College students often simultaneously use marijuana and alcohol. Very little is known about the patterns and consequences of this type of substance use, and this knowledge would be crucial information that would aid in development of preventive interventions on college campuses.
A recent study including three state universities across the United States recruited students who had used alcohol and marijuana in the past year. Each state in which participants were selected from had different laws regarding recreational marijuana use. Each participant completed an online survey to assess their use of alcohol, marijuana, and the two substances simultaneously. The survey also included questions and scenarios to understand the students’ perception of other’s substance use and marijuana access.
About 75% of participants reported at least one occasion of simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana within the past year, with an average of 2 instances per month. Students in a state with legal recreational marijuana use reported significantly higher past-year simultaneous use compared to those from states where recreational marijuana use was still criminalized. Those who used both substances were more likely to perceive that their friends and peers use as well compared to non-users. Those who have higher perceived norms towards simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana tend to use more frequently and experience more negative consequences as a result of use.
Overall, many factors contribute to simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use, including demographics and perceptions of norms and peer use. This information suggests that interventions are needed to target the college-aged population, and interventions including personalized normative feedback may be effective.
Take Away: In a sample of students from three large U.S. universities, about 75% had used alcohol and marijuana simultaneously in the past year. Legalization of recreational marijuana use, perceptions of peer use, and norms were all positively associated with use.
White, H.R., Kilmer, J.R., Fossos-Wong, N., Hayes, K., Sokolovsky, A.W., et al. (2019). Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among College Students: Patterns, Correlates, Norms, and Consequences. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. doi.org/10.1111/acer.14702.