The paper entitled “Asthma prevalence among US 9th–12th graders who report past 30‐day cannabis use in 2019” sheds light on the correlation between recent cannabis use and asthma prevalence among American high school students, adjusting for demographic characteristics and cigarette use.

Data were drawn from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a CDC national high school survey, which collects data from students in grades 9–12 across the U.S. bi‐annually. The research team, led by Renee Goodwin, PhD, in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Public Health utilized logistical models to examine the prevalence of asthma with past 30-day cannabis use, current cigarette, alcohol, state-of-residence cannabis legal status, adjusting for sex, race and ethnicity, thus providing a valuable contribution to the understanding of the potential health impacts associated with cannabis use among adolescents.

Cannabis use was more common among female (17 percent vs. 14 percent, male users), Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic youth relative to Non-Hispanic White youth (17 percent and 16 percent respectively vs. 14.6 percent). Cannabis use was much more common among the students who reported any past 30-day cigarette or alcohol use (45 percent vs. 6.5 percent, for non-users. Declines in cannabis use were observed independent of state-level cannabis law from 2013 to 2021 and cannabis use prevalence did not differ significantly by state-of-residence cannabis legal status among the 24 participating states in 2021.

Commenting on the significance of the research, Goodwin and colleagues believe that the study adds to the growing body of evidence linking cannabis use to adverse health outcomes among young people. “Understanding these associations is crucial for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies to protect the health and well-being of our youth.”

Goodwin, who is a clinical psychologist and expert in psychiatric and substance use epidemiology, continues: “The findings of this study have important implications for public health, education, and drug prevention programs targeting high school students although more public health and clinical research is needed,” said Goodwin, who is also a researcher at The City University of New York. “Scientific data that can inform clinical guidelines and public health policy, as well as parents and youth, on the potential relationship between cannabis use and respiratory health among youth, is critical and we urge that more studies like this one be a priority.”

Co-author is Kevin D. Silverman, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, The City University of New York.

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A Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health study of more than 50,000 U.S. adolescents indicates that vaping nicotine is strongly linked with an increased likelihood of high levels of binge drinking and cannabis usage. The findings add to growing public health concerns about the increased popularity of electronic cigarette –or ‘vaping’ — use among young people. The results are published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse.(link is external and opens in a new window)

“While the overall health risks of vaping are lower than smoking, electronic cigarettes are still harmful to adolescents and warrant ongoing surveillance – especially as the long-term impacts remain unknown,” says lead author, Noah Kreski in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. “Our results indicate that vaping is not an isolated behavior, but rather strongly tied to other substance use that can harm adolescents and make quitting nicotine more difficult. Recognizing the strong overlap between various forms of substance use, effective intervention efforts should work to simultaneously address vaping, drinking and cannabis use to encourage the health and well-being of young people.”

The researchers used the Monitoring the Future survey – conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – to track trends in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, vaping of both nicotine and cannabis, and other substances for children in school grades 8 (13-14 years old), 10 (15-16 years old) and 12 (17–18 years old).

The team examined data from 51,872 adolescents who took part in the survey between 2017 and 2019. They assessed the links between past 30-day nicotine use (non, smoking-only, vaping-only, and any smoking plus vaping) with past 30-day cannabis use – making adjustments to account for certain demographic factors, such as age, sex, race, parental education and urbanicity of the participants.

Looking at nicotine use and cannabis use — in any form, including vaping — they found that, compared to those who did not use nicotine at all, adolescents who:

• smoked were 8.03 times more likely to use cannabis.

• vaped were 20.31 times more likely to use cannabis.

• both smoked and vaped were 40.1 times more likely to use cannabis.

The researchers also found a link between past 30-day nicotine use and two-week binge drinking, even after adjustment. The association between smoking and vaping and binge drinking increased in magnitude at greater levels of binge drinking. For instance, compared to those who did not use nicotine at all, adolescents who both smoked and vaped were:

• 5.6 times more likely to have participated in binge drinking on one occasion.

