Summary: Use of tobacco products in any form and long-term recreational marijuana use among young adults can be harmful to their health and well-being, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This policy brief summarizes findings from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) that describe use of, reasons for, and preferences for tobacco and marijuana use among young adults amid a changing policy landscape.

Findings: In 2018, 1.66 million young adults (ages 18 to 25) in California were using at least one form of cigarette, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or marijuana product. Cigarette smoking, which had remained flat after a continued decade-long decline, was offset in 2018 by escalating use of e-cigarettes and marijuana among young adults: E-cigarette use climbed 48%, and marijuana use rose by 19% over one year. In 2018, only 1 in 5 young adults (19%) in the state reported using e-cigarettes as a means of quitting, replacing, or reducing cigarette smoking. Flavored cigarettes and e-cigarettes were popular, with nearly 8 in 10 young adults (77.8%) reporting that they were vaping flavored e-cigarettes.