A Trend Analysis of Age of First Marijuana Use Among High School Students in the United States From 1991 to 2017

Implementation of Perioperative Anesthesia Considerations for Military Veterans Who Consume Cannabis: A Quality Improvement Project

PURPOSE

As no widely accepted recommendations or guidelines on perioperative management for the cannabis-consuming patient exist, this quality improvement project aimed to identify and implement evidence-based recommendations for cannabis-consuming patients throughout the perioperative period. The objectives of this project were (1) to improve anesthesia providers' knowledge on how to care for cannabis-consuming patients, (2) to increase anesthesia providers' self-efficacy in caring for cannabis-consuming patients, and (3) to assess the frequency of utilization of the given evidence-based recommendation.

DESIGN

This quality improvement project incorporated a pretest-posttest design.

METHODS

Nurse anesthetists, resident nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners (staff) in an urban veteran's hospital participated in the project. Following the Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Model, a literature review was conducted via PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature to determine anesthetic considerations for cannabis consumers. Evidence was synthesized and translated into a live educational seminar that was evaluated via an electronic questionnaire before and after (pretest-postest) the seminar. Frequency of education utilization was measured via sticker poster system. Normality tests were conducted using Jamovi computer software. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were pursued due to the skewed data distribution.

FINDINGS

Results from 22 articles informed content for the live educational seminar; 26 staff participated in the pretest-posttest. Specific preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative considerations were extracted from the evidence. Questionnaire results showed a 60% increase in self-efficacy (P = .001), a 44% increase in knowledge (P = .001), and a 92% utilization rate (26/28 cannabis-consuming patients) of the recommendations in the clinical setting.

CONCLUSIONS

With nearly 20% of veterans indicating use of cannabis, perianesthesia nurses should be aware of the unique preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative considerations for the cannabis-consuming patient.

Longitudinal associations of e-cigarette use with cigarette, marijuana, and other drug use initiation among US adolescents and young adults: Findings from the population assessment of tobacco and health study (Waves 1-6)

INTRODUCTION

Research examining prospective links of e-cigarette use with cigarette, marijuana, and other substance use has been limited largely to 1-2-year follow-up periods and focused on younger adolescents. This study examined longitudinal associations of e-cigarette use with cigarette, marijuana, and other substance use initiation among U.S. adolescents and young adults (AYAs) across an eight-year period.

METHODS

Adolescent (ages 12-17) and young adult (ages 18-25) data from waves 1-6 of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study (2013-2021) were used. Discrete time survival models with time-varying weights were employed to examine the risk of cigarette, marijuana, and other drug use initiation over an eight-year follow-up period among AYAs with no lifetime use of e-cigarettes/other tobacco, lifetime but no past 30-day use of e-cigarettes/other tobacco, past 30-day e-cigarettes only, other tobacco use only, or past 30-day e-cigarette/other tobacco use. We compare our time-varying weighting approach to a traditional time-invariant/complete case weighting approach.

RESULTS

Across six follow-up waves, all three past 30-day nicotine/tobacco use groups, including e-cigarettes only, had greater risk for cigarette, marijuana, and other drug use initiation relative to those not using nicotine/tobacco. The three past 30-day nicotine/tobacco use groups did not differ from each other in risk for marijuana use initiation. Associations were smaller in magnitude for young adults compared to adolescents, but significant for both age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Substance use initiation risks persist beyond 1-2 years for U.S. AYAs using e-cigarettes. Prevention strategies to reduce AYA e-cigarette use are needed to reduce cancer-related risk.

Instrumental Substance Use Among Youth with Rheumatic Disease-A Biopsychosocial Model

Youth with chronic medical conditions (YCMC) including rheumatic disease use substances and may experience harms from doing so. The chronic illness experience may amplify substance use risks for some YCMC who may use to ameliorate symptoms of disease activity and negative side effects of medications, so-called "instrumental use." This article provides a brief overview of adolescent substance use, its intersection with chronic illness, and pediatric-onset rheumatic disease (PRD). A biopsychosocial model of substance use vulnerability for youth with PRD is presented along with emerging evidence about instrumental use of substances. Implications for PRD clinical practice are discussed.