Adolescent tobacco use and substance abuse treatment outcomes

This study investigated the relationship between cigarette-smoking status and 12-month alcohol and marijuana treatment outcomes in a sample of 1,779 adolescents from the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcomes Study for Adolescents. Participants were classified into four groups based on change in cigarette-smoking status from intake to the 12-month follow-up: persistent smokers, nonsmokers, quitters, and smoking initiators. Logistic regression was used to predict likelihood of relapse to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs after controlling for intake levels and demographic/treatment characteristics. Results found persistent smokers and smoking initiators to have significantly greater odds of alcohol and marijuana relapse compared with quitters. Furthermore, persistent smokers and smoking initiators were also found to have distinctively shorter periods to marijuana relapse at follow-up. Implications for the implementation of tobacco cessation treatment in the context of substance abuse treatment for adolescents are discussed.