Association Between Cigarette Smoking and Drug Abuse in the United States

• NCJ Number: 186769
• Journal: Journal of Addictive Diseases Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: 2000 Pages: 11-24
• Author(s): Shenghan Lai M.D.; Hong Lai M.P.H; J. Bryan Page Ph.D.; Clyde B. McCoy Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Barry Stimmel M.D.
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The article attempts to discover the relationship between the use of cigarettes and the use of illegal drugs through a national cross-sectional survey.

Abstract

Cigarette smoking has been identified as an independent risk factor for many human diseases. However, the association between cigarette smoking and illegal drug use has not been thoroughly investigated. The 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse was analyzed to clarify whether cigarette smoking has any effect on the initiation of illegal drug use. Data from 17,809 respondents completing the 1994 questionnaire were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed with the use of statistical package SU-DAAN, taking into consideration the multistage sampling design. The results show that those who had smoked cigarettes were far more likely to use cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The associations were consistent across age strata and remained after adjusting for race and gender. This study suggests that cigarette smoking may be a gateway drug to illegal drug use. References