Summary
Introduction:
This text summarizes a study that aimed to identify the correlates of adult marijuana vaping by analyzing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2017 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. The study hypothesized that vaping as the primary mode of marijuana consumption is more common among adults using marijuana for medical purposes and less common among conventional cigarette smokers.
Key Points:
* The study used data from the BRFSS survey, which is a cross-sectional telephone survey that is state- and nationally representative for non-institutionalized U.S. adults.
* The study focused on people who recently used marijuana and considered a binary indicator for vaping as the primary method of marijuana use.
* The study adjusted for demographic controls, such as sex, Hispanic ethnicity, race, and education level.
* The study found that adults reporting medical marijuana use were more likely to vape as their primary mode of consumption, whereas conventional cigarette smokers were less likely to do so.
* Use of nicotine e-cigarettes was associated with a greater likelihood of vaping marijuana for adults aged 25-54 years.
* The study also found that marijuana vaping among past-30-day marijuana users was most common in Florida (15%), California (13%), and Idaho (12%).
* The study concludes that clinicians must account for these risk factors when caring for patients.
Main Message:
The study found that among people who use marijuana, adults reporting medical marijuana use were more likely to vape as their primary mode of consumption, whereas conventional cigarette smokers were less likely to do so. Use of nicotine e-cigarettes was associated with a greater likelihood of vaping marijuana for adults aged 25-54 years. The study suggests that clinicians must account for these risk factors when caring for patients. The findings have significant implications for addressing the outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EV ALI) and highlight the need for providers to identify the safest options for marijuana consumption, accounting for mode of consumption and potency.
Citation
Baldassarri SR, Camenga DR, Fiellin DA, Friedman AS. Marijuana Vaping in U.S. Adults: Evidence From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. American journal of preventive medicine. 2020;59(3):449-454. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.014
