Users maintain the same smoking or vaping habits for both tobacco and cannabis

A cross-sectional analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data to determine if tobacco and cannabis methods of administration are likely to be consistent across products.

Respiratory research • • Moderately Relevant
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AI Summary

This study analyzed data from 4,071 U.S. adults who reported using both tobacco and cannabis in the past 30 days to understand whether people use the same consumption method for both substances. The research found a striking pattern: adults who vape tobacco are 7 times more likely to vape cannabis (rather than smoke it), and those dual-using tobacco are nearly 6 times more likely to vape cannabis exclusively. This suggests users develop consistent habits—smokers tend to smoke both products, while vapers tend to vape both products.

The implications for health are significant, as different consumption methods carry different health risks. Vaping tobacco and cannabis users were also 3-4 times more likely to use mixed methods (both smoking and vaping cannabis), indicating more complex consumption patterns among this group compared to cigarette-only smokers. The study also found that race and education level influenced consumption patterns, suggesting that cannabis and tobacco co-use is not uniform across populations.

These findings matter because most existing research on tobacco-cannabis co-use hasn't considered different delivery methods, yet the health consequences vary substantially between smoking, vaping, and dual use. Understanding that users maintain consistent consumption patterns across products could help public health agencies better understand and address the specific health risks faced by different co-using populations."

📄 Original Abstract

Cannabis and tobacco co-use has increased over time, but research evaluating co-use risks rarely considers different cannabis or tobacco use modalities (e.g., smoking, vaping). Data were analyzed from 4,071 participants from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, a nationally representative survey of United States adults, who endorsed past 30-day cannabis use and current cigarette smoking and/or vaping. A weighted multinomial logistic regression was used to determine if current tobacco use (cigarettes, vaping, or dual use; independent variable) was associated with cannabis use modality (only smoking, only vaping, or smoking and vaping cannabis; dependent variable), controlling for race, sex, and education level. Compared to individuals who smoked cigarettes, those vaping (odds ratio [OR] = 7.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.03, 12.58) or dual using (OR = 5.69, 95% CI: 2.66, 12.19) tobacco were more likely to vape cannabis than smoke cannabis. Additionally, compared to those who smoked cigarettes, individuals vaping (OR = 3.77, 95% CI: 2.73, 5.19) or dual using (OR = 4.62, 95% CI: 3.21, 6.64) tobacco were more likely to smoke and vape cannabis than exclusively smoke cannabis, but were less likely to smoke and vape cannabis than exclusively vape cannabis (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.97). Race and education level differences were also found. Results indicated adults co-using tobacco and cannabis may use the same consumption modality for both products (e.g., those smoking tobacco also smoke cannabis, while those vaping tobacco also vape cannabis), which has important implications for health risks.

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