Electronic cigarette and cannabis use: results from the 2018 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Luken, Amanda; Thrul, Johannes; Johnson, Renee M

doi:10.26181/611227f62aac8

Electronic cigarette and cannabis use: results from the 2018 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey

journal contribution

posted on 2021-08-10, 07:17 authored by Amanda Luken, Johannes ThrulJohannes Thrul, Renee M Johnson

Abstract Objective To determine the relationship between lifetime e-cigarette use and current cannabis use among youth. Our analyses accounted for county variability, in addition to student-level covariates. Methods This study examined responses from high school students on a state-level population survey, the 2018 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Youth Tobacco Survey, a cross-sectional, complex survey sample. Of participating students, final analyses included an unweighted sample of 41,091 9th to 12th grade students who provided complete reports for measured variables. Analyses with survey weights were conducted between August 2019 and May 2020. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association between lifetime e-cigarette use and current (past 30-day) cannabis use, after controlling for county, lifetime cigarette use, current (past 30-day) alcohol use, emotional distress, and demographics. Results Lifetime e-cigarette use significantly increased the odds of current cannabis use among Maryland high school students (aOR = 6.04; 95% CI 5.27, 6.93). Other significant risk factors for current cannabis use included lifetime cigarette use (aOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.86, 2.68) and current alcohol use (aOR 5.21, 95% CI 4.42, 6.14). Significantly higher odds of current cannabis use were also found among older high school students, males, non-Hispanic Blacks and students identifying as other race, and those reporting emotional distress. Conclusions Lifetime e-cigarette use among Maryland high school students is strongly associated with current cannabis use when including counties as a covariate. Non-significant county differences, however, suggest smaller geographical units may be required to control for variability. Efforts should focus on reducing youth e-cigarette use to decrease cannabis use. Maryland’s recent implementation of Tobacco 21 and a ban on flavored e-cigarettes will be of interest for future evaluations.

Funding

The preparation of this manuscript and the analysis of the data was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, through the Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Grant (Maher, PI; T32DA007292) provided to Amanda Luken. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

History

Publication Date

2021-06-25

Journal

Journal of Cannabis Research

Volume

3

Issue

1

Article Number

21

Pagination

(p. 1-8)

Publisher

BioMed Central

ISSN

2522-5782

Rights Statement

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