Is E-cigarette use a gateway to marijuana use? Longitudinal examinations of initiation, reinitiation, and persistence of e-cigarette and marijuana use.

Introduction:
This text discusses a study examining the relationship between e-cigarette use and marijuana use among U.S. adults. The study aims to address literature gaps by investigating the gateway effect of prior e-cigarette use on later use of marijuana and testing falsification hypotheses. The study also distinguishes between different stages of marijuana and e-cigarette use.

Key Points:

* The study found that e-cigarette use was associated with marijuana use initiation and reinitiation among marijuana non-users and prior marijuana users.
* The falsification hypothesis was also supported, indicating a bi-directional relationship between e-cigarette and marijuana use initiation.
* Stricter house rules about nicotine product use were associated with lower odds of marijuana and e-cigarette use persistence.
* Baseline past-month cigarette smoking frequency was associated with all use stages (initiation, reinitiation, and persistence) of e-cigarettes and marijuana.
* hispanic and non-hispanic black e-cigarette non-users were more likely to initiate e-cigarette use if they used marijuana at baseline.
* The study demonstrates the criticality of segmenting the study population into different risk groups while investigating the gateway hypothesis.
* Related policy and educational interventions should be designed according to various prior and current substance use patterns.

Main Message:
The study reveals important findings regarding the influence of e-cigarette use on marijuana use stages of initiation, reinitiation, and persistence. It emphasizes the need to segment the study population into different risk groups while investigating the gateway hypothesis and design policy and educational interventions according to various prior and current substance use patterns.

Wong SW, Lohrmann DK, Middlestadt SE, Lin hC. Is E-cigarette use a gateway to marijuana use? Longitudinal examinations of initiation, reinitiation, and persistence of e-cigarette and marijuana use. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2020;208:107868. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107868