Research & Resources

Researchers in this study used monthly data to examine the relationships between negative alcohol and cannabis use consequences experienced in one month and changes in use the following month. Participants included 508 individuals who were surveyed monthly for 2 years and used both alcohol and cannabis during the study period. Statistically significant findings included that experiencing negative cannabis use consequences (i.e., low motivation, memory problems, and trouble breathing) predicted more frequent cannabis use and greater chance of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use 1 month later. There was little evidence of effects of negative cannabis consequences on the next month’s alcohol-only use or negative alcohol consequences on the next month’s cannabis-only use. A positive association was found between negative alcohol consequences and the following month’s alcohol use, but the association was not statistically significant.

This paper, “A longitudinal analysis of monthly changes in substance use in relation to negative consequences from alcohol and cannabis use in a community sample of young adults,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and published in the Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs.