Is Vaping A Gateway To Further Substance Use? Columbia University Is Researching

A comprehensive national study involving over 50,000 US adolescents sheds light on the concerning connection between vaping nicotine, cannabis use, and binge drinking among young people.

Lead author of the study, Noah Kreski from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health emphasized the importance of recognizing the interrelated nature of substance use behaviors and adopting comprehensive approaches to safeguard the well-being of young individuals.

The authors highlighted certain limitations of the study including that data was collected from students during the school day and excluded those who were absent. Nicotine vaping and smoking were also self-reported by participants, which may be vulnerable to measurement and recall bias.

Key Points

The study reveals a strong association between vaping nicotine and other harmful substance use, including cannabis and binge drinking. It emphasizes the need to address multiple forms of substance use concurrently to promote the health of young people.

While vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking, it still poses health risks, particularly for adolescents. The study emphasizes the importance of ongoing surveillance as the long-term effects of vaping are still unclear.

The researchers utilized data from the Monitoring the Future survey, conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), to examine trends in substance use among adolescents in different school grades.

The study also demonstrates that adolescents who smoke or vape nicotine are significantly more likely to use cannabis. The likelihood increases substantially for those who both smoke and vape nicotine.

Nicotine use and binge drinking: The research also reveals a correlation between nicotine use and binge drinking. The association becomes more pronounced with higher levels of binge drinking, highlighting the need for interventions to address co-occurring substance use.

While the causal direction of the associations is not yet clear, the significant effect sizes observed raise concerns about the potential harm these substances pose to adolescents, per the study.

What Do The Numbers Say?

• Over 50,000 US adolescents were included in the study.
• The study analyzed data from the Monitoring the Future survey conducted between 2017 and 2019.
• Adolescents who smoked nicotine were found to be 8.03 times more likely to use cannabis.
• Adolescents who vaped nicotine were 20.31 times more likely to use cannabis.
• Adolescents who both smoked and vaped nicotine were 40.1 times more likely to use cannabis.
• Adolescents who both smoked and vaped nicotine were 5.6 times more likely to participate in binge drinking on one occasion.
• Adolescents who both smoked and vaped nicotine were 21.60 times more likely to participate in binge drinking on three to five occasions.
• Adolescents who both smoked and vaped nicotine were 36.53 times more likely to participate in binge drinking on ten occasions or more.

“Given the strong associations between nicotine use and both cannabis use and binge drinking, there is a need for sustained interventions, advertising and promotion restrictions, and national public education efforts to reduce adolescent nicotine vaping, efforts that acknowledge co-occurring use,” the study concluded.

Image By Julia Koblitz On Unsplash