Relationship Between Recency and Frequency of Youth Cannabis Use on Other Substance Use

Abstract

PurposeTo assess the relationship between lifetime, past-year, and frequent past-year cannabis use on use of other substances among youth in order to inform prevention initiatives. MethodsData are from 27,900 youth aged 12–17 participating in the 2015–2016 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression assessed the relationship between levels of youth cannabis use and past-year use of other substances compared to youth with no lifetime cannabis use. ResultsPrevalence of lifetime cannabis use among youth was 15.4%; 3.0% reported lifetime but not past-year use, 10.3% reported past-year use <200 days, and 2.1% reported past-year use ≥200 days. Past-year tobacco and alcohol use, and past-year misuse of prescription sedatives or tranquilizers, stimulants, and opioids were associated with increased adjusted relative risk ratios across all levels of cannabis use compared to youth reporting no lifetime cannabis use. Increased adjusted relative risk ratios across all levels of cannabis use were seen among youth aged 14–15 and 16–17 compared to 12–17 and among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites. ConclusionsCannabis use is prevalent among youth and associated with other substance use. Efforts to scale up prevention programming and science-based messaging on risks of substance use are needed.