Marijuana smokers 5 times more likely to develop an alcohol problem

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/cums-msf021616.php

Public Release: 17-Feb-2016
Marijuana smokers 5 times more likely to develop an alcohol problem
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Adults who use marijuana are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) --alcohol abuse or dependence-- compared with adults who do not use the drug. And adults who already have an alcohol use disorder and use marijuana are more likely to see the problem persist. Results of a study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the City University of New York appear online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

"Our results suggest that cannabis use appears to be associated with an increased vulnerability to developing an alcohol use disorder, even among those without any history of this," said Renee Goodwin, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. "Marijuana use also appears to increase the likelihood that an existing alcohol use disorder will continue over time."

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