A University at Buffalo study indicates that cannabis-infused beverages may help reduce alcohol consumption among users. Survey participants who switched to these drinks reported cutting their weekly alcohol intake nearly in half. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they reduced or stopped drinking alcohol after starting cannabis beverages.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo conducted a survey of 438 anonymous adults who had used cannabis in the past year, with about 56% also consuming alcohol. Approximately one-third of participants reported using cannabis beverages, typically one per occasion. The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, marks the first examination of cannabis beverages as a tool for alcohol harm reduction.
Harm reduction aims to minimize the negative effects of substance use without requiring complete abstinence. Jessica Kruger, PhD, a clinical associate professor at UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions and the study's first author, stated, "In the first study of its kind, we introduce the concept of having cannabis as harm reduction for alcohol. Cannabis has been proposed as harm reduction for other drugs such as opioids but not talked about as often for legal substances such as alcohol."
Participants who used cannabis beverages were more likely to substitute them for alcohol, with 58.6% reporting this compared to 47.2% for other cannabis products. Most beverages contained 10 mg of cannabidiol (CBD) or less, according to 89.5% of users. After starting cannabis drinks, average weekly alcohol consumption dropped from 7.02 drinks to 3.35, and binge drinking episodes decreased.
Of the respondents, 62.6% reduced alcohol intake, including 61.5% who cut back and 1.1% who stopped entirely, while 3.3% reported increased drinking. Daniel Kruger, PhD, a co-author, noted, "Several previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that people have reduced their alcohol consumption by switching to cannabis. It's remarkable that people who use cannabis beverages report an even greater reduction in alcohol use than those who use other types of cannabis products... We believe this may be because of the similarity in administration method and context of use -- people at parties or bars will likely have a drink in their hand, in this case a cannabis beverage rather than an alcoholic one."
Cannabis beverage sales are projected to exceed $4 billion globally by 2028, per Euromonitor. In New York State, legal sales began in January 2023, with 82% of surveyed users buying from licensed dispensaries. The researchers, including Nicholas Felicione, PhD, plan further studies on long-term effects. UB thanked partners Premier Earth and Star Buds for survey assistance.
