A new study suggests that cannabis-infused beverages may help reduce the harms of alcohol drinking by providing an alternative for consumers.
Public health researchers have long searched for realistic ways to reduce the toll of alcohol, a substance linked to nearly 200 diseases and injuries worldwide, and the new paper sheds light on the role that the increasing availability of THC drinks can play.
“Findings suggest cannabis beverages may support alcohol substitution and reduce alcohol-related harms, offering a promising alternative for individuals seeking to lower alcohol intake,” the researchers affiliated with the State University of New York at Buffalo wrote.
“Consumption of cannabis beverages was associated with self-reported reductions in alcoholic drinks per week and frequency of binge alcohol drinking, which could lead to reductions in alcohol-related negative health and other consequences.”
The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs and based on a survey of 438 adults who had used cannabis in some form over the past year, examined whether cannabis beverages in particular were being used as a substitute for alcohol, rather than alongside it.
“We found that one-third of respondents used cannabis beverages and that the people who used these beverages reported substituting cannabis for alcohol more frequently than those who only used other cannabis products,” the paper says.
“In the first study of its kind, we introduce the concept of having cannabis as harm reduction for alcohol,” the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Jessica Kruger, said in a press release. “Cannabis has been proposed as harm reduction for other drugs such as opioids but not talked about as often for legal substances such as alcohol.”
The press release notes that the study’s “findings suggest that cannabis beverages may support alcohol substitution and reduce alcohol-related harms, offering a promising alternative for people interested in reducing their alcohol intake.”
The paper notes that “as cannabis-infused beverages emerge in the legal market, their potential as a substitute for alcohol is of growing interest.”
THC beverage consumers in the study were more likely than people who consumed marijuana in other forms to say they intentionally substituted cannabis for alcohol. Nearly 59 percent reported doing so, compared with about 47 percent of those who did not consume cannabis drinks.
Patterns of binge drinking varied among the groups as well. More than 80 percent of cannabis beverage consumers fell into a lower-risk category than their counterparts.
“Cannabis beverage users also reported reducing their weekly alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking following initiation of cannabis beverage use,” the researchers wrote.
“There are plausible reasons to suspect that cannabis beverages provide a unique opportunity for alcohol harm reduction,” they concluded.
“Substitution of alcohol with cannabis may function as a harm reduction strategy, and cannabis beverages may be particularly useful for these purposes.”
Looking to the future, Kruger noted that more research is needed. “We have a long way to go before this is seen as mainstream as cannabis beverages are a new modality of use,” she said.
The study comes as Americans are apparently more inclined to quit or reduce their use of alcohol and tobacco than want to abstain from marijuana, according to a recent poll on New Year’s resolutions.
It also comes on the heels of a government-funded study showing that state agencies regulating marijuana are far more attentive to public health concerns than the those charged with overseeing alcohol.
In November, researchers at Brown University published a study about the science behind the trend that’s come to be known as “California sober,” referring to people who abstain from or limit the use of alcohol and most other drugs while still consuming cannabis. The federally funded study found that smoking marijuana is associated with “significantly” reduced rates of alcohol consumption.
This week, the United Center in Chicago—the largest entertainment arena in the U.S.—announced a partnership with two cannabis drink brands that involves plans to provide adult guests with a selection of hemp-derived THC beverages to enjoy at concerts and live events.
