Non-combustible Cigarette Products and Marijuana Risk :

If you follow the link to our recent collection of articles on both e-cigarettes and marijuana, you will find articles on the medical risks surrounding both of these products in teenagers. We even published an article noting the association between electronic cigarette usage and subsequent marijuana use Pediatrics, May 2018, 141 (5) e20173787.  What about the relationship between the types of tobacco products, including hookah, and marijuana use? Audrain-McGovern et al. (10.1542/peds.2017-3616) shared their findings in a new study we are early releasing this week.  The authors surveyed 2,668 9^th graders in ten Los Angeles public schools who reported never having used marijuana alone or in combination with combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or other non-cigarette tobacco products.  Any tobacco product in use in 9^th grade had an increased statistically significant association with marijuana initiation and its current use two years later.  While causality cannot be proven with this study, just knowing the association between tobacco products and subsequent marijuana use is a strong one as shown in this article, will enable you to share this information with your patients, with schools, and community groups, with the hope that preventive strategies can be implemented.  For example, focusing on teens’ strength and resiliency could decrease the risk of using these substances.  Smoke out the information in this study and learn more.