Cannabis Vaping and the Subsequent Initiation of Illicit Drugs Among Adolescents

• In Event: Adolescent Drug Use, Education, and Peer Influence

Abstract

Vaping is a novel way of consuming cannabis among adolescents, leading to a growing concern regarding the long-term effects on health and behavior. Cannabis is known to be a predictor of further illicit drug use, but it is unknown if the specific mechanism of vaping changes the predicted pathways for adolescents. The present study uses three waves of data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study to analyze the progression from cannabis use to illicit drug use, contingent on four categories of use: no cannabis use, both vape and non-vape cannabis use, vape cannabis use only, and non-vape cannabis use only. Preliminary results show that using a vape to consume cannabis increases the likelihood of an adolescent moving from cannabis use to further illicit drug use.

Author

• Anna Jo Herron, Pennsylvania State University