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Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2022) | Viewed by 19179

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Heather L. Kimmel

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Guest Editor

NIDA, NIH, 301 North Stonestreet Ave, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Interests: tobacco; marijuana; policy; epidemiology; regulatory science; neuroscience; toxicology

Dr. MeLisa Creamer

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Guest Editor

NIDA, NIH, 301 North Stonestreet Ave, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
Interests: tobacco; e-cigarettes; epidemiology; adolescent and young adult; surveillance

Dr. Steve Gust

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

NIDA, NIH, 301 North Stonestreet Ave, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
Interests: cannabis; international

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue reports on the current epidemiology of tobacco and cannabis use, particularly in the context of the rapidly changing policies regulating these products and the availability of new delivery methods and products on the market. As cannabis policies become more permissive and tobacco policies become more restrictive in the US, the prevalence and patterns of use of these products are shifting. In addition, the introduction of electronic vaping systems has provided alternative delivery systems with yet-to-be understood long-term consequences. Other areas of focus include youth uptake of these substances, use of other substances with tobacco and/or cannabis, and health outcomes associated with tobacco and/or cannabis use. These focus areas are considered in the context of existing mental and physical health conditions, health inequities, and legal environments in the US as well as internationally. Together, this overview will inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Dr. Heather L. Kimmel
Dr. MeLisa Creamer
Dr. Steve Gust
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Cannabis policy
Tobacco policy
Domestic and international policy
Polysubstance use
Health equity
Youth substance use

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cigarillo Flavor and Motivation to Quit among Co-Users of Cigarillos and Cannabis: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

by Allison M. Glasser, Julianna M. Nemeth, Amanda J. Quisenberry, Abigail B. Shoben, Erika S. Trapl and Elizabeth G. Klein

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5727; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095727 - 8 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2286

Abstract

Flavored cigar restrictions have the potential to benefit public health. Flavor availability facilitates cigarillo use, but it is unknown if flavor impacts patterns of co-use of cigarillos and cannabis, an increasingly prevalent behavior among young adults. Data were collected (2020–2021) in a cross-sectional online survey administered to a convenience sample of young adults who smoked cigarillos from 15 areas with high cigar use prevalence. We assessed the relationship between flavored cigarillo use and motivation to quit cannabis and cigarillo use among past 30-day co-users (N = 218), as well as several covariates (e.g., cigarillo price and flavor/cannabis policy). Flavored cigarillo perceived appeal and harm were hypothesized parallel mediators. Most co-users reported usually using flavored cigarillos (79.5%), which was not significantly associated with motivation to quit cigarillos or cannabis. Perceived cigarillo harm (β = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.33), advertising exposure (β = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.24), and income (among racial/ethnic minorities; β = −0.13, 95% CI = −0.25, −0.02) were significant predictors of motivation to quit cigarillos. There were no significant predictors of motivation to quit cannabis. Cigarillo flavor was not associated with motivation to quit, so findings could suggest that banning flavors in cigars may have a neutral impact on co-use with cannabis among young adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use)

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15 pages, 687 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Perceptions of Hookah Harmfulness and Addictiveness on the Age of Initiation of Hookah Use among Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Youth

by Arnold E. Kuk, Meagan A. Bluestein, Baojiang Chen, Melissa Harrell, Charles E. Spells, Folefac Atem and Adriana Pérez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5034; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095034 - 21 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1789

Abstract

Despite the negative health consequence of hookah, hookah risk perceptions are misguided among youth. Secondary data analysis of 12–17-year-old never hookah users at their first wave of PATH participation (2013–2019) was performed. The effect of perceptions of hookah harmfulness and addictiveness on the age of initiation ever, past 30-day, and fairly regular hookah use were estimated using interval-censored Cox proportional hazards models. The distribution of the age of initiation of hookah outcomes by perception levels of harmfulness and addictiveness are reported as cumulative incidence and 95% CI. Youth who perceived hookah to be neither harmful nor addictive were 173% more likely to initiate ever, 166% more likely to first report past 30-day use, and 142% more likely to first report fairly regular hookah use at earlier ages compared to youth who considered hookah to be both harmful and addictive. By age 18, 25.5% of youth who perceived hookah as neither harmful nor addictive were estimated to initiate ever hookah use while 9.3% of youth who perceived hookah as harmful and addictive were estimated to initiate ever hookah use. These findings indicate the need to provide prevention and education campaigns to change perceptions of the harmfulness and addictiveness of hookah to delay the age of initiation of hookah use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use)

