Rate of cannabis vaping increased among adolescents

A recent report from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that the rate of cannabis vaping amongst teenagers has doubled in every school grade in the past 10 years. 

Cannabis vaping has grown in popularity amongst teenagers due to its variety of flavors and the false idea that vaping is safer than conventional smoking.

“Teens are clearly attracted to vaping products, which are often concentrated amounts of drugs disguised as electronic gadgets," said Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

A recent article from JAMA showed that the lifetime prevalence of cannabis vaping doubled from 6.1% to 13.6% between 2013 and 2020.

“As marijuana becomes increasingly more accepted and there is legalization for medical purposes, there is the sense that, overall, it's a safe drug and therefore the normal constraints that would lead many of us not to do something that is harmful are no longer there,” Volkow said.

According to the 2019 National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Monitoring the Future survey, 21 percent of surveyed 12th graders reported vaping at least once, while about 7 percent of eighth graders also reported vaping cannabis at least once. 

With the rise in rates of cannabis vaping amongst teenagers, health experts are concerned for young smokers’ brain development as cannabis vapes deliver more THC than conventional smoking.

"There is evidence that regular use of cannabis results in changes in the brain, especially in the hippocampus and amygdala—which can have effects on attention, memory, decision-making  and emotional processing, among others,” said Dr. Parham Yashar, a neurosurgeon at Dignity Health Northridge Hospital.

This problem is more prevalent in teen smokers rather than adult smokers because the brain does not stop developing until age 25.

During adolescence, the human brain undergoes major changes, especially in the prefrontal cortex, one of the last regions to fully mature.

“The concern is that by exposing teenagers when the brain is in full development to these substances, you will disrupt that developmental trajectory,”Volkow said.

A recent article from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) showed that THC could be disruptive because it prevents endocannabinoids from binding to the CB1 receptor. 

The activation of CB1 receptors by endocannabinoids allows it to perform its normal function of inhibiting neurotransmitter release in the synapse of neurons. 

Endocannabinoids play many roles, including regulating stress, fear, anxiety, mood, appetite, and pain.

“Evidence from both animal and human studies suggest that regular heavy use of marijuana and cannabis in adolescents is associated with more persistent negative outcomes than use in adults,” Yasher said. “The younger you start taking a drug, the greater the likelihood that you will become addicted.”

Yasher said as a result, the young brain may be more vulnerable to the effects of cannabis exposure compared to the adult brain.

In addition to negative impacts on attention and memory, cannabis products can also cause other health deficits and injuries. 

Aside from the THC present in cannabis vapes, researchers have also detected pesticides, opioids, poisons, heavy metals, and a fungicide that turns into hydrogen cyanide when combusted. 

Many of these toxic substances are carcinogenic and can damage the body’s cells. Additionally, when cannabis vapes are heated up, even more toxic chemicals are formed. 

Uttam Dhilon, the former acting DEA administrator, said that black market cannabis products are prone to combusting the vitamin E oil, which leads to the inhalation of the oil by the user.

The presence of vitamin E acetate in the products may cause bronchiolitis obliterans, which is an inflammatory condition that affects the bronchioles, the lung's smallest airways.

“I think the safest way to smoke pot is to abstain during adolescence, but I also understand that’s a bit naive to ask of young people today,” said Jami Wolf-Dolan, psychologist and Director of Co-Occurring Disorders Services at the Center for Motivation and Change.