Marijuana is often mixed with tobacco when smoked, and there is increasing evidence that its use by non-tobacco-smoking people may be a gateway to tobacco smoking.1 Using data from the 2004 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey,2 we determined whether rates of marijuana use were similar among tobacco smokers and nonsmokers 15 years and older.
Of the respondents, 9% (2.4 million) reported using marijuana in the 12 months before the survey. In relation to tobacco smoking, 5% of those who never smoked cigarettes reported smoking marijuana in the 12-month period (Fig. 1). Those who identified themselves as current cigarette smokers had a substantially higher rate of marijuana use (25%). The rates among current tobacco smokers were higher than the national average across all age groups, even in the oldest group. Of the respondents who were former cigarette smokers, 6% reported using marijuana; the highest rates of use in this group were among those aged 15–24. This finding is important, since marijuana use by former smokers may increase their risk of smoking relapse.
Fig. 1: Use of marijuana by tobacco smokers (current and former) and nonsmokers in Canada, by age group. Source: 2004 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey.2
The survey data suggest that marijuana use may represent a considerable future public health burden if left unchanged.
Footnotes
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This article has been peer reviewed.