Marijuana and alcohol use and attempted smoking cessation in adolescent boys and girls

Background: This study sought to determine the relationship between the frequency of current marijuana and alcohol use and cigarette quit attempts in male and female adolescent smokers.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional survey of health behaviors in high-school-aged adolescents were analyzed. Current cigarette smokers (n = 804) who reported use of at least 1 cigarette in the past month were divided into those with and without a history of at least 1 quit attempt (a self-reported episode of trying to "stop smoking"). Logistic regression models were fit to describe the association between the frequency of marijuana/alcohol use and a history of cigarette quit attempts.

Results: Among the total sample, higher-frequency marijuana use (more than 6 times in the past 30 days) and frequent binge drinking (more than 5 days of binge drinking in the past 30 days) decreased the odds of having a past cigarette quit attempt (higher-frequency marijuana: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36-0.86; frequent binge drinking: AOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.29-0.83). A significant gender interaction was observed for the relationship between higher-frequency marijuana use and a history of cigarette quit attempts (P =.03), with decreased odds in boys (AOR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.22-0.77) but not in girls (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.37-1.33).

Conclusions: Adolescent smokers who report higher-frequency marijuana use or frequent binge drinking have a decreased likelihood of a history of a cigarette quit attempt. The gender-related association between higher-frequency marijuana use and a history of quit attempts suggests that boys with greater substance use may need particularly intensive support to initiate quit attempts.