Cannabis and Nicotine Dual Use among Sexual Minority Individuals: Relations to Cannabis Use and Negative Affect

Abstract

Background: Sexual minority individuals report significantly more cannabis use and use-related problems than their heterosexual peers, and emerging data indicate sexual minority individuals who use cannabis are at greater risk for dual use of nicotine products (combustible smoking, e-cigarette use) than heterosexual individuals. Although cannabis–nicotine dual use is related to worse cannabis outcomes and negative affect, little work has identified factors related to dual use among sexual minority individuals or tested if sexual orientation-based discrimination (microaggressions, overt discrimination) is related to dual use. Objectives: The current study tested if cannabis–nicotine dual use is related to more frequent cannabis use, more cannabis-related problems, negative affect, and discrimination among sexual minority undergraduate students who endorsed current (past three-month) cannabis use (N = 328), 43.6% of whom endorsed dual nicotine use. Cannabis–nicotine dual use was related to more frequent cannabis use, more cannabis-related problems, more anxiety (but not depression), and more sexual orientation-based microaggressions and microaggressions-related negative affect (but not overt discrimination or non-sexual orientation-based daily stressors). Conclusions/Importance: Overall, this is the first known study to identify that sexual orientation-based discrimination is related to cannabis–nicotine dual use and that dual use is related to more frequent cannabis use, use-related problems, and negative affect (especially anxiety) among this underrepresented group.

Keywords:

• Cannabis
• nicotine
• sexual orientation
• sexual minority
• negative affect
• microaggressions

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Additional information

Funding

Dr. Buckner receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program (Grant D40HP33350) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R21AA030071). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.