Story at a glance
- Using cannabis and alcohol at the same time increases the risk of negative individual and societal consequences.
- New data show that as states have legalized marijuana, the prevalence of using cannabis and alcohol at the same time has increased.
- Findings were only significant among those aged 21 and older.
More U.S. adults simultaneously used cannabis and alcohol following state-level legalizations of recreational marijuana, according to new data collected between 2008 and 2019.
This month, Missouri became the latest state to legalize recreational cannabis while New York state issued its first marijuana dispensary licenses in late November. In total, 21 states, Washington D.C., and Guam have legalized recreational marijuana.
However, writing in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers explained how legalization laws raise questions about the unintended effects of cannabis and alcohol use patterns.
“Simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use, using both substances within a short time interval so that their effects overlap, has a greater risk of potential negative consequences than single-substance use and is more common in younger age,” researchers said.
Effects can include driving under the influence and increased risk of alcohol use disorders. More than 40 percent of Americans who use alcohol or cannabis have admitted to driving under the influence of one or both substances.
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Data for the current study were gleaned from the 2008–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, reflecting use patterns of 817,359 participants aged 12 and over.
Compared with the period before recreational cannabis legalization, simultaneous use increased from 9.2 percent to 10.4 percent among those aged 21 through 30. For those aged 31 to 40, prevalence rose from 5 to 6 percent, while for adults between the ages 41 and 50, simultaneous use rose from 3 percent to 4.7 percent.
No differences were seen for those between the ages 12 and 20 and adults over the age of 51.
“Until this study, little had been known about the [recreational cannabis laws] and simultaneous use in adults in the U.S., where adult cannabis use and alcohol use are increasing in a changing cannabis policy environment,” said lead study author Priscilla Gonçalves, in a release. Gonçalves is a post-doctoral research fellow in Columbia Mailman School’s Department of Epidemiology.
Researchers hypothesized the increase in simultaneous use seen among those aged 21 and older could be due to greater availability and opportunity to access cannabis though legal supply chains in states with the laws in place. Typically, recreational cannabis is only legal for those aged 21 and older.
“These findings build upon prior research showing that states allowing dispensaries had a greater likelihood of alcohol-related outcomes in adults aged 21+,” added senior author Silvia Martins, professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School.
Previous research has detailed a rise in alcohol use in states that have legalized cannabis, driven largely by young adults and men.
Findings of the current study suggest “there may be a need to develop strategies to reduce harms related to simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use in adults aged 21-50” said Gonçalves.
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