Study shows fewer cannabis users view cigarette use as harmful

A new study, titled “Everything Old Is New Again: Creating and Sustaining a ‘Common Reality’ of the Health Risks Associated with Cigarette Use at the Population Level to Both Reduce Prevalence and Eliminate Disparities in Cigarette Use Among All Americans,” was published in published by the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. The research was led by Dr. Renee Goodwin, Professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy and Associate Professor at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health in New York.

Goodwin explained in a press release that as the legalization of cannabis expands across the United States, more and more questions are emerging. “Tobacco control has done a tremendous job over the last few decades in educating the public about the physical health risks associated with tobacco use, and cigarette smoking in particular,” Goodwin said.

In this latest study, researchers analyzed data from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. “Participants’ responses to a question about the extent to which people risk harming themselves, physically and otherwise, by smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day smoke were compared between those who use cannabis daily and those who have not used cannabis in the past year,” a press release explained. “62% of adults who use cannabis daily perceived smoking packs a day as a ‘major’ health risk, compared to 73% of those who had not used cannabis in the past year.”

Previous studies conducted by Goodwin indicate that cigarette use is more common among consumers who also use cannabis. “We wondered why that might be,” Goodwin said. “Our results suggest that the reduced risk perception of daily cigarette consumption could be a factor.”

“Most Americans who smoke cigarettes have at least one mental health or substance use problem that is considered a barrier to smoking cessation and sustained abstinence from cigarette use. Based on our analysis of 2020 nationally representative data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)…” read the study manuscript. “…51.7% of Americans ages 12 and older who reported having smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days met criteria for at least one of the following: serious mental distress, major depressive episode, heavy drinking, or daily cannabis use…”

Goodwin spoke at a recent public hearing in New York on the subject of introductory Resolution 1417, proposed by Suffolk County Rep. Kara Hahn, which would ban cannabis packaging appealing to children. Goodwin explained that studies in Canada by some of her colleagues indicate that the legalization of cannabis has not led to an increase in underage use. “Data from Canada suggest that simple packaging is a measure that can maximize the safe and effective implementation of cannabis legalization and protect the health, safety and well-being of all members of our community, including those most at risk: children,” Goodwin said at the hearing.

“The enactment of local and state laws that reduce the appeal of cannabis products to youth, as opposed to banning product packaging that mimics foods and candies traditionally marketed to children (e.g., Pop-Tarts, Oreos) , may reduce potential unintended harm to the most vulnerable members of our community from accidental ingestion/poisoning, the number of which has exploded in the United States in recent years, with intentional use of these products by children and adolescents,” Goodwin said, according to an interview with the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Cigarette use is known to cause many harmful side effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 480,000 people die each year from tobacco-related deaths, including those exposed to second-hand smoke. But the legalization of cannabis has definitely helped reduce cigarette and e-cigarette use. A 2019 poll found that many Americans believe e-cigarettes are more dangerous than cannabis. The EVALI vape crisis in late 2019 and early 2020, which resulted in 2,807 hospitalizations or deaths, also resulted in increased restrictions and testing requirements for e-cigarettes.