Longitudinal analysis of e-cigarette and cannabis dual use in an Ohio sample of adolescents and young adults

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) who vape e-cigarettes are likely to use cannabis ("dual use"), but little research has examined factors influencing future use pattern-. Using longitudinal data from 551 Ohio AYA (aged 15-24) who reported past-3-month e-cigarette use, we explored associations between baseline dual use and continued e-cigarette and cannabis use one year later, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. At baseline, 42.3 % of participants reported past-30-day cannabis use, indicating a high prevalence of dual use within this sample. Logistic regressions revealed that past-30-day tobacco use predicted continued e-cigarette use (OR = 1.97), but dual use at baseline was not a significant predictor. However, baseline dual use (OR = 4.58), lifetime cannabis use (OR = 3.91), and Sexual and Gender Minority status (OR = 2.57) significantly predicted continued cannabis use. These findings highlight the importance of addressing dual use in prevention efforts, as dual use at baseline was a strong predictor of continued cannabis use one year later-particularly among historically marginalized groups and those with prior cannabis exposure.