New research published Wednesday in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests smoking marijuana leads people to drink less alcohol. Brown University researchers tested 157 heavy-drinking adults aged 21 to 44 who use cannabis at least twice weekly. Participants smoked joints with varying THC levels on three separate lab visits, then had access to alcohol for two hours. Those smoking 3.1% THC cannabis drank 19% less than when using placebo marijuana, while 7.2% THC users consumed 27% less alcohol. Lead researcher Jane Metrik said “Cannabis reduced the urge for alcohol in the moment, lowered how much alcohol people consumed over a two-hour period and even delayed when they started drinking once the alcohol was available.” The findings support the “California sober” trend of using marijuana while avoiding alcohol. However, marijuana can also be addictive. (Story URL)
PHONE TOPIC: If you could only keep one of your vices, which one would you choose?