509,800 fewer U.S. teens and young adults would have progressed to regular tobacco use in 2021 if they had not had previous experience of cannabis in 2017.
  • The study's findings highlight the importance of including cannabis prevention in tobacco control programs, as major health agencies have not yet addressed the potential of early cannabis use to increase future tobacco use.

Statistics:

  • 15.4% of teens and young adults aged 12-24 years reported using cannabis within the past 12 months in 2017.
  • 32.7% of U.S. teens aged 12-17 years who used cannabis progressed to regular tobacco use four years later.
  • 14.0% of young adults aged 18-24 years who used cannabis reported regular tobacco use.
  • 13.0% of total new regular tobacco use was attributed to cannabis use.
  • 509,800 fewer U.S. teens and young adults would have progressed to regular tobacco use in 2021 if they had not had previous experience of cannabis in 2017.

Sources:

  • https://today.ucsd.edu/story/teenagers-and-young-adults-who-use-cannabis-have-a-higher-risk-of-progressing-to-regular-tobacco-use
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/JohnPierce (John P. Pierce)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/DavidRStrong (David R. Strong)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/NatalieEQuach (Natalie E. Quach)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/YuyanShi (Yuyan Shi)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/SaraBMcMenamin (Sara B. McMenamin)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/ThetNKh (Thet N.M. Khin)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/MatthewDStone (Matthew D. Stone)
  • https://profiles.ucsd.edu/DennisRTrinidad (Dennis R. Trinidad)