In a new study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, researchers have found medical cannabis patients are decreasing their alcohol use after beginning prescription pot.
Canada first legalised medical cannabis in 2001, and as of April this year, the country had over 329,000 registered medical cannabis patients. In a new scientific study conducted by the University of Victoria, the alcohol use of 2,102 people was recorded for the 30 days after they began taking medical cannabis.
Only 973 of the participants had consumed at least 10 alcoholic drinks in the past twelves months. Of this group, researchers found that within 30 days of taking medical cannabis:
- 43.5% of participants decreased how frequency they drank alcohol
- 34.1% of participants decreased the number of alcoholic drinks they had per week
- 8% of participants drank no alcohol at all
Researchers note in their report that a number of participants began using medical cannabis to help decrease their alcohol consumption. This is commonly referred to as ‘marijuana maintenance’ and is usually done for a limited time to reduce symptoms of alcohol withdrawal like insomnia, nausea, and anxiety.
While the study did not focus on marijuana maintenance, researchers noted that participants who used medical cannabis to reduce alcohol had “significantly greater odds” of stopping alcohol use completely. These odds were even higher in people below the age of 55.
While the results of this study were published separately, the data used in the study is part of the Canadian Cannabis Patient Survey 2019, which studied peoples use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription medication, and illegal drugs as they started medical cannabis.
Researchers wrote in the results of the study:
Our findings suggest that medical cannabis initiation may be associated with self-reported reductions and cessation of alcohol use among medical cannabis patients.
