Daily-level simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and its associations with alcohol use, marijuana use, and negative consequences in a young adult community sample.
Researchers tested daily associations between SAM use and four outcomes: alcohol use (number of drinks), marijuana use (hours high), negative alcohol consequences, and negative marijuana consequences. A community sample of 409 young adults, ages 18-25, with recent alcohol and SAM use was recruited. Among days with any alcohol use, SAM use days were associated with consuming more drinks and experiencing more total negative alcohol-related consequences than non-SAM use days. Among days with any marijuana use, SAM use days were associated with more hours being high than non-SAM use days. Exploratory models showed that SAM use was related to five specific alcohol-related consequences and two specific marijuana-related consequences. The researchers emphasized that these findings built upon prior research by showing that SAM use days are linked to consuming more drinks, reporting more hours being high from marijuana, and experiencing more total alcohol-related consequences even after controlling for the number of drinks, the number of hours high, any tobacco/nicotine use, and any other substance use. SAM use was also associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing some specific consequences related to alcohol and marijuana.
This paper, “Daily-level simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and its associations with alcohol use, marijuana use, and negative consequences in a young adult community sample," was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and published in the journal Alcohol, clinical & experimental research.
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