Abstract
Background: Vaping has become an increasingly common mode of administration for both nicotine and cannabis, with overlap among users, devices, as well as nicotine and cannabis companies. There is a need to understand patterns of use among youth, including the way nicotine and cannabis are administered. Methods: Data are from Wave 2 of the ITC Youth Tobacco and Vaping survey, an online survey conducted in 2018 among 16–19 year-olds recruited from commercial panels in Canada (n = 3757), England (n = 3819), and the U.S. (n = 3961). The prevalence of past 30-day vaping nicotine, non-nicotine and cannabis substances, as well as cannabis modes of use was examined. Logistic regression models examined between country differences in prevalence. Results: Past 30-day cannabis use was highest among Canadian youth (16.6%), followed by youth in the U.S. (13.8%) and England (9.0%). Vaping e-cigarettes was substantially more prevalent than vaping cannabis in all three countries. All forms of cannabis use were higher among Canadian and U.S. youth compared to England (p < 0.001 for all). Past 30-day cannabis users in the U.S. were more likely to report vaping cannabis oil (30.1%), and consuming solid concentrates such as wax and shatter (30.2%), compared to cannabis users in Canada (18.6% and 22.9%) and England (14.3% and 11.0%; p < 0.001 for all). Conclusions: Youth are administering cannabis and nicotine using a wide diversity of modes. Cannabis users in the U.S.—where an increasing number of states have legalized medical and non-medical cannabis—reported notably higher use of more potent cannabis products, including cannabis oils and extracts.
Highlights
In most Western countries, cigarette smoking remains the dominant form of nicotine use [1].in recent years, the use of other devices for nicotine consumption, in particular vapourizers, have become increasingly common
Youth are administering cannabis and nicotine using a wide diversity of modes
The current study found that between 12% and 20% of e-cigarette users did not know whether the e-cigarette contained nicotine, similar to previous studies [16,26]
Summary
In most Western countries, cigarette smoking remains the dominant form of nicotine use [1].in recent years, the use of other devices for nicotine consumption, in particular vapourizers, have become increasingly common. Commercial vapourizers emerged in the late 1990s as an alternative mode of cannabis use These vapourizers were typically large devices that heated dried cannabis herb below the point of combustion to the point of vapourization [2]. Vapourizers in the cannabis market have followed a similar transition, with greater use of cannabis extracts in oil ‘pods’ or vape pens, alongside devices that use dried herb [3,4,5]. This is expected to further expand as cannabis companies partner with tobacco companies to benefit from vaping technology [6]. Past 30-day cannabis users in the U.S were more likely to report vaping cannabis oil (30.1%), and consuming solid concentrates such as wax and shatter (30.2%), compared to cannabis users in Canada (18.6% and 22.9%) and England (14.3% and 11.0%; p < 0.001 for all)
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