• 21.60 times more likely to participated in binge drinking on three to five occasions.

• 36.53 times more likely to have participated in binge drinking on ten occasions or more.

“The links between vaping-only, or both smoking and vaping, and cannabis use and binge drinking outcomes in adolescents are particularly striking – especially at the highest levels of binge drinking. While the causal direction of these associations is unclear, the size of the effect is concerning given the harms these substances pose to adolescents,” adds Kreski, who is a data analyst at Columbia.

“Given the strong links 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 vaping in adolescents – efforts that acknowledge co-occurring substance use.”

Co-authors include Hadley Ankrume, Yale School of Public Health; Magdalena Cerdá, New York University School of Medicine; Qixuan Chenc, Deborah Hasin, Silvia Martins, Mark Olfson, and Katherine Keyes, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

The study was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse, grants R01DA048853, R01DA037866, and R01DA048860.

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“Our findings are concerning considering that simultaneous cannabis and alcohol use is associated with more negative consequences (e.g., risk behaviors [driving under the influence], heavy patterns of substance use, increased risk for alcohol use disorders) to the individual and society,” said Priscilla Goncalves, PhD, a post-doctoral research fellow in Columbia Mailman School’s Department of Epidemiology, and first author. 

“Until this study, little had been known about the RCL and simultaneous use in adults in the U.S., where adult cannabis use and alcohol use are increasing in a changing cannabis policy environment.”

The researchers accessed restricted data from individuals aged 12+ from the 2008–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) covering 817,359 participants. Data included respondents’ 2019 state of residence for state recreational cannabis law status. The final analysis included self-reporting of simultaneous cannabis and alcohol use.

From 2008 to 2019, the overall prevalence of simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use increased in adults. Comparing the period pre-RCL to post RCL, there were small but significant increases observed among those aged 21 and older. More specifically, the prevalence of simultaneous use among respondents aged 21-30 increased from 9.2 percent to 10.4 percent. Similarly, among participants aged 31-40 years and 41-50 years, prevalence increased from 5 percent to 6 percent and from 3 percent to 4.7 percent, respectively. However, for respondents aged 12–20 years old and 51-year-old and older, there were no significant associations between RCL and changes in the prevalence of simultaneous use. 

“The greater availability and opportunity to access cannabis through legal supply chains available for adults ages 21 and over such as dispensaries, present in most RCL states, may explain why we observed increases in simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use in those aged 21–50 but not 12–20 years after RCLs in this sample.,” noted Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, and senior author. “These findings build upon prior research showing that states allowing dispensaries had a greater likelihood of alcohol-related outcomes in adults aged 21+. Our work confirms these findings and extends them by reporting rising simultaneous use after RCL with cannabis supply implementation using a nationally representative sample across age groups over a long period (2008–2019).

“Finally, our study contributes to the understanding of age group changes in simultaneous cannabis/ alcohol use after the legalization of adult cannabis use in the U.S. beyond medical laws” says Gonçalves. “Therefore, there may be a need to develop strategies to reduce harms related to simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use in adults aged 21-50”.

Co-authors are Natalie Levy, Luis Segura, Emilie Bruzelius, and Pia Mauro, Columbia Mailman School; Anne Boustead, University of Arizona; and Deborah Hasin, Columbia Mailman School and Columbia University Irving Medical Center Department of Psychiatry.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA037866, T32DA031099, R01DA048860, and K01DA045224); and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia University (1 R49 CE002096-01).

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By Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Substance abuse among U.S. adolescents is diminishing, except for an uptick in cannabis and vaping use, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. High levels of free social time, especially with low engagement in structured activities or low supervision, was linked to substance use. The results are published online in the journal Substance Use and Misuse.

Examining data from 536,291 adolescents between 1991 and 2019, a team of researchers suggests that while the reasons for this phenomenon are not entirely clear, they appear to correlate to several social factors. These include increased parental monitoring and decreased partying and dating notable among them.

