Cannabis Concentrate Use in Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Substance use research
• Cannabis studies

Background:

• Cannabis concentrates, potent extracts of the cannabis plant, are increasingly popular among adults.
• Adolescents are considered particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannbinol (THC).
• Limited research exists on the prevalence and correlates of cannabis concentrate use in adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of cannabis concentrate use among adolescents.
• To identify risk and protective factors associated with adolescent cannabis concentrate use.
• To compare substance use and risk profiles between adolescent concentrate users and non-users.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 47,142 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students across Arizona in 2018.
• Participants reported on lifetime and past-month use of marijuana and cannabis concentrates.
• Assessment of other substance use and risk/protective factors across individual, peer, family, school, and community domains.

Main Results:

• 33% of students reported lifetime cannabis use; 24% reported lifetime concentrate use.
• 72% of adolescent lifetime cannabis users had also used concentrates.
• Adolescent concentrate users showed higher rates of other substance use and more risk factors, with fewer protective factors, across multiple domains.

Conclusions:

• The majority of adolescent cannabis users have tried concentrates.
• Adolescent concentrate users exhibit a risk profile indicating a higher likelihood of developing substance use problems.
• Findings highlight concerns regarding high-risk adolescents' exposure to high-THC cannabis products.