Cannabis vaping doubled among U.S. adults from 2017 to 2019, with the biggest jump in young adults
Cannabis vaping prevalence doubled from 1.0% to 2.0% among U.S. adults between 2017 and 2019, with the sharpest increase (1.2% to 3.9%) among 18-24 year olds.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Cannabis vaping doubled nationally from 1.0% to 2.0% between 2017 and 2019, with the largest increase among young adults (1.2% to 3.9%). Cannabis vaping was associated with heavy alcohol use (aOR 1.95), binge drinking (aOR 2.82), and other high-risk behaviors (aOR 2.47) but not with asthma or respiratory symptoms.
Key Numbers
160,209 participants; past-30-day cannabis use rose from 10.0% to 13.4%; cannabis vaping from 1.0% to 2.0%; young adults 1.2% to 3.9%; aOR 2.82 for binge drinking; no association with asthma (aOR 1.03)
How They Did This
Analysis of 2017-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (160,209 participants) examining prevalence, trends, and associations of cannabis vaping with health behaviors and respiratory conditions.
Why This Research Matters
The rapid increase in cannabis vaping, especially among young adults, coincided with the EVALI outbreak and raises ongoing questions about the health effects of this relatively new consumption method.
The Bigger Picture
The co-occurrence of cannabis vaping with other high-risk behaviors suggests that interventions targeting one behavior in isolation may miss the broader pattern of risk-taking in this population.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design prevents causal inference, self-reported substance use, BRFSS data limited to states that included cannabis questions, 2017-2019 period predates further market changes.
Questions This Raises
- ?Has cannabis vaping continued to increase after 2019?
- ?Did the EVALI outbreak slow the trend?
- ?Are the high-risk behavior associations causal or do they reflect a shared tendency toward risk-taking?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis vaping tripled among young adults from 1.2% to 3.9% in two years
- Evidence Grade:
- Large nationally representative survey with over 160,000 participants across three years
- Study Age:
- Published in 2021 using 2017-2019 data. Cannabis vaping trends may have shifted further since then.
- Original Title:
- Cannabis vaping among adults in the United States: Prevalence, trends, and association with high-risk behaviors and adverse respiratory conditions.
- Published In:
- Preventive medicine, 153, 106800 (2021)
- Authors:
- Boakye, Ellen, Obisesan, Olufunmilayo H, Uddin, S M Iftekhar, El-Shahawy, Omar, Dzaye, Omar, Osei, Albert D, Benjamin, Emelia J, Stokes, Andrew C, Robertson, Rose Marie, Bhatnagar, Aruni, Blaha, Michael J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03010
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
How common is cannabis vaping?
Past-30-day cannabis vaping prevalence doubled from 1.0% to 2.0% among U.S. adults between 2017 and 2019. Among young adults aged 18-24, it tripled from 1.2% to 3.9%.
Is cannabis vaping linked to lung problems?
In this large study, cannabis vaping was not associated with asthma or other respiratory symptoms after adjusting for demographics. However, it was strongly associated with heavy alcohol use and other high-risk behaviors.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03010APA
Boakye, Ellen; Obisesan, Olufunmilayo H; Uddin, S M Iftekhar; El-Shahawy, Omar; Dzaye, Omar; Osei, Albert D; Benjamin, Emelia J; Stokes, Andrew C; Robertson, Rose Marie; Bhatnagar, Aruni; Blaha, Michael J. (2021). Cannabis vaping among adults in the United States: Prevalence, trends, and association with high-risk behaviors and adverse respiratory conditions.. Preventive medicine, 153, 106800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106800
MLA
Boakye, Ellen, et al. "Cannabis vaping among adults in the United States: Prevalence, trends, and association with high-risk behaviors and adverse respiratory conditions.." Preventive medicine, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106800
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis vaping among adults in the United States: Prevalenc..." RTHC-03010. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/boakye-2021-cannabis-vaping-among-adults
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.