Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health examined associations between binge drinking and recreational cannabis laws in adolescents and adults. The study is one of the first to research recreational cannabis law and substance use rates. The researchers published the findings in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
The researchers analyzed national survey data from Americans aged 12 and older and found that past-month binge drinking increased overall among people aged 31 and over from 2008 to 2019. During the same period, binge drinking declined among people aged 12-30. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is the consumption of five or more drinks for men and four or more for women per consumption session. Binge drinking is associated with motor vehicle crashes, criminal legal system exposure, poor academic achievement, and emergency department visits.
Binge drinking increased in all U.S. states regardless of cannabis laws among individuals ages 31 and older. The most dramatic increases between 2008 and 2019 were among 31 to 40-year-olds (5% increase) and among the group ages 51 and over (4 % increase).
The research team conducted previous studies which showed the impact of increased medical and recreational cannabis legalization on the perception and availability of cannabis use and changes in alcohol use patterns. According to lead author Silvia S. Martins, M.D., Ph.D., and professor of epidemiology in Columbia’s Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, “It is worth noting that cannabis legislation is complex, involving multiple policy decisions, including regulations of supply chain and operation: government monopoly, retail sales, legal home cultivation, advertisement, types of products distributed, prices, and taxes, and each state may have different policies when regulating recreational cannabis use. She emphasized that more research is needed to understand binge drinking trends associated with legalization and environmental and individual factors that shape the drinking patterns of a particular age group.
Sources: Eureka News Alert, International Journal of Drug Policy