Racial Discrimination Linked to Cannabis Coping Among Asian Americans During COVID
Among over 3,000 Asian Americans surveyed during COVID-19, perceived racial bias was specifically associated with cannabis use for coping, while other pandemic stressors drove alcohol and tobacco use.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Racial/ethnic discrimination was associated only with cannabis use among Asian Americans during the pandemic, not with alcohol or tobacco. However, non-discriminatory COVID-19 stressors (economic, health) were associated with all three substances. About 24% of Asian Americans reported discrimination as their greatest source of stress.
Key Numbers
3,159 Asian American participants. 24% reported racial/ethnic discrimination as greatest stressor. Cannabis coping: 4.1%. Alcohol coping: 13.0%. Tobacco coping: 4.3%. Racial discrimination was associated only with cannabis use, not alcohol or tobacco.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional analysis of 3,159 Asian American participants from the AA & NH/PI COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project. Binary logistic regression examined associations between discrimination measures, pandemic stressors, and use of tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis for coping.
Why This Research Matters
Anti-Asian discrimination surged during COVID-19. This study reveals that discrimination-related stress and general pandemic stress drove different substance use patterns, suggesting that addressing racism specifically may help reduce cannabis use as a coping mechanism in this community.
The Bigger Picture
Different types of stress may drive different substance use behaviors. The specificity of the discrimination-cannabis link suggests something unique about how racial stress is processed compared to other pandemic stressors.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine causation. Self-reported substance use and discrimination. Surveyed during a specific pandemic period, which may limit generalizability. Grouping all Asian Americans together misses within-group diversity.
Questions This Raises
- ?Why was discrimination specifically linked to cannabis but not alcohol?
- ?Does this pattern persist post-pandemic?
- ?Would disaggregating Asian American subgroups reveal different patterns?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 24% of Asian Americans reported discrimination as their greatest COVID stressor
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: large community-based sample with validated measures, but cross-sectional design and pandemic-specific context
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025 using pandemic-era data
- Original Title:
- Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.
- Published In:
- BMC public health, 25(1), 698 (2025)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05992
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why was discrimination linked only to cannabis and not other substances?
The study found this specific pattern but could not determine why. The authors suggest different stressors may trigger different coping behaviors, and that the discrimination-cannabis link deserves further investigation.
How common was substance use for coping?
Among Asian American respondents, 13.0% used alcohol, 4.3% used tobacco, and 4.1% used cannabis to cope with pandemic-related stress.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- cannabis-dependence-physical-psychological-addiction-science
- cannabis-perception-vs-evidence-gap
- cannabis-use-disorder-test
- cross-addiction-quit-weed-start-drinking
- is-weed-addictive
- is-weed-addictive-science
- quitting-weed-and-alcohol
- rehab-for-weed-addiction-necessary
- signs-of-cannabis-use-disorder
- weed-vape-pen-addiction
- cannabis-and-relationships-complete-guide
- cannabis-culture-and-lifestyle-guide
- why-more-or-less-social-on-thc
- cannabis-and-socializing-only-use-around-others
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05992APA
Bacong, Adrian Matias; Maglalang, Dale Dagar; Tsoh, Janice Y; Saw, Anne. (2025). Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.. BMC public health, 25(1), 698. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21824-2
MLA
Bacong, Adrian Matias, et al. "Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.." BMC public health, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21824-2
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among..." RTHC-05992. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/bacong-2025-perceived-discrimination-and-coping
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.