Cannabis, Vaping, and Respiratory Symptoms in a Probability Sample of U.S. Youth.

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a research study examining the association between respiratory symptoms among US adolescents who were current (past-30-day) users of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and/or cannabis, as well as lifetime users of cannabis with electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The study uses data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study and investigates the association between respiratory symptoms and the use of these substances while controlling for a history of asthma. The study provides important insights into the potential health consequences of adolescent substance use.

Key Points:

* The study used data from Wave 4 of the PATH Study, which included a national probability sample of adolescents aged 12-17 years.
* The study examined the association between respiratory symptoms and current (past-30-day) use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and/or cannabis, as well as lifetime use of cannabis with ENDS.
* The study controlled for key demographics, including a history of asthma.
* The study found that adolescents who had ever vaped cannabis had increased odds of indicating all five past-year respiratory symptoms in the fully adjusted models.
* Past 30-day use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis use were associated with some respiratory symptoms in bivariate analyses, but not in the adjusted models.
* The rates of cannabis use were higher than either e-cigarette or cigarette use, indicating that many adolescents had vaped cannabis.
* The associations of an asthma diagnosis and respiratory symptoms had greater magnitudes than either cigarette, e-cigarette, cannabis use, and vaping cannabis with ENDS.

Main Message:

This study provides important evidence suggesting that adolescent cannabis vaping may have negative health consequences, as lifetime cannabis use with ENDS was associated with higher odds of all five past-year respiratory symptoms. While current use of e-cigarettes or cigarettes was associated with some respiratory symptoms in bivariate models, these associations were not statistically significant in the adjusted models, indicating that vaping cannabis may be a more significant predictor of respiratory symptoms. The study highlights the need for further research into the health consequences of adolescent substance use, particularly cannabis vaping, and the importance of regulatory measures to protect adolescent health.

Boyd CJ, McCabe SE, Evans-Polce RJ, Veliz PT. Cannabis, Vaping, and Respiratory Symptoms in a Probability Sample of U.S. Youth. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. 2021;69(1):149-152. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.019