Cannabis is no longer consumed mainly by smoking.
People can now smoke it, vape it, eat it in foods or drinks, or inhale vapor from highly concentrated products, and a new U.S. study suggests that the number of methods a person uses may reveal something important about their pattern of use.
Researchers at NYU Langone Health found that adults who used cannabis in many different forms were much more likely to use it every day. They were also more likely to show signs of cannabis use disorder, the medical term for a pattern of cannabis use that becomes difficult to control and causes problems.
Cannabis use has become increasingly common in the United States as laws and public attitudes have changed. Recent national estimates suggest that tens of millions of Americans aged 12 and older have used cannabis within the past month.
Different cannabis products can deliver the drug to the body in very different ways. Smoking produces effects quickly, while edible products usually take longer to work and may last much longer.
Vaping heats cannabis without traditional smoking, while dabbing involves heating concentrated cannabis products and breathing in the vapor. Concentrates can contain high levels of THC, the main substance responsible for cannabis’s intoxicating effects.
The new study examined 17,732 adults who said they had used cannabis during the previous month. The information came from the 2022–2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a large survey designed to track substance use across the United States.
Instead of looking at each method separately, the researchers studied how different ways of using cannabis tended to occur together. This allowed them to identify several common patterns among users.
About 48% of participants mainly smoked cannabis. Another 21% commonly combined smoking and vaping, while 17% mainly used edible cannabis products.
The remaining 14% formed what researchers called a polymodal group. These people used cannabis in nearly every available form rather than relying mainly on one method.
This smaller group stood out when researchers examined how frequently people used cannabis. About half of those using many forms reported using cannabis every day.
Daily use was less common in the other groups. About 28% of people who mainly smoked used cannabis daily, compared with 31% of those who smoked and vaped and about 13% of people who mainly consumed edibles.
An even larger difference appeared when researchers looked at cannabis use disorder. About 67% of people in the multiple-method group met the study’s criteria for the disorder.
By comparison, cannabis use disorder affected about 36% of people who mainly smoked, 47% of those who smoked and vaped, and 15% of those who mainly used edibles. The results suggest that using cannabis through many different methods may be a useful warning sign of heavier or more problematic use.
Lead author Dr. Omar El-Shahawy said healthcare professionals may learn more by asking patients how they use cannabis rather than simply asking whether they use it. Someone regularly switching among smoking, vaping, edibles and concentrates may benefit from a closer assessment of their use.
The researchers also found differences between groups. Young adults aged 18 to 25 were especially common among people who smoked and vaped or used many different forms, while women and college graduates were more strongly represented among people who mainly used edibles.
Cigarette smoking was more common among people who smoked cannabis than among those who mainly vaped or ate cannabis products. Senior author Joseph Palamar said this overlap is concerning because burning both tobacco and cannabis exposes the lungs to smoke and many chemicals.
The study was published online on August 8, 2026, in the journal Addictive Behaviors. The researchers plan to investigate why people prefer certain forms, including whether reasons such as sleep or pain influence their choices.
The findings are useful because they move beyond the simple question of whether someone uses cannabis. They suggest that the pattern and variety of use may help identify people who are at greater risk of frequent use and addiction.
However, the study cannot prove that using many cannabis forms causes addiction. It is also possible that people who already use cannabis heavily are simply more likely to experiment with multiple products.
The information was self-reported, so some participants may not have described their cannabis use completely or accurately. Even with these limits, the large national sample makes the pattern worth further study, particularly as cannabis products continue to become more varied and widely available.
Source: NYU Langone Health