According to lead author, Noah Kreski, MPH, in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, several demographic factors seem to correlate to increased substance abuse even today.

“Substance use prevalence decreases across decades were largest for the groups defined by significant paid employment or high levels of social time, either with low engagement in other activities or lower levels of supervision, though these groups had the highest initial prevalence of each variety of substance use,” says Kreski.

Using data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)’s Monitoring the Future survey, the researchers tracked trends in use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, vaping of both nicotine and cannabis, and other substances for school-age students in grades 8 (13-14 years old), 10 (15-16 years old) and 12 (17–18 years old), and cross-referenced these habits against demographic factors such as level of social engagement, participation in structured activities, level of adult supervision, and employment. They further analyzed these patterns across race, sex, parental education, along with other demographics.

Conversely, substance abuse was higher overall in the highly social and highly engaged groups with less supervision. Time at a paid job was also a significant factor in increasing the chances of trying illicit substances.

Cannabis use increased among all groups, but especially among adolescent workers. Nicotine vaping increased the most among the highly social and engaged group that was less supervised, and cannabis vaping increased most among social but disengaged teens.

“Social settings where adolescents interact with peers, at parties, for example, provide opportunities for substance use, especially in the absence of adult supervision,” Kreski says. “These social settings may produce peer pressure for adolescents to engage in substance use in order to fit in.”

This may be particularly true of employed adolescents, who regularly interact with older teens and adults. Employed adolescents often come from lower income brackets and are thus propelled into an early “pseudo-adulthood,” leading them to adopt the habits more typical of people older than they are. Further, cannabis users, in particular, appear to seek out other cannabis users, leading to social circles in which the drug plays a significant role. Vaping was similarly correlated to social influence.

Analyzing the data further, results show:
    • 15 percent of respondents reported any past two-week binge drinking
    • 27 percent drank alcohol in the past month
    • 15 percent of adolescents smoked cigarettes in the past month
    • 13 percent reported any past-month cannabis use
    •  9 percent reported past-month use of other substances
    • 12 percent reported nicotine vaping
    •  6 percent reported cannabis vaping from 2017 onward

In summary, Kreski noted: “Uncovering these links between complex patterns of time use and substance use outcomes could reveal new opportunities for intervention and education of adolescents surrounding substances, helping to promote declines in use. Taken together, while the prevalence of substance use varied drastically between the groups, the trends in substance use tended to be relatively consistent across groups. Further research is now needed to investigate the factors driving these universal trends in adolescent substance use.”

The authors suggest that a variety of peer-led and community-based programs may be effective in diminishing use across a broad spectrum of adolescent demographics. They urge further examination of mental health conditions that may lead to substance abuse.

Co-authors are Magdalena Cerdá, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Qixuan Chen, Deborah Hasin, Silvia Martins, Pia Mauro, Mark Olfson, and Katherine Keyes, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (grant DA048853).

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EPIDEMIOLOGIST DISCUSSES WORK ON CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN PUBLIC HEARING ON GROUNDBREAKING LOCAL LAW TO REGULATE PACKAGING OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS

A growing number of Americans are using cannabis as it becomes legalized for recreational adult use in a rapidly increasing number of U.S. states. Questions abound about what impact legalization will have on adult and youth health. 

In a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, findings show that increased cigarette use is one possibility. While cigarette use has been declining for decades in the U.S., the study finds that adults who use cannabis daily do not perceive smoking a pack a day as being as harmful as those who do not use cannabis in the U.S. The findings are published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

“In the context of recent findings that perception of risk plays a key role in predicting substance use, and that perception of risk associated with cannabis use has declined steadily along with legalization, these findings were somewhat of a surprise,” said Renee D Goodwin, PhD, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public and professor of Epidemiology at The City University of New York of New York, and lead author. 

