Tobacco and marijuana use during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among American Indians residing in California and Oklahoma

• Published in: Tobacco induced diseases Vol. 21; no. December; pp. 171 - 11
• Main Authors: Dang, Julie H T, Chen, Sixia, Hall, Spencer, Campbell, Janis E, Chen, Jr, Moon S, Doescher, Mark P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece European Publishing on behalf of the International Society for the Prevention of Tobacco Induced Diseases (ISPTID) 01.12.2023; European Publishing
• Subjects: american indians; covid-19; marijuana use; Research Paper; smoking; tobacco use; American Indians; COVID-19; marijuana use; tobacco use; smoking
• ISSN: 1617-9625; 2070-7266; 1617-9625
• DOI: 10.18332/tid/174819

American Indian (AI) people experience a disproportionate tobacco and marijuana burden which may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the tobacco and marijuana habits of American Indian individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to examine tobacco and marijuana use as well as change in use during the COVID-19 pandemic among the American Indian community. This cross-sectional study analyzes survey data from a convenience sample of American Indian individuals residing in California and Oklahoma and included adults with and without cancer that resided in both rural and urban areas (n=1068). During October 2020 - January 2021, 36.0% of participants reported current use of tobacco products, 9.9% reported current use of marijuana products, and 23.7% reported increased use of tobacco and/or marijuana in the past 30 days, with no difference between those with cancer and those without cancer. Tobacco use was associated with marital status, age, employment status, COVID-19 exposure, COVID-19 beliefs, and alcohol consumption. Marijuana use was associated with COVID-19 beliefs, alcohol consumption, and income level. Increased tobacco and/or marijuana use was associated with baseline use of those products. Nearly a quarter of participants reported increased use of tobacco and/or marijuana products during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed high rates of tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic, consistent with other studies. Research is needed to examine whether tobacco and marijuana use will decrease to pre-pandemic levels post-pandemic or if these behaviors will persist post-pandemic. Given these findings, there is a pressing need to increase access to evidence-based tobacco and marijuana treatment services in the AI population post COVID-19 pandemic.