Study shows surge in e-cigarette and marijuana use among state ’s young adults

The use of marijuana and electronic cigarettes jumped dramatically among young adult Californians between 2017 and 2018, with large proportions of users of both products being underage, according to anew study by theUCLA Center for Health Policy Research.The study, which highlights smoking trends among individuals between the ages of 18 and 25, shows that e-cigarette vaping surged by 48% over that period, while marijuana use increased by 19%. Cigarette smoking, which had been declining for a decade, saw no significant change. The authors also suggest several policy approaches to respond to the changing smoking landscape.Using data from the center ’s 2018California Health Interview Survey, researchers found that more than a third of young adults — or 1.7 million — were currently using at least one, and sometimes more, of these products, with 314,000 reporting smoking cigarettes, 682,000 using e-cigarettes and 1.3 million using marijuana. Flavors were popular among young adults, with 4 of 5 e-cigarette users vaping flavored products and 2 in 5 cigarette users smoking menthol cigarettes. Another key finding of the study was that 48% of these e-cigarette users, 40% of marijuana users and 28% of cigarette smokers were between the ages 18 to 20  — under the legal age-limit of 21 to purchase tobacco products and marijuana in 2018.“Although the state and local governments have made massive strides in tobacco control policy, our research underscores the importance of cons...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news