Martinez and Guttmannova Co-Author Study on Pandemic-Era Trends in Young Adult Use of Cannabis and Other Drugs

Posted: 4/24/2025 ()

Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected young adults’ use of cannabis and other drugs, more research is needed to precisely estimate these effects. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) Focus, Charles Fleming and CSDE Affiliates Griselda Martinez and Katarina Guttmannova (Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) and colleagues analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic affected substance use among young adults in Washington State using data collected annually from 2016 to 2021. Cannabis use steadily increased over time, with no major shifts during the pandemic, while the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and nonprescribed pain relievers declined, with cigarette and e-cigarette use dropping more sharply after the pandemic began. These trends suggest that while cannabis use remained resilient, public health measures and risk perceptions during COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to reduced nicotine use. Read the full article here.

Affiliates

• Guttmannova, Katarina
• Martinez, Griselda