Among teenagers and young adults who smoke marijuana, the minority who are not cigarette smokers have fewer problems personally, socially, and academically than do the majority who also smoke cigarettes, according to Swiss investigators.
The researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of more than 7,000 Swiss students aged 16–20 years to examine the relationship among cannabis smoking, cigarette smoking, and overall functioning. They reported their findings in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
A total of 455 study subjects who smoked marijuana only, 1,703 who smoked both marijuana and cigarettes, and 3,105 who never smoked either substance completed anonymous questionnaires, reported Dr. Joan-Carles Suris of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and her associates.
The prevalence of youth who smoked pot but not cigarettes in the overall sample was 6%. Compared with the subjects who also smoked cigarettes, those who did not were less likely to feel depressed, to be sensation seeking, and to have been drunk. They were more likely to live in intact homes, to participate in sports, and to get good grades.
Compared with adolescents who abstained from both marijuana and cigarettes, the marijuana-only smokers were less likely to have a good relationship with their parents and more likely to skip classes. However, they still achieved the same good grades as the abstainers.
Interestingly, those people in the marijuana-only group were more likely to participate in sports and had better relationships with their peers than did the abstainers. This may be because marijuana “is largely used by adolescents for socializing purposes,” Dr. Suris and her associates said (Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 2007;161:1042–7).
The findings support those of many previous studies, showing that adolescents who smoke both marijuana and cigarettes are more likely to be heavy pot users, to have started smoking pot before the age of 15, and to have abused alcohol.
They also confirm that early initiation of marijuana use is associated with problematic polydrug use and alcohol abuse, the investigators said.