Research & Resources

Age of Onset and Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorders Among Mexican American Young Adults: Robust Substance-Specific Effects of Early Use as a Risk Factor

In this study, researchers investigated the substance-specific and cross-substance risk associated with early-onset (before age 15) drunkenness and cannabis use in the subsequent development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) in Mexican American young adults. Early-onset drunkenness and cannabis use were associated with a quicker progression to AUD and CUD, respectively, even after accounting for psychiatric disorders. Adjusting for psychiatric disorders and early-onset cannabis use decreased the association between early drunkenness and AUD.

This paper, “Age of onset and alcohol and cannabis use disorders among Mexican American young adults: Robust substance-specific effects of early use as a risk factor,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and published in the Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse.

Link to full item