At a recent Suffolk County Legislature Public Hearing on Introductory Resolution 1417, A Local law to Regulate the Packaging of Cannabis (Marijuana) Products to Dissuade its Appeal to Children, Goodwin discussed her work and, in particular, that of Canadian colleagues. The resolution, proposed by Legislator Kara Hahn, aims to ban cannabis packaging that appeals to children in Suffolk County, New York (NY01). Findings from Canada, which made cannabis legal federally show increases in adult cannabis use but as of the most recent study in 2022, no sustained increases in cannabis use among adolescents. “Data from Canada suggests that plain packaging is one measure that can maximize the safe and effective rollout of cannabis legalization and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of all members of our community, including those most vulnerable: children,” Goodwin said.  

The researchers used data from adults age 18 and older in the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a representative survey of U.S. individuals. Participants’ responses to a question about how much people risk harming themselves physically and in other ways by smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day were compared between those who use cannabis daily and those who did not use cannabis in the past year; 62 percent of adults who use cannabis daily perceived pack a day cigarette use to be of “great” risk to health, compared with 73 percent of those who did not use cannabis in the past year.

“Tobacco control has done a tremendous job in public education on the physical health risks associated with tobacco use, and cigarette smoking in particular, over the past several decades,” noted Goodwin. Her prior work shows that cigarette use, however, is much more common among those who use cannabis and that cannabis legalization may contribute to observed increases in cannabis use and cannabis-cigarette co-use among adults.  “We wondered why that might be. Our findings suggest that diminished risk perception of pack a day cigarette use may be one contributing factor.”
 
“Enacting legislation on the local and state level that reduces the appeal of cannabis products to youth vis-a-vis prohibiting product packaging that mimics foods and candies that are traditionally marketed to children (e.g., pop-tarts, Oreos) may reduce potential unintended harms to the most vulnerable members of our community via accidental ingestion/poisonings, which have exploded in number in recent years in the U.S., with child and adolescent intentional use of these products,” Goodwin suggests.

Co-authors are Meng Xi, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health; and Keely Cheslack-Postava, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

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LARGEST INCREASES FOUND AMONG HIGH-SCHOOL SENIORS, TRIPLING IN 2 YEARS FROM 5 TO 14 PERCENT

Cannabis vaping is increasing as the most popular method of cannabis delivery among all adolescents in the U.S., as is the frequency of cannabis vaping, according to research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study found that the frequency of vaping cannabis among adolescents from all demographic groups is reported at six or more times per month, and rising faster than occasional use. Those who vape and smoke nicotine are more than 40 times more likely to also vape and smoke cannabis.

Until now time trends in vaping use had largely been unexamined including trends in use frequency, emerging disparities, and co-occurring use of other substances, which are all critical for surveillance and public health programmatic efforts. The findings are published in the journal Addiction.

“Heavy and frequent use of cannabis is increasing among U.S. adolescents, and vaped systems for products for both cannabis and nicotine are growing in number so understanding the prevalence and patterns of frequent cannabis vaping is important public health information for prevention,” said Katherine Keyes, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. “Given rising concerns about cannabis vaping in terms of safety, and potential for transition to cannabis use disorder especially at frequent levels of use, these results indicate a necessity for public health intervention and increased regulation.”
 
The findings are based on the U.S.-based representative annual survey, Monitoring the Future, a population of 51,052 school-attending adolescents. Schools were randomly selected and invited to participate for two years.
 
Past 30-day frequent cannabis use with vaping increased (2.1 percent to 5.4 percent), while occasional use with vaping rose from 1.2 to 3.5 percent from 2017 to 2019.  Past 30-day frequent (3.8 to 2.1 percent) and occasional (6.9 to 4.4 percent) cannabis use without vaping declined. Certain groups, such as Hispanic/Latino or lower socioeconomic status adolescents, experienced particularly notable increases in frequent cannabis use with vaping (e.g., prevalence among Hispanic/Latino adolescents in 2017: 2.2 percent, 2019: 6.7 percent).
 
