SMOKE ON THE PORCH
Smoking cannabis in the home increases odds of detectable levels in children
Reducing in-home cannabis smoking could substantially reduce children’s exposure to cannabis smoke, which contains toxic chemicals including known carcinogens
University of California - San Diego
Researchers at University of California San Diego analyzed cannabis smoking practices in San Diego County to assess whether in-home smoking was associated with cannabis detection in children. The study, published in the Jan. 23, 2025, online edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, found that in-home cannabis smoking increased the odds of child exposure to cannabis smoke.
Smoking is the most common method of cannabis use and is known to generate emissions that are harmful to those exposed. Cannabis is often smoked indoors, putting non-smokers such as children at risk for exposure.
“While the long-term health consequences of cannabis smoke are not yet well known, cannabis smoke contains carcinogens, respiratory irritants, and other harmful chemicals,” said John Bellettiere, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. “In our analysis, the odds of detectable cannabis in children were five times higher in households with reported in-home cannabis smoking. This exposure to toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens, could have long-term health effects in these children.”
The research team analyzed in-home cannabis smoking practices in San Diego County to quantify the relationship between in-home cannabis smoking and cannabis biomarker detection in resident children’s urine. The youngest child in each of the 275 households enrolled in the study was tested, at a median age of three years.
Investigators found that among households reporting in-home cannabis smoking, 69% had a child with detectable cannabis biomarker levels compared to 24% in households not reporting in-home cannabis smoking. Because a large percentage of participants were recruited from low-income households enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program from 2012 through 2015, findings of the study are not necessarily generalizable to the broader U.S. population, cautioned Bellettiere.
“As young children spend most of their time at home, reducing in-home cannabis smoking could substantially reduce their exposure to the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals found in cannabis smoke,” said Osika Tripathi, Ph.D., M.P.H., a recent graduate of the UC San Diego – San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health.
“As evidence regarding the health effects of cannabis grows, adopting strategies from the tobacco control playbook, such as comprehensive smoke-free laws and policies, could safeguard children’s health,” continued Bellettiere. “Determining the long-term health risks of second-hand cannabis smoke exposure is the absolutely essential next step.”
The study was funded, in part, by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (grant # R01HL103684), the National Institutes of Health (grant #T32HL079891-11, grant #T32 GM084896), the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (awards # T31KT1501, #T33PC6863, #T32PT6244, #T32PT6042 and #T32IR5208), the National Cancer Institute (#K01 CA234317), the San Diego State University/ UC San Diego Comprehensive Cancer Center Partnership (#U54 CA132384 and #U54 CA132379), and the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Advancing Minority Aging Research at UC San Diego (#P30 AG059299).
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Journal
JAMA Network Open
DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.55963
Exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke among children
JAMA Network
About The Study:
In this cross-sectional study, in-home cannabis smoking was associated with significantly increased odds of child exposure to cannabis smoke, as assessed by urinary cannabinoid biomarkers. As young children spend most of their time at home, reducing in-home cannabis smoking could substantially reduce their exposure to the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals found in cannabis smoke.
Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Osika Tripathi, PhD (otripath@health.ucsd.edu) and John Bellettiere, PhD (jbellettiere@health.ucsd.edu).
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.55963)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
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About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.
Journal
JAMA Network Open
Medically recommended vs nonmedical cannabis use among US adults
JAMA Psychiatry
About The Study: The results of this study showed that adults ages 18 to 49 reporting medical-only or medical-nonmedical cannabis use vs nonmedical-only use had higher prevalence of cannabis use disorder at all severity levels and reported more frequent cannabis use. These findings suggest that medically recommended cannabis is not associated with reduced addiction risk compared with nonmedical use.
Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Nora D. Volkow, M.D., email nvolkow@nida.nih.gov.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.4475)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time
Journal
JAMA Psychiatry
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