The vaping or vaping of Delta-9-Tétrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and synthetic cannabinoids in adolescents has, in fact, considerably increased between 2021 and 2023. What is the most worrying is the uncertainty about the substances present in these electronic cigarettes. This research thus brings, to sanitary agencies, rejected evidence which can make it possible to guide the long -term risk reduction strategies of these types of vaping.
Vaping of substances other than increasingly popular nicotine
The study Analysis, in the United States,, the vaping trends of cannabis in adolescents, and its main ingredients active from the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey for 2021, 2022, and 2023, relating to a total of 69,899 college and high school students, aged 11 to 18. The analysis notes:
- a significant increase in the vaping of THC, CBD and synthetic cannabinoids in adolescents between 2021 and 2023;
- Thc vaping reached a peak in 2022, while the consumption of synthetic cannabinoids continues to increase;
- The prevalence of vaping of THC, CBD and synthetic cannabinoids appears higher in women than in men;
- In 2023, it was estimated that 7.4 % of American adolescents vapoted THC, 2.9 % of CBD and 1.8 % of synthetic cannabinoids.
The authors specify that synthetic cannabinoids, therefore synthesized in the laboratory, are designed to imitate the effects of natural cannabinoids and are often more strongly binding to cerebral receptors, resulting in more intense consequences on health: “One of the most unexpected results is this continuous increase in the consumption of synthetic cannabinoids in adolescents. This trend is particularly alarming because these substances are often accessible via illicit and unregulated markets, where there is no safety standard or any quality control ”.
The main concern that emerges from this data is good uncertainty concerning substances and their concentrations in these new products Vaping. Some of these synthetic cannabinoid products could be fatal, alert researchers.
One of the main authors, Gary CK Chan, PHD, of the National Center for Research on the Consumption of Substances among young people at the University of Queensland, recognizes: “We still know very little about the long-term effects of cannabis vaping and its health derivatives, which makes it all the more important to know what the e-cigarette contains.”
While the previous research had put “in a common pot” the different cannabinoids vapoted under the generic term of “vaping of cannabis”, this study provides precious data on the trends in vaping of THC, CBD and synthetic cannabinoids in adolescents, trends very probably generalizable with many rich numbers.
The study therefore raises awareness of the vaping of cannabis and its derivatives in young people and inspires education interventions on the possible risks of this vaping “blind”.
