New research in JAMA Health Forum has found that de-criminalizing marijuana in the U.S. may result in higher rates of alcohol consumption.
Researchers studied data including a number of surveys derived from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database.
“This was a cross-sectional study of 4.2 million individuals who responded to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 2010 to 2019,” according to researchers.
“A difference-in-differences approach with demographic and policy controls was used to estimate the association between RCLs and alcohol use, overall and by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and educational level. Data analyses were performed from June 2021 to March 2022.”
What the study determined, “This cross-sectional study and difference-in-differences analysis found that recreational cannabis laws in the US may be associated with increased alcohol use, primarily among younger adults and men.”