According to Keyes, tobacco use and e-cigarettes, as well as binge drinking, are strongly linked to frequent cannabis use –both vaping and non-vaping. The evidence indicates that young adults who use nicotine, especially through vaporizers, are more likely to subsequently use vaped cannabis.
 
In fact, adolescents who reported smoking and vaping nicotine on more than 10 occasions of binge drinking, were 42 times and 10 times more likely to report past 30-day cannabis use with vaping, respectively, compared to no use.
 
“Given that it is easier for adolescents to conceal vaping than cannabis smoking, this mode of cannabis use may facilitate more frequent use,” comments Keyes.
 
Prevalence increased across grades, with the largest burden among high school seniors for whom past-30-day prevalence almost tripled from 5 percent (2017) to 14 percent (2019). The one-year increase in this grade from 2018 to 2019 (7.5 percent to 14 percent) is the second largest one-year increase in any type of substance use prevalence ever tracked by Monitoring the Future.
 
“This persisting prevalence of daily cannabis use, which in 2020 use was higher than any year since 1981, is of further alarm for several reasons, observes Keyes. “Heavy levels of cannabis use are associated with adverse cognitive and social outcomes for youth, as well as long-term trajectories of drug use that may have adverse health and other consequences.”
 
Also concerning is that high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be delivered through vaping devices, which may lead to dangerous consequences for youth users with lower tolerance.
 
“In addition, of note, is the evidence that the increases we are seeing in vaping as compared with smoking are concentrated among non-Hispanic white and higher socioeconomic status adolescents, the latter possibly reflecting the higher price point for vaping devices compared with other administration methods, “noted Keyes.
 
“As cannabis legalization continues across U.S. states, and as products, delivery systems, potency and marketing proliferate within a for-profit industry, increased attention to youth trends, including investment in sustained and evidence-based prevention and intervention, is increasingly urgent.”

Co-authors are Noah Kreski, Hadley Ankrum, Deborah Hasin, Silvia Martins, Mark Olfson, and Qixuan Chen, Columbia Mailman School; Magdalena Cerdá, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; and Richard Miech, University of Michigan.

The study was supported by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, grant R49-CE003094; National Institute on Drug Abuse, grants R01DA001411, R01DA016575, R01DA037866, R01DA048853, R01DA048860.

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In a study of drivers with past year alcohol and cannabis use, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that two in five drivers reporting alcohol and cannabis in the past year drove under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or both. Approximately one-half of the participants in each category reported this pattern. The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Earlier research has suggested that simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use increases driving impairment, leading to an uptick in the risk of traffic fatality more than either substance individually, particularly among young adolescents. Yet, until now, no nationally representative study has tested relationships simultaneous use and people reporting driving under the influence of these substances. 
 
“Alcohol and cannabis are two of the most common substances involved in impaired driving and motor vehicle crashes in the U.S.,” said Priscila Dib Gonçalves in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, and first author. “Examining the effect of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use on self-report driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol-only, cannabis-only, and both substances using a nationally representative sample could contribute to better understanding the impact in adolescents and adults.”
 
Drivers aged 16 years or older who reported any past-year alcohol and cannabis use in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2016-2019) were included with a final study sample of 34,514. The outcome was reporting any past-year driving under the influence of alcohol-only (DUI-A), cannabis-only (DUI-C), alcohol and cannabis (DUI-A+C), or no DUI. Data were further collected via face-to-face household interviews using computer-assisted interviewing and audio computer-assisted survey instruments to increase the accuracy of responses to potentially sensitive questions.
 
Between 2016-2019, 42 percent of drivers with past-year alcohol and cannabis use reported any past-year DUI (8 percent DUI-A, 20 percent DUI-C, 14 percent DUI-A+C). Simultaneous use was associated with 2.88 times higher odds of driving under the influence of cannabis, and 3.51 times higher odds of driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.
 