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16 pages, 373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cigarette Smoking among Medical Students from the Western Balkan

by Miloš Ilić, Maja Grujičić, Budimka Novaković, Aleksandra Vrkatić and Zagorka Lozanov-Crvenković

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3055; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053055 - 5 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3647

Abstract

University student’s smoking is a significant public health problem. It is estimated that, globally, every fifth medical student is a smoker. So far, no research dealing with cigarette smoking among medical students has been conducted in the countries of the Western Balkans. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors of cigarette smoking among Western Balkans medical students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2452 students from 14 medical faculties in the Western Balkans (Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Serbia). The data were gathered through an online survey. There were significantly more non-smokers than smokers among medical students. Only gender and parents smoking status were statistically significantly associated with students smoking status. The smokers were more often male students, who lived in urban areas prior their studies, and whose parents were both smokers. With the aim of monitoring and enhancing student population health, it is necessary for public health activists and health officials to continually survey the students’ smoking status in order to recognize the smoking influencing factors, and form and take on appropriate activities to improve the prevention of cigarette smoking among students, as well as motivate those who smoke to give up smoking, which would contribute to improving the health of the student population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use)

11 pages, 606 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association of Vaping and Respiratory Health among Youth in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3

by Christie Cherian, Eugenia Buta, Patricia Simon, Ralitza Gueorguieva and Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 8208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158208 - 3 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5444

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of electronic nicotine product (ENP) use and its respiratory manifestations in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the US. Cross-sectional evidence from 9750 adolescents in wave 3 (October 2015–October 2016) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) survey was used. Adjusting for demographics, lifetime number of cigarettes and cigars used, home rules about tobacco use, and tobacco used by other household members, we used logistic regression models to examine associations between ENP use and its respiratory manifestations in the past year. Among 9750 adolescents, 12% (n = 1105) used ENP in the past year. Compared to non-users, past-year ENP-users had 37% higher odds of wheezing in general (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.37, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.71, p = 0.005) and higher odds of wheezing 4–12 times or >12 times per year versus no wheezing (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.01–2.46, p = 0.05 and AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.04–6.41, p = 0.04, respectively). Additionally, odds of dry cough at night were 23% higher among ENP-users than among non-users (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04–1.46, p = 0.02). There was no association between past-year ENP use and exercise-induced wheezing or asthma diagnosis. Among those with asthma, there was no evidence of an association between ENP use and long-acting inhaler or quick-relief inhaler use. ENP use among adolescents is associated with increased frequency of wheezing and dry cough. Early recognition of pulmonary clinical manifestations among young ENP users should be critical considerations in regulatory and prevention efforts to protect public health, and clinical efforts to prevent progression to serious pulmonary complications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use)

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9 pages, 1322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Availability and Promotion of Cannabidiol (CBD) Products in Online Vape Shops

by Eric C. Leas, Natalie Moy, Sara B. McMenamin, Yuyan Shi, Tarik Benmarhnia, Matthew D. Stone, Dennis R. Trinidad and Martha White

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6719; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136719 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5104

Abstract

Vaping products containing cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis-derived compound used in wellness products and available in all 50 US states, were recently implicated in outbreaks of poisonings. Little is known about the commercial availability of CBD products in vape shops (i.e., stores that sell e-cigarettes). To document the availability and marketing of CBD products in online vape shops, in June 2020, we used the Google Chrome browser without cached data to collect the first two pages of search results generated by five Google queries (n = 100 search results) indicative of shopping for vaping products (e.g., “order vapes”). We then determined whether and what type of CBD products could be mail-ordered from the returned websites, and whether any explicit health claims were made about CBD. Over a third of the search results (n = 37; 37.0%) directed to vape shops that allowed visitors to also mail-order CBD. These shops sold 12 distinct categories of CBD products–some with direct analogs of tobacco or cannabis products including CBD cigarettes, edibles, flowers, pre-rolled joints, and vapes. Two vape shops made explicit health claims of the therapeutic benefits of CBD use, including in the treatment of anxiety, inflammation, pain, and stress. The abundance and placement of CBD in online vape shops suggests a growing demand and appeal for CBD products among e-cigarette users. Additional surveillance on the epidemiology of CBD use and its co-use with tobacco is warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Tobacco and Cannabis Use)

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