Do consumers seek out terpenes in their vaping products? Findings from a pilot study of concurrent vapers of nicotine and cannabis

Background: Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in nicotine and cannabis vaping products. Terpenes are promoted by the cannabis industry as having beneficial health effects, yet the evidence on this topic is still evolving. We examined whether vapers consider terpenes as a factor in their cannabis purchasing decisions, and their awareness of terpenes in their vaping products. Methods: We used Amazon Mechanical Turk to administer a survey on nicotine and cannabis use to 112 concurrent vapers of both substances, who resided in legal cannabis policy environments. Participants were asked to select from a list of 14 non-mutually exclusive factors that influence their cannabis purchases, including terpene content. Those who endorsed terpenes as a factor in their cannabis purchases were asked to identify specific terpenes they sought. A subset of vapers who used cannabis e-liquids (n = 86) were asked to identify ingredients present in their products from a list of six pre-specified constituents, including terpenes. Responses were assessed using descriptive statistics. Results: The top five factors influencing cannabis purchasing decisions were THC content (83%), price (79%), smell/taste (59%), availability (58%), and strain (47%); terpene content ranked 11th (13%) out of the list of 14 purchase-related factors. Among those who sought out terpenes (n = 13), most reported seeking products containing limonene (67%), terpinolene (40%), myrcene (40%), and linalool (33%). Terpenes were the most frequently reported individual e-liquid constituent among participants who vaped cannabis oils in an e-cigarette, with nearly one-quarter (24%) of participants selecting this option. Conclusions: In this sample of co-users, most vaping consumers did not cite terpenes as a major factor in their cannabis purchases. Among the few who did, limonene was the most commonly sought after terpene, which is also present in many nicotine containing e-liquids. Nearly one-quarter of those vaping cannabis oils reported awareness of terpenes as a constituent in their vaping product. Findings support monitoring consumer awareness of terpene-containing products as well as any increases in use as the cannabis vaping market evolves.