A study that was published last week in Addictive Behaviors found that alcohol and tobacco are more likely to be used on days when marijuana is used.
The study found that individuals consumed an average of 0.45 more alcoholic drinks on days when marijuana was used, compared to days when marijuana was not used. Similarly, the study found that individuals smoked an average of 0.63 more cigarettes on days when marijuana was used. Both of these findings were statistically significant (p=0.01).
Seeking to explain these findings, the researchers posited that “the impact of cannabis use on the endocannabinoid system may reinforce the use of alcohol and tobacco through mechanisms related to psychological reward.” They added that “bidirectionality must be considered,” given that the use of one substance may influence the effect of an additional substance––it may enhance a high, for example.
The researchers noted that “the observed within-person positive associations between cannabis use and same-day alcohol consumption and cigarettes smoked are consistent with previous research that has shown a tendency for substance use behaviors to co-occur.”
Indeed, cross-tabs from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that those who used marijuana in the past 30 days were three times as likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days (30.8% vs. 10.4%) and 63% more likely to have used alcohol in the past 30 days (70.7% vs. 43.4%), compared to those who did not use marijuana in the past 30 days.
