What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction.

Where was this research published?

Published in Addictive behaviors on August 4, 2026.

New survey reveals hidden patterns in cannabis and substance use

Q: What did this research study find?

Across adolescents, young adults, and adults, *coincident* and *branched sexual minorities* had **consistently elevated odds of substance use** compared with coincident heterosexuals.

Sexual Identity-Attraction Patterns and Substance Use Across Developmental Stages: Findings from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Addictive behaviors • August 4, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This nationally representative 2023 survey included 56,705 people aged 12 and older and examined alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drug use across adolescents, young adults, and adults. Instead of measuring sexual orientation through identity alone, researchers combined sexual identity with sexual attraction to identify groups whose responses aligned or differed. Across all age groups, both coincident sexual minorities and branched sexual minorities showed consistently higher odds of substance use than coincident heterosexual respondents.

The clearest cannabis-related difference was among adults: compared with coincident heterosexuals, coincident sexual minority adults had 3.53 times the odds of marijuana use, while branched sexual minorities had 3.46 times the odds. Branched heterosexuals also showed elevated risk, especially for marijuana and illicit drug use. The findings support using multidimensional sexual-orientation measures in public-health surveillance and designing interventions that reach groups who may be missed by identity-only surveys; they describe associations rather than proving that sexual-orientation patterns cause substance use.

💡 Key Findings

Across adolescents, young adults, and adults, coincident and branched sexual minorities had consistently elevated odds of substance use compared with coincident heterosexuals.

High

80%

Among adults, coincident sexual minorities had 3.53 times the odds of marijuana use, while branched sexual minorities had 3.46 times the odds compared with coincident heterosexuals.

High

80%

Branched heterosexuals also showed elevated risk, particularly for marijuana and illicit drug use, suggesting identity-only measures may miss some higher-risk groups.

Good

75%

The authors conclude that public-health surveillance and interventions should use multidimensional measures of sexual orientation to better identify hidden high-risk groups and address persistent disparities.

Good

75%

📄 Original Abstract

Sexual minorities experience elevated substance use, but many epidemiological studies rely exclusively on sexual identity measures. Inclusion of sexual identity and sexual attraction items in the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides an opportunity to assess how sexual identity-attraction patterns relate to substance use across developmental stages. Data were from the 2023 NSDUH (N = 56,705), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of individuals aged 12 years and older. Sexual identity and attraction were recoded into a five-category identity-attraction variable: coincident Ii.e. identity-attraction aligned) heterosexual, coincident sexual minority, branched (i.e., identity-attraction misaligned) heterosexual, branched sexual minority, and unknown/not reported. Outcomes included past-year alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drug use. Analyses were stratified by adolescents (12-17), young adults (18-25), and adults (26+). Weighted prevalence estimates and survey-adjusted logistic regressions were conducted. Across age groups, coincident and branched sexual minorities had consistently elevated odds of substance use relative to coincident heterosexuals. For example, compared to coincident heterosexuals, coincident sexual minority adults had higher odds of marijuana use (aOR = 3.53, 95% CI=2.87-4.34) as did branched sexual minorities (aOR = 3.46, 95% CI=2.76-4.35). Branched heterosexuals also demonstrated elevated risk, particularly for marijuana and illicit drug use. Respondents reporting unknown identity/attraction generally had lower odds of alcohol use. Sexual identity-attraction patterns are an important correlate of substance use across age groups. Public health surveillance and interventions should adopt multidimensional measures of sexual orientation to identify hidden high-risk groups and reduce persistent disparities.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Addictive behaviors
Published: August 4, 2026
PMID: 42556167
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108826

Authors (4)

Timothy J Grigsby Department of Social and Behavioral Health, University of Nevada, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA. Electronic address: timothy.grigsby@unlv.edu.
Darin Mains Department of Social and Behavioral Health, University of Nevada, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
R Andrew Yockey Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Myriam Forster Department of Health Sciences, California State University, Northridge, USA.