Synthetic Cannabinoid Epidemiology Among Florida High School Youth

BACKGROUND:  Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are chemically engineered substances similar to tetrahydrocannabinol that are sprayed on dry herbs and sold in convenience stores or on the internet.  Their use has become a public health concern in recent years.  The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimated that there were 11,406 SC-related emergency department visits nationwide in 2010, 33% of which involved youth 12 to 17 years old (14.9 per 100,000 population).  At least 41 states have legislatively banned SC, and a comprehensive national ban was enacted by congress In July 2012.  This study examined the epidemiology of SC use among Florida high school youth.

METHODS:  The Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) is an annual school-based survey.  In 2011 a question was added to the high school version of the survey to assess SC (or “synthetic marijuana”) use.  This study investigated the demographics of SC use, and its relationship to marijuana use using the 2011 (N=5,732) and 2012 (N=33,798) FYSAS data.

RESULTS:  There was a slight increase in lifetime and past-30-day SC use prevalence from 2011 to 2012.  This was true for all grade levels except 12^th grade, which did not change.  Lifetime use increased from 9^th through 12^th grade both years.  Past-30-day use showed a similar pattern in 2011, but use peaked at 11^th grade in 2012.  Males were 40% more likely than females to have used SC in their lifetime, and 60% more likely in the past 30 days.  White youth were over three times more likely to have used SC in their lifetime than black youth, and more than twice as likely to have used it in the previous 30 days.  These patterns are similar to those for marijuana use, except that the proportional gender and racial differences are greater for SC than marijuana use.  Of high school youth that reported having used SC in their lifetime, 95% had also used marijuana; of those that reported lifetime marijuana use 36% reported also using SC.

CONCLUSIONS:  Though Florida’s legislative ban on SC was enacted between the 2011 and 2012 survey administrations, the prevalence of use rose in that year.  A question has been added to the 2013 survey to determine the source of the SC that youth are using.  Given the rate of occurrence of ED visits by this age group, the importance of developing targeted prevention programs, especially for adolescent white male youth, is evident.