Most participants were male (57 percent), non-Hispanic white (67 percent) with a family income of $40,000 or less (63 percent), and living in a state with medical cannabis laws (68 percent). Two-thirds of participants reported any tobacco use in the past year and one-third used any drug other than cannabis. In addition, 8 percent reported daily alcohol use, 20 percent daily cannabis use, and 21 percent met criteria for alcohol use disorder and 18 percent for cannabis use disorder. Over a quarter of the sample (28 percent) reported simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use. 

Daily alcohol and cannabis use increased the likelihood of DUI-A and DUI-C, respectively, and both alcohol/cannabis daily use were associated with DUI-A/C. “In the context of increasing daily cannabis use among adults, our findings connecting daily cannabis use and DUI raises public health concerns,” observed Pia Mauro, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology, and senior author. “Population changes in cannabis use frequency that may be associated with health hazards, including daily use, need to be continuously monitored.”

“Our study is unique in that it reports more recent nationally representative data (2016-2019) and compares different types of DUI categories,” noted Gonçalves. “From a harm reduction perspective, identifying which population subgroups are at high risk for DUIs could assist the development of more focused prevention strategies. Future research should also investigate the potential impact of low or “promotional” cannabis prices with higher levels of use, intoxication, and simultaneous use of other substances.”
 
Co-authors are Sarah Gutkind, Luis Segura, João M. Castaldelli-Maia, and Silvia Martins, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 
 
The study was funded by the U.S .National Institutes of Health, National institute on Drug Abuse, T32DA031099, R01DA037866 and K01 DA045224, and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, R49CE003094.

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A study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers examines how cannabis vaporizer brands use Instagram to market their products by employing visuals that may appeal to young people and tagging popular musicians, social media influencers, and cannabis products to expand the brands’ reach. Findings are published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Instagram has over 100 million monthly active users, with 25 percent between the ages of 13 and 24. In the United States in 2018, 72 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 said they used Instagram. Facebook (the company that owns Instagram) prohibits paid advertising of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs; however, posts to brand pages and profiles, while frequently used for marketing purposes, are not subject to this policy.

The research was overseen by Daniel Giovenco, PhD, an assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia Mailman who studies social and environmental determinants of tobacco use disparities. Torra Spillane, MPH ‘17, a project coordinator in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, conceptualized and spearheaded this study. Bryce Wong, MPH ‘19, previously a Lerner Center Research Fellow in Sociomedical Sciences, is a co-author.

The researchers performed a content analysis of Instagram posts uploaded between October 2017 and October 2018 by three popular cannabis vaporizer brands: Kandypens (731 posts), G Pen (454 posts), and Pax (71 posts). Posts had a wide reach, with a total of 467,700 followers across the brands, although reach may be wider as G Pen and Pax had public profiles with no age-verification process at the time of the study.

About a third of posts by the three brands tagged Instagram accounts of social media influencers or other individuals (34.3%); approximately the same portion of posts tagged other companies or their products (31.9%). Musicians (34.6%) and “cannabis influencers” (29.1%)—Instagram users with established relationships with cannabis brands who promote products through the platform—were the most common occupational identities in accounts tagged.

Two-thirds (68.0%) of posts depict someone using the product, although cannabis was rarely mentioned (8.9%) or depicted (10.0%) in posts. Few posts mention age restrictions (0.3%), health risks (5.2%), or health benefits (0.2%). Encouragingly, the three companies do not appear to be alluding to unfounded or weakly authenticated health claims about their products or cannabis consumption, a practice often employed by the recreational and medical cannabis industry.

Kandypens’ website claims their products are for aromatherapy purposes, and the researchers found the brand’s Instagram posts had few mentions of cannabis. However, the account frequently tagged users labeling themselves as cannabis influencers, suggesting that brands may indirectly promote themselves for use with cannabis in order to avoid regulatory oversight.

Visual Appeals to Young People

Three brands present themselves in different ways. Generally, G Pen posts images of musicians, video games, and youthful models in hip, urban settings. Pax presents upscale domestic images and relatively older models. Kandypens favors a retro “hippie” aesthetic with nearly all of its posts of young women, including sexualized images. (Kandypens requires users to report their age as over 18 to access its posts). Among the brands’ Instagram posts that feature a person, 84 percent depict female users.

