Young Adults Want to Quit Nicotine Vaping More Than Cannabis Vaping | Research

The takeaway

Young adults who vaped nicotine and/or cannabis reported stronger motivation to quit nicotine vaping than cannabis vaping, with barriers including addiction, mental health coping, and personal identity tied to vaping.

Substance use counselors working with young adults, public health intervention designers, vaping cessation researchers.

Young adults were more motivated to quit vaping nicotine than cannabis

What the researchers found

Young adults expressed stronger motivation to stop vaping nicotine than cannabis. Key barriers to quitting included lack of self-control over nicotine vaping, product accessibility, treatment cost, habitual use, addiction, low perceived risk, coping with mental health, and personal identity linked to vaping. Facilitators included cost burden, protecting relationships, negative emotions about health harms, and health concerns.

Why it matters

As vaping becomes the dominant nicotine and cannabis delivery method among young adults, understanding what helps and hinders quitting is essential for intervention design. The finding that motivation to quit differs between nicotine and cannabis vaping suggests cessation programs may need substance-specific approaches.

The numbers in context

20 participants; mean age 22.8; racially/ethnically diverse California sample; interviews conducted 2024-2025; mapped to COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework; most cessation factors overlapped for nicotine and cannabis.

How the study worked

Thematic analysis of interviews with 20 racially and ethnically diverse California young adults (mean age 22.8) who vaped nicotine and/or THC in 2024-2025, mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework.

What this study cannot tell us

Small qualitative sample (n=20) from California only. Self-selected participants may not represent all young adult vapers. Cannot quantify the relative importance of different barriers and facilitators. Cross-sectional interviews capture perspectives at one point, not trajectories of quitting.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: Small qualitative study (20 participants) providing exploratory insights into cessation barriers and facilitators that need quantitative validation.

When this study was published

Published in 2025 with 2024-2025 interview data.

The bigger picture

This study fills a gap in understanding dual-substance vaping cessation among young adults. While nicotine cessation has established intervention frameworks, cannabis vaping cessation is a newer challenge with fewer evidence-based tools. The overlap in barriers suggests some interventions could address both simultaneously.

Questions still open

Why do young adults perceive cannabis vaping as less worth quitting than nicotine vaping? Could integrated cessation programs for both substances be more effective than separate ones? What role does vaping-related identity play in maintaining use?

Common questions

Why are young adults less motivated to quit cannabis vaping?

Participants perceived cannabis as less harmful and more beneficial than nicotine. Cannabis-specific barriers included perceived mental health and wellness benefits that made quitting feel like losing a coping tool, while nicotine-specific barriers centered more on addiction and physical dependence.

What helped young adults want to quit vaping?

The most commonly identified facilitators included concerns about health impacts and product quality, the financial cost of vaping products, protecting relationships with loved ones, and negative emotions about the health harms of vaping.

Read the original research

Barriers and facilitators to nicotine and cannabis vaping cessation among young adults: a qualitative study using Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1)

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Nguyen, Nhung; Satterfield, Jason M; Keyhani, Salomeh; Marcus, Gregory M; Ling, Pamela M. (2025). Barriers and facilitators to nicotine and cannabis vaping cessation among young adults: a qualitative study using Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaf096