What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction.

Where was this research published?

Published in Addictive behaviors on August 8, 2026.

How cannabis consumption styles connect to use intensity

Q: What did this research study find?

Researchers identified **four cannabis-use modality classes**: primarily smoking, smoking and vaping, mainly edibles, and polymodal use.

Cannabis use modalities are associated with sociodemographic characteristics and patterns of cannabis use among US adults: A latent class analysis.

Addictive behaviors • August 8, 2026 • Highly Relevant

🤖

AI Summary

This study analyzed cannabis-use patterns among 17,732 US adults who reported using cannabis in the past 30 days. Using latent class analysis, researchers identified four broad consumption groups: 48.2% primarily smoked, 20.5% smoked and vaped, 16.9% mainly used edibles, and 14.4% used multiple modalities. These patterns varied by age and sex: younger adults were more likely to smoke and vape or use multiple forms, while females were more likely to belong to the mainly edibles group.

The way people consumed cannabis was also associated with how often they used it and with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Daily use was more common among people using multiple modalities and less common among those mainly using edibles, compared with primarily smoking. CUD risk was higher in the smoking-and-vaping and polymodal groups, but lower in the mainly edibles group. Because this was an observational survey, these associations do not show that any particular route causes more or less problematic use. The findings nevertheless suggest that prevention and harm-reduction efforts may be more useful when they account for the specific ways people consume cannabis.

💡 Key Findings

Researchers identified four cannabis-use modality classes: primarily smoking, smoking and vaping, mainly edibles, and polymodal use.

High

80%

Adults aged 18–25 were more likely than adults aged 50 and older to belong to the smoking-and-vaping or polymodal groups.

High

80%

Daily cannabis use was more common among the polymodal group and less common among the mainly edibles group than among primarily smokers.

High

80%

The smoking-and-vaping and polymodal groups had higher reported risk of cannabis use disorder, while the mainly edibles group had lower risk, compared with primarily smokers.

Good

75%

The results support route-specific prevention and harm-reduction strategies, while not establishing that a particular consumption method causes problematic use.

Good

75%

📄 Original Abstract

Cannabis consumption modalities such as smoking, vaping, and consumption of edibles differ in pharmacokinetics and potency, and vary by demographic characteristics. Data linking real-world consumption modality patterns to use frequency and cannabis use disorder (CUD) remain limited. Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to identify modality-based classes using data from 17,732 adults reporting past 30-day cannabis use on the 2022-2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Multinomial logistic regression delineated associations of class membership with demographic characteristics, cannabis use frequency, and the presence/severity of CUD. LCA yielded four classes based on each modality likelihood: primary smoking (48.2 %), smoking and vaping (20.5 %), mainly edibles (16.9 %), and polymodal use (14.4 %). Compared to adults aged ≥ 50, those aged 18-25 years were more likely to belong to the smoking and vaping (aRRR = 2.52, 95 % CI: 1.77-3.61) or polymodal classes (aRRR = 3.58, 95 % CI: 2.48-5.18). Females were more likely to be in the mainly edibles class (aRRR = 1.78, 95 % CI: 1.48-2.13). Daily cannabis use was more likely among polymodal (aRRR = 2.67, 95 % CI: 2.25-3.17) and less likely among mainly edibles (aRRR = 0.49, 95 % CI: 0.35-0.68) classes, relative to the primary smoking class. Compared to the primary smoking class, risk of having CUD was higher among people in the smoking and vaping class, and in the polymodal class, but lower in the mainly edibles class. Cannabis use modalities were associated with differences regarding demographic characteristics and severity of use. Future interventions could account for route-specific use to improve prevention and harm reduction efforts.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Addictive behaviors
Published: August 8, 2026
PMID: 42612527
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108829

Authors (6)

Omar El-Shahawy New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, Section for Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use (TADU), New York, NY, USA; New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: omar.elshahawy@nyulangone.org.
Mohsen Abbasi-Kangevari New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, Section for Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use (TADU), New York, NY, USA.
Michelle He New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, Section for Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use (TADU), New York, NY, USA.
Xiaoying Zheng New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, Section for Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use (TADU), New York, NY, USA.
Neal Doran Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA; Mental Health Care Line, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
+1 more authors