“Most cannabis users in the United States are men, so the widespread use of female models may indicate that cannabis vaping companies are attempting to reach to a broader audience, a strategy similar to those historically used by the tobacco industry,” notes Spillane, the study’s lead author.

Is More Regulation Needed?

he researchers write that Facebook could update its policies to include a mechanism for oversight and regulation of brand-owned pages that market cannabis and related products, including guidelines to protect the public’s health, such as age-gating and information on consumer safety. Many states with recreationally legal cannabis restrict marketing practices including unfounded health claims, promotional activities, and youth targeting, although these rules do not restrict Internet marketing efforts, which might require federal policy action.

Spillane notes, “We’d like to see more research exploring cannabis marketing, including an expanded focus on the diversity of administration methods and substance forms. A better understanding of brand marketing can help inform relevant policies, educational interventions, and other initiatives that reduce population health risks and promote consumer safety.”

Background on Vaping Cannabis

Vaping cannabis, which involves heating cannabis flower or concentrates to a vapor that users inhale, has recently gained mainstream popularity. Estimates of adults who have ever vaped cannabis range from 32 to 61 percent. Use is also high among young people, with research finding that almost half (44%) of adolescent cannabis users reporting lifetime cannabis vaping. Another survey found that past 30-day prevalence of cannabis vaping was 14 percent among high school seniors in 2019—a massive 86-percent increase over 2018.

Little research exists on the health effects of vaporizing cannabis, and evidence is mixed. Some experts express concern over high concentrations of THC in cannabis concentrates, dry herb, and other cannabis products that are frequently vaped, along with new additives, solvents, and flavor extracts that are largely unregulated. In 2019, cannabis vaping products, particularly those purchased from informal sources, were linked to an outbreak of lung injuries in the U.S.; vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent added to some THC vaping liquids, is thought to have played a major role. Conversely, vaping cannabis has been associated with fewer respiratory problems and may reduce exposure to smoke-related toxins and carcinogens when compared to smoking.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (DP5OD023064). The authors report no conflicts of interest.

-Columbia University

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San Jacinto takes tokin’ steps toward distributing cannabis.

In mid-2019 the San Jacinto City Council made a commitment to comprehensively update the City’s regulations related to Cannabis Oriented Businesses (COB). At the time a Ad Hoc committee was established to address the concerns of the Council. One of the greatest concerns was the criteria which would allow the establishment of dispensaries.

On the surface of a business are its employees, and that was first and foremost a primary goal that Council wanted to address. Who would be able to establish a dispensary and how would its potential operators be screened?  For such a long time, the public, as well as the law painted a negative image of cannabis: now that it’s being legalized and public opinion is shifting, the Council wants that positive change to be reflected in those who run the businesses. Qualities such as experience and knowledge of the field, the ability to start a business, and the ability to operate it in a way that does not negatively impact the community were, in the Council’s eye, key to a successful operation in San Jacinto.

A merit-based evaluation was decided upon.  This system required a 70% minimum score. While specific scoring was established, the categories and weights of the evaluation were as follows:

1. Business Plan (15%)
2. Financial Solvency (20%)
3. Safety and Security (15%)
4. Air Quality Plan (10%)
5. Labor and Employment (15%)                                                         6. Community Benefit (25%)

Additionally, the Council sought the help of HdL Companies, a provider of Cannabis Management, Evaluation, and Permits. HdL brings with it three components they deemed necessary for cannabis ventures to succeed.

Component 1 is to develop an application process and specific scoring criteria.                                                                       Objective 2 is to provide initial screening, application reviews, merit-based scoring and interviews with cannabis applicants.                                                                                          Objective 3 is to provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance to the City on an as-needed basis.

The HSJ Chronicle will cover these City Council meetings and bring up-to-date information as it breaks.

