More than half (53.5%) of US middle- and high-schoolers who self-reported e-cigarette use in 2018 also vaped marijuana, according to an analysis of the National Youth Tobacco Survey data.

The research, which was published in JAMA, found that, overall, marijuana use in electronic cigarettes increased from 11.1% in 2017 to 14.7% in 2018.


According to the observational study of 38,000 student responses (grade 6-12) from the NYTS, in 2018:

  • 42.7% of students who ever used e-cigarettes reported vaping marijuana
  • 53.5% of current e-cigarette users reported vaping marijuana; and
  • 71.6% of multiple tobacco product users reported ever using marijuana in e-cigarettes. 

The increases from 2017 were seen among male and female students, adolescents 13 to 17, high-schoolers, and non-Hispanic white and Hispanic students, according to the JAMA study.

Researchers say the self-reported data by adolescents is a limitation of the study and called for more research on the short- and long-term health effects of vaping marijuana.