The State Epidemiological Profile 2024: Substance Use Trends in Hawaiʻi by the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), provides an updated analysis of substance use trends in Hawaiʻi with a focus on poly-substance use and geospatial variability. This report supports the goals of Hawaiʻi’s Strategic Prevention Framework – Partnerships for Success (SPF-PFS) program, in collaboration with the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH), and is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The 2024 edition focuses on alcohol, nicotine products, cannabis, and their combined use (co- and poly-substance use) across various age groups and communities in Hawaiʻi, covering data from 2018 to 2023, with a focus on 2020 to 2023.
Key Findings from the Report:
- Poly-substance use and nicotine/cannabis co-use were significantly more prevalent among middle school students who reported ever being depressed, and poly-substance use was significantly more prevalent for high school students who reported depression in the last year.
- 5% or 1 in 20 high school students used all three substances in the past 30 days.
- Nearly 1 in 10 (9.5%) high school students reported using both nicotine and cannabis in the last 30 days.
- 26.5% (over 1 in 4) of emerging adults (ages 18-29) used some combination of alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis in the past 30 days.
- Communities with the highest prevalence of substance co-use and poly-use were in Hawaiʻi County.
- Over 1 in 10 (11.4%) Hawaiʻi Island residents co-use cannabis and alcohol, with nearly 1 in 5 (18.4%) co-using in the northern part of Hawaiʻi County.
