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Study breakdown

Over a quarter of New England tobacco users who vape are vaping both nicotine and cannabis

Cross Sectional SurveyModerate evidence
The takeaway

Among 1,547 adults in New England who used tobacco in the past month, 26.1% reported vaping both nicotine and cannabis, with male sex and self-rated anxiety linked to higher odds of dual-vaping.

Clinicians screening for substance use, public health surveyors, and harm reduction advocates.

26.1% of tobacco-using vapers dual-vaped nicotine and cannabis

What the researchers found

26.1% of past-month tobacco users who vaped reported dual-vaping both nicotine and cannabis/CBD in the past 30 days. Male sex and self-rated anxiety were associated with higher odds of dual-vaping.

Why it matters

Standard vaping surveys often fail to ask what substance is being vaped. This study shows that when researchers ask specifically, a surprisingly large share of vapers are using both nicotine and cannabis, which has implications for health screening and treatment.

The numbers in context

1,547 adults surveyed. 26.1% dual-vaped nicotine and cannabis. Mean age 42.9 years, 62.8% female, 85.4% White. Male sex (p = .002) and anxiety (p = .043) associated with dual-vaping.

How the study worked

Online survey of 1,547 adults with past 30-day tobacco use across five New England states, collected in monthly cross-sectional waves from April 2021 to July 2022. Used new survey questions distinguishing vaping substances and multinomial logistic regression for analysis.

What this study cannot tell us

Limited to New England tobacco users, so prevalence may not generalize nationally. Self-reported data. Cross-sectional design cannot establish whether anxiety drives dual-vaping or vice versa.

How to read the evidence

Multi-state survey with improved substance-specific questions, but cross-sectional and limited to tobacco users.

When this study was published

2024 study with data from April 2021 to July 2022.

The bigger picture

Vaping is often treated as a single behavior, but the substances people vape matter enormously for health risk assessment. The prevalence of dual-vaping suggests clinical intake questions need to be more specific about what patients are inhaling.

Questions still open

  • Are dual-vapers at greater health risk than single-substance vapers? Would better screening questions in clinical settings change treatment approaches for these patients?

Common questions

How common is dual-vaping nicotine and cannabis?
Among New England adults who used tobacco in the past month, 26.1% reported vaping both nicotine and cannabis or CBD.
Who was more likely to dual-vape?
Males and people with self-rated anxiety had higher odds of dual-vaping compared to vaping nicotine or cannabis alone.

Read the original research

Dual-Vaping of Nicotine and Cannabis Among Adults Who Currently Use Tobacco Products in Five New England States.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 26(9), 1253-1258

Citation

Liu, Jessica; Hanby, Elaine; Kingsley, Melody; Winickoff, Jonathan P; Gundersen, Daniel A; Tan, Andy S L. (2024). Dual-Vaping of Nicotine and Cannabis Among Adults Who Currently Use Tobacco Products in Five New England States.. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 26(9), 1253-1258. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae062

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