Research & Resources

In this study, researchers examined patterns of concurrent cannabis and other substance use and their associations with cannabis-related problems and academic outcomes in five groups of college students. Participants were 263 undergraduate students who reported using cannabis at least 3?days in the past month. Through an online survey, participants reported on substance use, academic-related outcomes, and measures of cannabis use disorder (CUD) severity and problems. The five groups evaluated were cannabis-only users (5.3%); cannabis, alcohol, and other substance users (14.8%); all-substance users (16.0%); cannabis, alcohol, and cigarette users (16.7%); and cannabis and alcohol users (47.1%). Cannabis-only and all-substance users reported using cannabis most frequently, but only the latter reported greater CUD severity, problems, and poorer academic outcomes. The results suggest that college student polysubstance users may be at increased risk for poorer outcomes compared to cannabis-only users and other groups.

This paper, “Independent and concurrent cannabis use with alcohol, cigarettes, and other substances among college students: Rates and consequences,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the Journal of American college health.