Richard Miech is the principal investigator of the study and research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He said nicotine use among teens increased rapidly in 2018 and 2019.

“What began as an epidemic of teen vaping is on its way to becoming endemic,” Miech said in the Michigan News article.

On Dec. 6, 2018, marijuana was legalized in the state of Michigan. There is no concrete evidence that the increase of nicotine vaping and legalization of marijuana have any correlation. However, they are both seeing commonalities.

According to News-Medical, electronic vaporizers for inhaling cannabis were first developed in the 1990s. In the 2000s, smaller vaporizers, such as e-cigarettes, were made to inhale nicotine.

Now, people have access to both substances in one vaporizer. According to Michigan News, the combination of vaping marijuana and nicotine have more than doubled between 2017 and 2019 among 19-to-22-year-olds.

Another one of the principal investigators of MTF, John Schulenberg, said in the article that the “doubling to tripling,” increase of vaping marijuana and nicotine is the largest they have seen in over 40 years.

The study had also found that in 2019, as many as 43% of college students and un-enrolled college-age respondents said they use marijuana — the highest it has been since the 1980s.

Additionally, there has been a notable increase for marijuana use on a daily or near-daily basis since the study began in 1975 as of 2019 — 6% among college students and 15% for those not in college, from the pool of 50,000 respondents. These percentages are at or near historic levels, according to the study.

Consuming marijuana daily already has its own health impacts. It can be detrimental to one’s mental health and cognitive functioning, especially for people in their early 20s whose brains are still growing, Schulenberg said in the article.

As for consuming nicotine every day, it raises blood pressure and spikes adrenaline, which increases one’s heart rate and the possibility of having a heart attack, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

And that is not all. Now that there is a substantial increase in use of vaping both of the substances in one vaporizer, there are many more health complications that come along with that and many to still be researched.

According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine on cannabis vaping, nicotine and cannabis addiction have common risk factors. Which means using both substances can increase intensity of withdrawal symptoms and hinder cessation efforts.

When consuming nicotine through a vape, it can enhance the addictive properties of marijuana and other substances. That is because of its fast absorption and intense stimulation of the brain, the National Library of Medicine stated.

The study concluded that there is still much research to be done on the short- and long-term effects on developing lungs when it comes to combining nicotine and marijuana; however, the fact there are carbonyls, volatile organics, nitrosamines and heavy metals — which are all considered toxic — found in several vaping products, that is concerning.

In 2020 there was a nationwide outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI), according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. As of Feb. 18, 2020, there were 2,807 hospitalized EVALI cases, which included 68 confirmed deaths.

On May 12, 2021, Michigan identified 83 cases of severe lung disease — 46 confirmed with EVALI and 37 probables — and a total of three deaths.

Aside from the direct health effects of vaping marijuana and nicotine, there are also external factors such as COVID-19 that can have a tremendous effect on an individual's lungs.

Although there are health implications from smoking in general, cannabis in its most natural form is the healthiest way to go for users. As for anyone who is dealing with nicotine addiction, nicotine patches, gum and lozenges are available to purchase at local pharmacies without a prescription. For more ways on how to fight nicotine addiction, visit Mayo Clinic.