Phoenix, AZ: Teens’ use of cigarettes and other nicotine products is predictive of later cannabis use, according to data published in Substance Use & Misuse.
A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Arizona assessed data from 21 studies involving nearly 2.8 million adolescents.
They determined, “Nicotine-product use emerged as a significant factor associated with future cannabis use among adolescents.”
The study’s authors concluded, “Current evidence suggests an association between nicotine-product use and subsequent recreational cannabis use among adolescents.”
Longitudinal data published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence similarly reported that young people typically try either alcohol or tobacco before ever experimenting with cannabis.
Full text of the study, “Nicotine and alcohol use as predictors of recreational cannabis use in adolescence: A systematic review and narrative synthesis,” appears in Substance Use & Misuse. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and the Gateway. Theory.’