You've probably noticed how much cannabis has changed in the past decade.
It sits on dispensary shelves, in gummies, vape pens and brownies at a friend's barbecue. For most people, it feels like a casual choice.
A new study of 17,732 American adults, published in Addictive Behaviors, suggests that how someone uses cannabis matters as much as how often.
People who used cannabis in nearly every form, including smoking, vaping, eating and dabbing, had a 67 percent rate of cannabis use disorder. People who stuck mainly to edibles had a rate of 15 percent.
Also read: How eating processed meat every day may affect your cancer and heart risk
Researchers at NYU Langone Health sorted survey respondents into four groups based on how they consumed cannabis. About half of the mixed-method group said they used it every day.
Main way of using cannabis | Share of users | With cannabis use disorder Also read: How taking vitamin D every day can affect your body |
|---|---|---|
Edibles mainly | 17% | 15% |
Smoking only Also read: Daily probiotic linked to improved sleep and mood in older adults | 48% | 36% |
Smoking plus vaping | 21% Also read: 110 people received specially prepared meals every week: Both blood sugar and blood pressure dropped | 47% |
Nearly every form | 14% | 67% Also read: US could lose its measles-free status for the first time in 26 years |
Put plainly, people whose main form was edibles had the lowest addiction rate by far. People who mix smoking, vaping, eating and dabbing had more than four times that rate.
Why mixing methods may be a red flag
Lead author Omar El-Shahawy, assistant professor in the department of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, called the pattern a possible warning sign.
"Our findings suggest that using cannabis in multiple forms may be a red flag for heavier use and symptoms of addiction," El-Shahawy said.
The study did not test whether mixing methods causes addiction. It used survey data from the 2022 and 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, so it can only show a link.
When use crosses into a disorder
Cannabis use disorder is more than enjoying a joint on the weekend.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the inability to stop using cannabis even when the habit is causing health and social problems.
The agency estimates that about 3 in 10 people who use cannabis will develop the disorder. Risk is higher in people who start young and in those who use more often.
Signs include craving cannabis, using more than intended, failed attempts to quit, and continuing to use even when it damages work, school or relationships.
What the study suggests clinicians look for
The authors say doctors should ask patients not just whether they use cannabis, but how. Someone who smokes, vapes and reaches for edibles may warrant a closer look.
The pattern applied most strongly to young adults aged 18 to 25, who made up about a third of both the smoke-and-vape group and the mixed-method group.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.