Nicotine dependence and illicit stimulant use in early adulthood: a prospective analysis of a population-based cohort

Adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for the uptake of tobacco smoking and formation of long-term smoking behaviours. There is some evidence of causal associations between tobacco smoking and illicit stimulant use, with smoking possibly leading to experimentation with stimulants but stimulant use also reinforcing smoking behaviour.

This seminar examines longitudinal smoking patterns in a Queensland cohort, recruited for the Natural History Study of Drug Use (NHSDU). The NHSDU follows a population-based cohort of young adult users and non-users of illicit stimulants, i.e. ecstasy (MDMA) and methamphetamine. After 4 and a half years of follow-up, at ages 23-27 years, 32 per cent of stimulant users were nicotine dependent in the last 12 months compared to 6 per cent of non-users. These young adults generally reported smoking more cigarettes than usual during their episodes of stimulant use. However, many persisted with daily smoking after they stopped using stimulants. This seminar will focus on factors which may contribute to these longitudinal patterns.

Speaker

Andrew Smirnov

Lecturer, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland

Dr Andrew Smirnov is a Lecturer with the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre (QADREC) at The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health. His interests include social and public health aspects of stimulant use, the reduction of drug-related harms, drug use from a life course perspective, and research methods for studying illicit drug use. His PhD addressed the natural history of ecstasy (MDMA) use in early adulthood.