A study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2022) examined whether e-cigarette use during adolescence is associated with higher odds of subsequent cannabis use.

Youth use of e-cigarettes by age 14 was associated with 2.8 times higher odds of subsequent cannabis use by age 17.

Similarly, use of e-cigarettes by age 14 was associated with 2.5 times higher odds of frequent cannabis use at age 17 (>10 times in prior year).

If youth used both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes by age 14, the probabilities of cannabis initiation were 75% and of frequent use was 25% by age 17, compared to probabilities of 23% and 6%, respectively, among youth who had used neither product.

These results indicate the need for prevention specialists to address e-cigarette use in early adolescence as well as educating youth that e-cigarette use increases the risk of cannabis use, including frequent use, later in life.

Read the research abstract: