Use of flavored cannabis vaping products in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand: findings from the international cannabis policy study wave 4 (2021)

• Published in: The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse 2023-09, Vol.49 (5), p.640-651
• Main Authors: D'Mello, Kimberly, Chan, Gary C K, Hall, Wayne, Rychert, Marta, Wilkins, Chris, Hammond, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Australia - epidemiology; Canada - epidemiology; Cannabis; Consumer goods; Consumers; Ethnic groups; Female; Flavoring Agents; Gender differences; Higher education; Humans; Liquids; Male; Marijuana; Minority groups; New Zealand - epidemiology; Public Policy; Sociodemographics; Tobacco Products; United States - epidemiology; Vaping; Vaping - epidemiology; Youth
• ISSN: 0095-2990; 1097-9891
• DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2238116

Vaping is an increasingly popular mode of cannabis use. Few studies have characterized the role of flavors in cannabis e-liquids. To explore the prevalence of flavored vaping liquids, including differences between countries and correlates of use. Data were from Wave 4 (2021) of the International Cannabis Policy Study with national samples aged 16-65 in Canada, the United States (US), Australia, and New Zealand. The sample comprised 52,938 respondents, including 6,265 who vaped cannabis e-liquids in the past 12-months (2,858 females, 3,407 males). Logistic regression models examined differences in the use of flavored e-liquids between countries and sociodemographic characteristics. The prevalence of vaping cannabis e-liquids was highest in the US (15.3%) and Canada (10.7%) compared to Australia (4.0%) and New Zealand (3.7%). Among past 12-month cannabis consumers, 57.5% reported using flavored vaping liquids, 34.2% used unflavored vaping products and 8.3% did not know. People who vape in Australia were most likely to report using flavored liquids compared to New Zealand (OR = 2.29), Canada (OR = 3.14), and the US (OR = 3.14) (