Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Administration of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Adolescent and Adult Mice
Published on: August 1, 2025
Frequent marijuana use is associated with greater nicotine addiction in adolescent smokers
Mark L Rubinstein1, Michelle A Rait1, Judith J Prochaska2
1Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Background:
Marijuana and tobacco are the substances used most commonly by adolescents and co-occurring use is common. Use of one substance may potentiate the addictive properties of the other. The current study examined the severity of nicotine addiction among teen smokers as a function of co-occurring marijuana use.
Methods:
Participants were 165 adolescents (13-17 years old) who reported smoking at least 1 cigarette per day (CPD) in the past 30 days. General linear models examined the association of marijuana use with multiple measures of nicotine addiction including the Modified Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire (mFTQ), Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC), ICD-10, and the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS).
Results:
The adolescent sample (mean age=16.1 years, SD=0.95) averaged 3.0 CPD (SD=3.0) for 1.98 years (SD=1.5). Most (79.5%) also smoked marijuana in the past 30 days. In models controlling for age, daily smoking status, and years of tobacco smoking, frequency of marijuana use accounted for 25-44% of the variance for all four measures of adolescent nicotine dependence.
Conclusions:
Marijuana use was associated with greater reported nicotine addiction among adolescent smokers. The findings suggest a role of marijuana in potentiating nicotine addiction and underscore the need for treatments that address both smoked substances.
Related Concept Videos
Stimulants
Cocaine can be administered via snorting, injection, or smoking. It primarily functions by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in a euphoric high characterized by an intense sensation of happiness and...
Drugs Acting on Autonomic Ganglia: Stimulants
Ganglionic stimulants activate NM nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia, falling into two categories: nicotine mimetics [e.g., lobeline, dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium] and muscarinic receptor agonists [e.g., muscarine, methacholine]. The first category's action is rapid and blocked by nicotinic receptor antagonists, while the second category's action is delayed and blocked by atropine-like agents. Nicotine, an alkaloid, affects the heart rate by stimulating...
Drug Dependence
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

