Infused cannabis beverages may provide an innovative alternative for individuals seeking to reduce their alcohol consumption, as revealed by a preliminary investigation conducted by public health experts at the University at Buffalo.
Excessive alcohol intake is associated with profound health risks and societal issues. Regular drinking has been connected to no fewer than seven different forms of cancer, along with approximately 200 various diseases and health disorders. In contrast, cannabis typically poses fewer dangers, especially when evaluated against patterns of heavy alcohol use.
This particular study, which appeared in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, represents the inaugural effort to explore cannabis-infused drinks specifically as a mechanism for mitigating alcohol-related harms.
What Does Harm Reduction Entail?
Harm reduction constitutes a key strategy within public health that seeks to diminish the adverse impacts linked to substance consumption. Although total abstinence might be the optimal goal, a significant number of adults persist in using regulated substances like alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis. The core of harm reduction lies in strategies that curtail risks without demanding complete cessation.
“This marks the pioneering investigation into positioning cannabis as a harm reduction option specifically for alcohol. While cannabis has been suggested in this capacity for substances like opioids, its application to legal options such as alcohol has received far less attention,” explains Jessica Kruger, PhD, the lead author of the study and a clinical associate professor in community health and health behavior at the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
That said, she cautions that widespread adoption could be gradual. “We still have considerable progress to make before this approach gains mainstream traction, given that cannabis beverages represent a relatively novel consumption method.”
Explosive Expansion in the Cannabis Beverage Sector
The marketplace for cannabis-infused drinks is experiencing explosive growth. According to projections from market analysts at Euromonitor, worldwide sales are poised to exceed $4 billion by the year 2028. Simultaneously, a substantial portion of Americans are pursuing methods to decrease their alcohol intake, extending beyond temporary initiatives like “Dry January.”
The research involved surveying 438 adults who had consumed cannabis within the previous 12 months, maintaining full anonymity. Among this group, close to 56 percent also reported alcohol use. Roughly one-third indicated experience with cannabis beverages, usually limiting themselves to a single serving per session.
Those who incorporated cannabis drinks into their routines were notably more inclined to report replacing alcohol with cannabis (58.6 percent) than individuals relying on alternative cannabis formats (47.2 percent).
Insights into Consumption Habits and CBD Levels
The vast majority of participants using cannabis beverages described products with 10 mg or less of cannabidiol (CBD), accounting for 89.5 percent. A modest 10.4 percent opted for drinks exceeding 10 mg of CBD, while almost half (48 percent) were uncertain about the exact CBD concentration.
Individuals who started incorporating cannabis drinks observed a substantial decline in their alcohol intake. Post-adoption, their average weekly alcohol consumption fell to 3.35 drinks, down from a previous average of 7.02 drinks per week. They also experienced a reduction in instances of binge drinking.
An impressive 62.6 percent of respondents noted that they either cut back significantly (61.5 percent) or entirely ceased (1.1 percent) alcohol consumption following the introduction of cannabis beverages into their habits. Only a minor fraction, 3.3 percent, indicated an increase in alcohol use.
Reasons Cannabis Beverages Could Supplant Alcohol
These results suggest that cannabis-infused drinks hold promise as a substitute for alcohol, potentially decreasing associated health and social harms for certain users.
“Multiple prior studies, including some from our group, have shown that transitioning to cannabis leads to lowered alcohol consumption,” states Daniel Kruger, PhD, a co-author on the paper and research associate professor within UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
“It’s particularly striking that users of cannabis beverages achieve even steeper reductions in alcohol use compared to those employing other cannabis forms excluding drinks. We attribute this to the parallel delivery method and situational context—social gatherings or bar environments naturally involve holding a beverage, which in this scenario becomes a cannabis option instead of an alcoholic one,” he elaborates.
Cannabis beverages frequently come packaged in cans mimicking the appearance of beer or hard seltzers, fostering a sense of familiarity during social occasions. With expanding legalization of cannabis for recreational adult use across numerous states, availability of these products is on the rise. For instance, in New York State, the debut of legally sold cannabis drinks hit the market in January 2023, soon after the launch of licensed dispensary sales.
Among survey respondents using cannabis beverages, nearly 82 percent sourced their products from authorized medical or recreational dispensaries.
Looking ahead, the research team intends to delve deeper into the long-term influences of cannabis beverages on alcohol consumption patterns and to contrast outcomes across various cannabis ingestion techniques.
Nicholas Felicione, PhD, an assistant professor of community health and health behavior at UB, was also integral to the study. The investigators expressed gratitude to their collaborators, Premier Earth and Star Buds—licensed dispensaries in the Buffalo region—for facilitating the survey’s dissemination.
