Survey of U.S. Residents and Their Usage of Electronic Cigarettes with Drugs Other Than Nicotine

ABSTRACT

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), originally intended to be used as cigarette substitutes, have evolved into discreet devices for consuming drugs other than nicotine (DOTNs). Presented are the results of an exploratory survey in which information regarding demographics, e-cig device type, DOTN use, frequency and context of use was collected. The average reported age of respondents was 27.4 years of age (SD = 12.0), and respondents predominantly identified as male (73%). Vape pens (disposable or refillable) were the most reported device across all DOTN classes. Cannabinoids were the most reported class of DOTN used, for both lifetime and past 30-day use. Other DOTNs reported included herbal supplements, amphetamines, caffeine, kratom, vitamins, opiates, DMT, fentanyl, and ketamine. Combinations of DOTNs used in e-cigs and trends in poly-substance use were reported. The most commonly reported context was vaping alone, followed by with friends, at home, and at social events; less commonly reported contexts included when driving, at work, and at school. Results from this study are useful for developing future national surveys to consider a comprehensive substance use-focused strategy that includes vaping, building awareness of DOTN e-cig use, and highlighting public safety issues in driving impairment, crime scene investigations, and death investigations.

KEYWORDS:

• survey
• electronic cigarette
• substance use
• United States
• vaping
• THC

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data underlying this article are available in the article and in its online supplementary material.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2023.2250353

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Justice [2018-75-CX-0036 and 2019-MU-MU-0007], the National Institute on Drug Abuse [P30 DA033934], Virginia Commonwealth University’s C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research [UL1TR002649], and award number UL1TR002649 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s).