Citation

Karoly HC, Prince MA, Conner BT. Subst. Use Misuse 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10826084.2023.2270674

PMID

37853738

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alcohol and cannabis co-use is common and confers increased risk for potential harms, such as negative consequences and substance dependence. The existing evidence suggests that factors such as dose of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) consumed and order of use of each substance (i.e., using alcohol or cannabis first or last when co-using) may impact co-use outcomes. Existing co-use research has focused primarily on college-samples or young adults, and few studies have explored these nuanced relations among community samples.

METHODS: We examined survey data from 87 community members (mean age 32.9 years, 49.4% female) recruited from legal market cannabis dispensaries. Using a combination of regression techniques (i.e., OLS, negative binomial, censor-inflated) we modeled relations among co-use ordering patterns, THC dose and cannabis outcomes as well as interactions with sex assigned at birth and age.

RESULTS: Individuals who endorsed co-use reported significantly higher CUDIT scores than those who had never co-used (p < 0.01). Using alcohol first and cannabis last (a pattern we refer to as "AFCL") was more common among females than males (p < 0.01). In the context of typical substance use weeks, more frequently engaging in the AFCL pattern was associated with significantly higher CUDIT scores (p < 0.001) and negatively predicted positive consequences (p < 0.001). Other patterns predicted higher CUDIT scores during heavy use weeks.

CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that co-use ordering patterns are related to substance use outcomes. Further research leveraging within-subjects, longitudinal designs is needed to test causal relations between these variables.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol; Cannabis; THC; co-use; consequences