National Institute on Drug Abuse funds study on blunt smoking risks

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded $3.6 million to researchers at Boston University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a five-year study. The project aims to develop and test public health messaging to discourage young adults, aged 18 to 34, from smoking blunts, which combine marijuana with tobacco-based cigar wraps.

Researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate which messaging approaches most effectively encourage reduced consumption. The study addresses concerns that young adults may not realize they are being exposed to nicotine when using tobacco-based wraps, which can lead to nicotine addiction. Data indicates that blunt use increased by more than 20% between 2015 and 2022, and over 15% of young adults consume both tobacco and marijuana.