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Synthetic marijuana is a deceptive and very poisonous substance that is affecting people everywhere in the U.S. Overdose symptoms included unexplained bruising, coughing up blood as well as blood in the urine and feces. In New Haven, more than 70 people overdosed in a single day and in Washington, D.C., 300 people overdosed in a two-week period. 

What is synthetic marijuana?

Synthetic marijuana (also known as Spice and K2) is an imitation cannabis created with man-made chemicals rather than cannabis. It is sold under more than 600 names, including Mojo, Scooby Snax and Black Mamba and can often be found in small, silvery plastic bags as “herbal incense” or “potpourri,” or in liquid form for use in vaporizers or edibles.

Synthetic marijuana is nothing like marijuana at all, but far more hazardous. It is a mixture of herbs and spices that are sprayed with extremely harmful chemicals intended to simulate THC (the mind-altering ingredient in marijuana)—some of which are 100 times stronger than actual THC. Furthermore, its potency can vary wildly. 

Synthetic marijuana falls into the category of “designer drugs”—versions of illegal drugs that have been chemically altered to avoid being classified as illegal. As law enforcement catches up with these substances and makes them illegal, manufacturers devise new alterations to steer clear of the law and the cycle repeats. 

Due to the constantly growing number of chemicals employed in them, users have no way of knowing what these experimental drugs consist of, nor can they predict the consequences. 

The disastrous effects of synthetic marijuana 

Short-term damage

The results of synthetic marijuana are many and varied—but none of them are good. A few of its effects on the mind and body include:

Loss of consciousness

Hallucinations, severe paranoia and psychosis

Uncontrolled/spastic body movements 

Convulsions, seizures and strokes

Synthetic marijuana has also been associated with violent and irrational behavior. One woman under the influence of Spice threw her four-year-old into a trash bin. When arrested by the police, she could not remember where her son was. The child was retrieved and turned over to Child Protective Services. Many deaths and even homicides have also been linked to its use.

Long-term damage

The harm of continued usage is not fully known, but poison center experts report that it can be life-threatening. Some users have reported experiencing paralysis. As one person relates, “After using Spice for several weeks, I woke up early one night, fell to the floor, couldn’t move my legs and couldn’t move my hips. All I could do was drag myself by my forearms and that wasn’t making it anyway so I laid on the floor for 13 hours, screaming, pounding the floor asking for help. Doctors say another two hours and I would have been dead…”—L.D.

Withdrawal symptoms include cravings, nightmares, heavy sweating, nausea, tremors, headaches, extreme tiredness, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting.

An illusion that betrays

Often people who try synthetic marijuana are looking for a “harmless high” and are completely ignorant of its devastating effects. Falsely advertised as “safe,” “natural” and “legal,” synthetic marijuana is anything but these things. As one former user stated: “…I was just sitting there smoking [Spice] until it all hit me. I couldn’t see right or walk and then I threw up about 6 or 7 times. I woke up my mom and she laid me down on the couch and called the ambulance. About 10 minutes before the ambulance showed up, I started to have seizures. I woke up in a hospital bed on life support. I had gone into cardiac arrest for a few hours and they thought I wasn’t going to wake up, but I survived it and I have not been the same. I stutter a lot now and I can’t concentrate on anything. I’ll be telling a story and just go blank and not know what happened. I always see these dots and I am just not all there anymore.”—D.Y.

Whatever a person is searching for or seeking to solve by taking drugs; no “high” is more valuable than your life. Drugs not only destroy your body and mind, but in the final analysis, they can take everything.

THE SOLUTION

The real answer is to get the facts and safeguard yourself, and your future, by not taking drugs in the first place.

Drugs tear families and lives apart. Help us educate others and end their destructive grip on our society. 

For help or more information, visit us today at drugfreeworld.org or contact us at e-mail: info@drugfreeworld.org • phone: 1-888 NOTODRUGS (1-888-668-6378).

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Search: Synthetic marijuana

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