Dual cannabis and alcohol use disorders in young adults: Problems magnified

ABSTRACT

Background: Alcohol and marijuana are the 2 most commonly used substances among young adults. The present study examines whether having 2 DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) diagnoses (alcohol and cannabis) is associated with greater problems than having 1 (alcohol or cannabis) diagnosis. Methods: Participants were 307 young adults (18–25 years) from the community who met criteria for DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD), cannabis use disorder (CUD), or both (dual use disorder [DUD]). Participants reported alcohol and marijuana use in the past 90 days (Timeline Follow-Back), alcohol problems (Short Inventory of Problems), and marijuana problems (Marijuana Problems Scale). Results: Eighty-four participants (27.4%) met criteria for AUD, 107 (34.9%) met criteria for CUD, and 116 (37.8%) met criteria for DUD. In multivariate analyses, the DUD group reported greater alcohol use frequency and more alcohol problems than the CUD-only group but not the AUD-only group. However, DUD individuals reported greater drinking intensity than singly diagnosed individuals. Those with DUD reported a greater proportion of marijuana consumption days than the AUD-only group but not the CUD-only group. However, DUD individuals reported more marijuana problems than both singly diagnosed groups. Conclusions: Results show that the concurrent presence of both DSM-5 AUD and CUD is associated with heavier drinking patterns and greater marijuana problems than disordered use of either substance alone, thus affirming the magnified severity of alcohol and marijuana use that accompanies dual DSM-5 alcohol and marijuana use disorders.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• cannabis
• multiple substance use disorders

Author contributions

Michael D. Stein designed and wrote the protocol for the larger study from which data analyzed in the present study were drawn. Jumi Hayaki conducted the literature searches and summaries of previous related research. Bradley J. Anderson performed the statistical analyses and wrote the data analysis and results sections. Jumi Hayaki wrote the remainder of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) grant R01AA020509. Michael Stein is a recipient of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) award K24 DA000512. The funding agencies had no other role in the study design or conduct; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; or in the preparation of the manuscript. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.