Associations of Mode of Administration on Cannabis Consumption and Subjective Intoxication in Daily Life

Objective: As cannabis products are becoming increasingly available and young adults are increasingly using vaporizers to consume cannabis, there is a need to understand how this population is using different modes of administration and the extent to which specific modes are associated with differential cannabis use outcomes. Toward this end, the current study characterized predictors of cannabis mode of administration and examined how consumption levels and subjective intoxication vary as a function of mode of administration in daily life. Method: Participants were 106 young adult cannabis and heavy alcohol users (51% female) who completed up to 14 daily diaries (n = 1,405 person days). Each day, participants reported whether they used any cannabis and, if any, which mode(s) were used, number of hits used per mode, overall subjective intoxication, and the socio-environmental context in which they used cannabis. Results: Across all cannabis use days, Bong-Only and Vape-Only days were the most common, followed by Multimode, Joint-, Pipe-, and Blunt-Only days. Participants reporting a greater proportion of cannabis use days were more likely to report Bong-Only and Multimode days than Vape-Only days. Compared to Vape-Only days, participants reported fewer hits on Bong-Only days and more hits on Blunt-Only, Pipe-Only, and Multimode days. Participants felt more intoxicated on Bong-Only days than Vape-Only days. Conclusions: Mode-specific associations with cannabis consumption and subjective intoxication levels suggest assessing modes of administration may be a meaningful way to guide individual and public health intervention efforts. Public Health Significance Statement The current study found that cannabis consumption increased when vaping cannabis compared to smoking cannabis from bongs, but decreased compared to smoking it from blunts. Subjective intoxication was higher when young adults smoked cannabis from bongs or more than one mode, but similar across days they vaped and smoked blunts, joints, and pipes. As cannabis use becomes decriminalized across the United States and products are more available, the current findings reinforce the need to understand how young adults are consuming in everyday life to better guide tailored interventions and appropriate public policies.

Automated summary

This study found that different modes of cannabis administration have varying effects on consumption levels and subjective intoxication. Using a bong resulted in lower consumption but higher intoxication compared to vaping. Understanding how young adults are consuming cannabis in everyday life is important for guiding tailored interventions and public policies.