A new study indicates that marijuana vaping among teens has doubled.
WASHINGTON — A brand new study published in the academic journal JAMA Pediatrics found that cannabis vaping among teens in the US and Canada has more than doubled since 2013.
“Regular use of high THC products could increase the risk of dependence, other substance use and many other health, social and behavioral problems later in life,” notes Carmen Limm, a doctoral candidate in health and behavioral sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia and a co-author of the study, in an interview with US National Public Radio (NPR).
“Since marijuana is currently illegal at the federal level, many products are not regulated,” Lim explained in the interview.
“These findings indicate that the prevalence of cannabis vaping in adolescents is on a strong upward trajectory in the US and Canada,” notes the study’s conclusion. “Because cannabis oil contains a greater level of THC than cannabis flower products, intervention, and prevention measures are urgently needed, such as better regulation of cannabis vaping products and bans on advertising that targets young people to mitigate the increasing prevalence of cannabis vaping among adolescents.”
According to NPR, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis involving seventeen studies covering nearly 200,000 adolescents in the United States and Canada. Overall, the study finds that the cumulative data points to a noteworthy shift in preference from dried herb smoking to the use of cannabis oil products which is often how marijuana and other cannabis derivatives are ingested through the use of a vaporizer or electronic cigarette device.
Limm is the corresponding author.
She co-authored the study with Tianze Sun and Janni Leung, both experts at the University of Queensland in Australia like Limm.
Much of the study was financed through the National Health Medical Research Council of Australia and other granting organizations across the country and at the university level.
