Young Black Men Who Smoke Cannabis Blunts Are Getting Nicotine Without Knowing It
Over half of young Black men who smoked cannabis blunts — but reported no tobacco use — had nicotine metabolite levels exceeding secondhand smoke exposure, revealing hidden nicotine addiction risk.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 46 young Black men who smoked only cannabis blunts (no reported tobacco use), 54.3% had salivary cotinine levels above 10ng/mL — exceeding typical secondhand smoke levels. Higher cotinine was associated with more blunts smoked, self-constructed blunts, greater cannabis quantity, and cannabis dependence.
Key Numbers
111 participants, 46 saliva samples. 54.3% had cotinine >10ng/mL. More blunts = higher cotinine (r=.35, p=.017). Self-constructed blunts had higher cotinine (p=.02). Cannabis dependence correlated with cotinine (r=.31, p=.046).
How They Did This
Cross-sectional study of 111 young adult Black men (ages 18-30) reporting 30-day blunt use but no tobacco/nicotine use. 46 provided saliva samples at two timepoints (baseline and 10 hours later). Cotinine levels measured and correlated with use patterns, cravings, and affect.
Why This Research Matters
Blunts are made with tobacco leaf wrappers, but many users don't consider themselves tobacco users. This hidden nicotine exposure could drive unrecognized nicotine addiction, with particular health equity implications for young Black men who disproportionately use blunts.
The Bigger Picture
This study highlights a hidden health equity issue: young Black men who believe they avoid tobacco are nonetheless getting significant nicotine exposure through blunts. This unintentional exposure could create nicotine dependence and contribute to tobacco-related health disparities.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small subsample with saliva (46 of 111). Single geographic/demographic group. Cross-sectional design. Self-reported no tobacco use may not be accurate in all cases. Cotinine doesn't distinguish between tobacco wrapper and other potential nicotine sources.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are blunt smokers developing nicotine dependence without realizing it?
- ?Would awareness of nicotine content change blunt use behavior?
- ?Should blunt wraps carry nicotine content warnings?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Small sample with objective biomarker measurement — provides strong evidence of the phenomenon but limited generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2026, using data collected 2023-2024, addressing a growing health equity concern.
- Original Title:
- Hidden nicotine: Cotinine levels among young adult Black men who smoke cannabis blunts.
- Published In:
- Drug and alcohol dependence, 282, 113086 (2026)
- Authors:
- D'Anna, Laura Hoyt(2), Chang, Kyle(2), Owens, Jaelen(2), Wood, Jefferson L, Pang, Raina, Conner, Bradley
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08196
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do cannabis blunts contain nicotine?
Yes — blunts are wrapped in tobacco leaf, which contains nicotine. This study found that over half of blunt-only smokers had cotinine (nicotine metabolite) levels well above what secondhand smoke produces, even though they didn't consider themselves tobacco users.
Could smoking blunts lead to nicotine addiction?
Potentially. The study found that more frequent blunt use correlated with higher nicotine levels and cannabis cravings, suggesting the nicotine in blunt wraps may contribute to a dependency cycle that users aren't aware of.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08196APA
D'Anna, Laura Hoyt; Chang, Kyle; Owens, Jaelen; Wood, Jefferson L; Pang, Raina; Conner, Bradley. (2026). Hidden nicotine: Cotinine levels among young adult Black men who smoke cannabis blunts.. Drug and alcohol dependence, 282, 113086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113086
MLA
D'Anna, Laura Hoyt, et al. "Hidden nicotine: Cotinine levels among young adult Black men who smoke cannabis blunts.." Drug and alcohol dependence, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113086
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Hidden nicotine: Cotinine levels among young adult Black men..." RTHC-08196. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/d-anna-2026-hidden-nicotine-cotinine-levels
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.