• Posted August 24, 2026

The Way You Use Weed Could Be A Red Flag For Addiction, Study Finds

The way you use weed might be a red flag for heavy use or addiction, a new study says.

People who use weed in nearly every form — smoking, vaping, eating and dabbing — are nearly three times as likely to get stoned every day or have cannabis use disorder, researchers reported in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

“Our findings suggest that using cannabis in multiple forms may be a red flag for heavier use and symptoms of addiction,” said lead researcher Dr. Omar El-Shahawy, an assistant professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

“Asking patients not only whether but how they use cannabis could help clinicians identify when a fuller assessment may be warranted,” El-Shahawy said in a news release.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 17,700 U.S. adults who participated in a federal survey on drug use and health in 2022-2023.

Results showed that about 1 in 7 (14%) used cannabis in nearly every form, compared to 48% who mostly smoked; 21% who smoked and vaped; and 17% who mainly used edibles.

Further analysis revealed that those who used weed in many different forms were 2.7 times more likely to use it daily and 2.8 times as likely to have been diagnosed with cannabis use disorder, researchers found.

On the other hand, people who use weed edibles had a 51% lower risk of daily use and a 59% lower risk of addiction.

Dual smoking and vaping also run an increased risk, the study found. Dual users were 32% more likely to get stoned on a daily basis and 31% more likely to have cannabis use disorder.

Young adults are more likely to use weed in ways that put them at risk, researchers found. 

Eighteen- to 25-year-olds are 2.5 times more likely to be dual users and nearly 3.6 times more likely to use many different types of weed, compared to people 50 and older, the study said.

“Public health messages about cannabis still focus mostly on smoking, but people now use the drug in many different ways,” El-Shahawy said. 

“For younger adults, that means talking about the risks of vaping and combining multiple forms, while for people who prefer edibles, the message is to ‘start low and go slow’ because the effects take time to kick in.” he added.

Researchers next plan to investigate why people choose one method of weed use over another.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about cannabis use disorder.

SOURCES: NYU Langone Health, news release, Aug. 19, 2026; Addictive Behaviors, Aug. 18, 2026