One in four tobacco quitline callers in legalized states also used marijuana
Among 1,059 quitline callers in states with legal marijuana, 24% reported past 30-day marijuana use, and nearly half of those users wanted to quit or reduce their marijuana consumption.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among quitline callers, 24% used marijuana in the past 30 days (28.9% Alaska, 25.0% Oregon, 16.7% DC). Current marijuana users were more likely to complete 3+ counseling calls but less likely to receive nicotine replacement therapy. Among users, 42.6% wanted to quit or reduce marijuana use.
Key Numbers
24% past 30-day marijuana use. Of marijuana users: 62.3% used 1-19 days, 9.0% used 20-29 days, 28.7% used all 30 days. 42.6% wanted to quit or reduce. Marijuana users were less likely to receive NRT (68.4% vs 74.1%) but more likely to complete 3+ calls.
How They Did This
Observational study of 1,059 smokers aged 21+ who called quitlines in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC (September-December 2016). Demographics, tobacco/marijuana use, and quitline engagement data collected.
Why This Research Matters
Tobacco quitlines serve over 400,000 callers annually. Understanding co-use patterns could help tailor cessation services and identify opportunities to address multiple substance use simultaneously.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that nearly half of marijuana-using quitline callers wanted help with their marijuana use too suggests an unmet need that existing tobacco cessation infrastructure could potentially address.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Three states/jurisdictions only; self-reported data; no outcome data on whether co-use affected tobacco cessation success; observational design.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does concurrent marijuana use reduce tobacco cessation success?
- ?Could integrated treatment for both substances improve outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 24% of quitline callers used marijuana; 43% of those wanted to quit or reduce
- Evidence Grade:
- Cross-sectional observational study in three states without cessation outcome data.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2020.
- Original Title:
- Marijuana Use and Adherence to Smoking Cessation Treatment Among Callers to Tobacco Quitlines.
- Published In:
- Preventing chronic disease, 17, E102 (2020)
- Authors:
- Carpenter, Kelly M, Torres, Alula J, Salmon, Erica E, Carlini, Beatriz H, Vickerman, Katrina A, Schauer, Gillian L, Bush, Terry
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02452
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does marijuana use make it harder to quit tobacco?
This study did not measure cessation outcomes. Interestingly, marijuana users were actually more likely to complete multiple counseling calls, but they were less likely to receive nicotine replacement therapy. Future studies need to track whether co-use affects quit rates.
Why did so many marijuana users also want to reduce their marijuana use?
The study found 42.6% of marijuana-using quitline callers wanted to quit or reduce marijuana, with higher rates in Alaska and DC than Oregon. People seeking help for tobacco may already be motivated to address substance use more broadly.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02452APA
Carpenter, Kelly M; Torres, Alula J; Salmon, Erica E; Carlini, Beatriz H; Vickerman, Katrina A; Schauer, Gillian L; Bush, Terry. (2020). Marijuana Use and Adherence to Smoking Cessation Treatment Among Callers to Tobacco Quitlines.. Preventing chronic disease, 17, E102. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200110
MLA
Carpenter, Kelly M, et al. "Marijuana Use and Adherence to Smoking Cessation Treatment Among Callers to Tobacco Quitlines.." Preventing chronic disease, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200110
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Marijuana Use and Adherence to Smoking Cessation Treatment A..." RTHC-02452. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/carpenter-2020-marijuana-use-and-adherence
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.