Cannabis use and subjective response to alcohol in the human laboratory.
Cannabis is often used in combination with alcohol yet, whether cannabis use impacts risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains unknown. Subjective response (SR) to alcohol represents a biobehavioral risk factor for subsequent heavy drinking and for developing AUD. Given the high prevalence of alcohol and cannabis co-use, it is plausible to hypothesize that cannabis users differ in SR to alcohol compared to non-cannabis users. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of past-month cannabis use on subjective response to alcohol in the human laboratory. This study culled data from multiple alcohol administration trials to test whether cannabis users, compared to non-cannabis users, differed in subjective response to alcohol, comprised of four domains stimulation, sedation, negative affect, and craving. Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers (N 168) completed a battery of self-report scales of mood and alcoholcigarettecannabis use and problems. All participants completed an intravenous alcohol administration session wherein SR domains were measured at the following breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) baseline (i.e., 0), 20, 40, and 60 mg%. Multilevel statistical analyses revealed that cannabis users had a greater reduction in negative affect during alcohol administration, compared to non-cannabis users. No significant differences were found for the other SR domains. Using a large sample and advanced data analytic methods, this study extends the literature by suggesting that cannabis users are more sensitive to alcohol-induced reductions in negative affect compared to non-cannabis users. This work extends research on how cannabis use may influence risk factors for AUD, such as subjective response to alcohol.