Profile of blunt users sharpens with new study

Past month users of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, those who were younger (ages 18-24), Black, or male had the highest odds of reporting blunt-only or dual use of cigars and blunts, according to a study released by researchers at the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative. Blunt smoking refers to the practice of removing all or most of the tobacco from a cigar and replacing it with marijuana.

The study, “Characterizing Substance Use and Mental Health Profiles of Cigar, Blunt, and Non-blunt Marijuana Users,” used data from the 2013 National Survey of Drug Use and Health and was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

said Dr. Amy Cohn, Research Investigator at Truth Initiative’s Schroeder Institute and lead author on the study. “Communicating health consequences and risks of blunt use should be directed toward specific subgroups given that there are different risk profiles across the products.”

The study looked at the prevalence and demographic, mental health, and substance use correlates of those who reported using blunts, cigars, and non-blunt marijuana in the past 30-days according to the national survey of more than 54,000 U.S. adults age 18 and over.