Cigarette quit rates were dramatically lower among cannabis users and did not improve over 15 years for those with cannabis use disorder | Research

The takeaway

From 2002 to 2016, cigarette quit ratios among people with cannabis use disorders (15%) remained less than a third of those without cannabis use (51%), and showed no improvement over the 15-year period.

Tobacco cessation specialists, addiction medicine physicians, public health officials tracking smoking disparities, and researchers designing co-use interventions.

15% quit ratio for CUD vs. 51% for non-cannabis users in 2016

What the researchers found

In 2016, quit ratios were 23% for any cannabis users and 15% for those with CUD, versus 51% for non-cannabis users and 48% for those without CUD. After controlling for demographics and other substance use, quit ratios did not change from 2002-2016 among people with CUD, while they increased for most other groups.

Why it matters

While cigarette smoking rates have declined nationally, people with cannabis use disorders have not benefited from this trend. This widening gap suggests current cessation strategies are failing dual users.

The numbers in context

2016 quit ratios: cannabis users 23%, CUD 15%, no cannabis 51%, no CUD 48%. Quit ratios for CUD: unchanged 2002-2016. Past-month cannabis users had faster increases in quit ratios than non-users.

How the study worked

Analysis of annual cross-sectional data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002-2016) among US adults aged 18+. Quit ratios (proportion of former smokers among ever-smokers) calculated annually and trends tested using logistic regression.

What this study cannot tell us

Cross-sectional annual surveys cannot track individuals over time. Self-reported smoking and cannabis use. Cannot determine whether cannabis use causally prevents smoking cessation or whether shared risk factors drive both.

How to read the evidence

Large nationally representative dataset spanning 15 years with appropriate statistical controls, but cross-sectional design and self-reported data.

When this study was published

2020 analysis of 2002-2016 NSDUH data. Documents a persistent and widening health disparity.

The bigger picture

The stagnant quit ratios among people with CUD represent a growing health disparity as overall smoking rates decline. Without targeted interventions for this population, the health burden of smoking will become increasingly concentrated among cannabis co-users.

Questions still open

Why are cessation programs failing people with CUD? Does the shared route of administration (smoking) make quitting tobacco harder for cannabis users? Would integrated cannabis-tobacco cessation programs narrow this gap?

Common questions

What is a quit ratio?

A quit ratio is the proportion of former smokers among all people who have ever smoked. Higher quit ratios mean more people who tried smoking have successfully stopped.

Did any cannabis users show improvement in quitting smoking?

Past-month cannabis users (without CUD) showed faster increases in quit ratios over time compared to non-users, but those with cannabis use disorder showed no improvement from 2002 to 2016.

Read the original research

Cigarette smoking quit ratios among adults in the USA with cannabis use and cannabis use disorders, 2002-2016.

Tobacco control, 29(1), 74-80

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Weinberger, Andrea H; Pacek, Lauren R; Wall, Melanie M; Gbedemah, Misato; Lee, Joun; Goodwin, Renee D. (2020). Cigarette smoking quit ratios among adults in the USA with cannabis use and cannabis use disorders, 2002-2016.. Tobacco control, 29(1), 74-80. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054590