Male, older, and White adolescents who use alcohol or tobacco are most likely to vape cannabis
A meta-analysis of 31 studies found adolescent cannabis vaping was nearly twice as likely in males, and significantly more common among older teens, White youth, and those already using alcohol or tobacco.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among adolescent cannabis users, cannabis vaping odds were higher for males (OR 1.79), older adolescents (OR 1.26), current tobacco users (OR 1.62), and alcohol users (OR 2.52); lower for non-Hispanic Black youth (OR 0.55); insufficient evidence for mental health associations.
Key Numbers
31 studies; 568,304 participants; among adolescent cannabis users (n=114,595): male OR=1.79, older OR=1.26, tobacco use OR=1.62, alcohol use OR=2.52, non-Hispanic Black OR=0.55.
How They Did This
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 31 studies (n=568,304) from US, Canada, England, New Zealand, and Switzerland; 26 on adolescents, 5 on young adults; pooled odds ratios using random effects.
Why This Research Matters
Identifying who among cannabis-using youth is most likely to vape helps target prevention efforts, as vaping delivers concentrated cannabinoids with unknown long-term effects.
The Bigger Picture
Cannabis vaping represents a shift in how young people consume cannabis, and the demographic profile of vapers differs from traditional users, requiring updated prevention approaches.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Most studies from US; cross-sectional designs; self-reported cannabis vaping; insufficient studies on mental health and young adult correlates; heterogeneity across studies.
Questions This Raises
- ?Why are White adolescents more likely to vape cannabis?
- ?Does alcohol/tobacco co-use drive vaping adoption or vice versa?
- ?Will the gender gap narrow as in the NYTS data?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Alcohol-using adolescents had 2.52x higher odds of vaping cannabis
- Evidence Grade:
- Large meta-analysis with over 500,000 participants and consistent findings across multiple countries, though mostly cross-sectional studies.
- Study Age:
- Published 2025
- Original Title:
- Cannabis Vaping in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors in Adolescents and Young Adults.
- Published In:
- Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs (2025)
- Authors:
- Chung, Jack(3), Lim, Carmen C W(5), Leung, Janni(7), Stjepanović, Daniel, Chiu, Vivian, Hides, Leanne, Connor, Jason P, Hall, Wayne, Chan, Gary C K
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06228
Evidence Hierarchy
Combines results from multiple studies to find an overall pattern.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Who is most likely to vape cannabis among teens?
Among adolescents who use cannabis, males were nearly twice as likely to vape it. Current alcohol users had the strongest association (2.5x odds), followed by tobacco users (1.6x).
Were there racial differences?
Yes. Non-Hispanic Black adolescents had about half the odds of vaping cannabis compared to White adolescents, even among those who used cannabis.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06228APA
Chung, Jack; Lim, Carmen C W; Leung, Janni; Stjepanović, Daniel; Chiu, Vivian; Hides, Leanne; Connor, Jason P; Hall, Wayne; Chan, Gary C K. (2025). Cannabis Vaping in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors in Adolescents and Young Adults.. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.24-00464
MLA
Chung, Jack, et al. "Cannabis Vaping in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors in Adolescents and Young Adults.." Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2025. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.24-00464
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis Vaping in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analy..." RTHC-06228. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/chung-2025-cannabis-vaping-in-youth
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.