Marijuana Vaping Rates Nearly Doubled Among High-School Seniors in 2019

A young person vapes a "pod-mod" style e-cigarette.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

This year saw an alarming rise in the percentage of U.S. teens who vape marijuana, according to new findings from a government-backed survey.

The trend is all the more concerning in light of the recent outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses, which have sickened more than 2,400 people across the U.S., with the majority of cases occurring in teens and young adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Results show that the percentage of 12th graders who reported vaping marijuana in the  preceding month soared from 7.5% in 2018 to 14% in 2019. This 6.5% increase is one of the largest single-year jumps seen in the survey’s 45-year history for any substance used in the previous month, the authors said. For comparison, between 2017 and 2018, the percentage of 12th graders who reported vaping marijuana in the previous month increased just 2.5%.

"As the number of adolescents who vape marijuana increases, so too does the scope and effect of any associated health consequences, which may include lung injury when using black market formulations," the authors, from the University of Michigan, wrote in their paper, published today (Dec. 18) in the journal JAMA.

"The rapid rise of marijuana vaping indicates the need for new prevention and intervention efforts aimed specifically at adolescents," the authors said.

A separate survey, also released today, similarly called attention to the rise of teen marijuana vaping. This second survey, called The National Youth Tobacco Survey, involved data from more than 38,000 U.S. students in grades 6 through 12. 

The rise in marijuana vaping may be due to several factors, including the increase in sales of a newer generation of e-cigarettes known as "pod mods" that use disposable or refillable "pod" cartridges (which can include THC cartridges), according to the authors of the second paper, also published today in JAMA. Makers of this style of e-cigarette have been criticized for marketing to young people.

Originally published on Live Science. 

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Rachael Rettner
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Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.