Decline in Teen Binge Drinking Seen With Implementation of Recreational Cannabis

TUESDAY, June 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) was associated with increased past-month binge drinking in adults aged ≥31 years, but decreases in binge drinking in those aged <21 years, according to a study published in the August issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Priscila Dib Gonçalves, Ph.D., from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008 to 2019) to examine trends in the prevalence of past-month binge drinking by age groups (12 to 20, 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, and ≥51 years).

The researchers found that binge drinking declined from 2008 to 2019 among people aged 12 to 20 years (17.54 to 11.08 percent), and those aged 21 to 30 (43.66 to 40.22 percent), although there were increases seen among people aged ≥31 (ages 31 to 40: 28.11 to 33.34 percent; ages 41 to 50: 25.48 to 28.32 percent; ages ≥51: 13.28 to 16.75 percent). Binge drinking decreased among people aged 12 to 20 after RCLs (prevalence difference: −4.8 percent; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.77), but increased among participants aged 31 to 40 years (+1.7 percent; aOR, 1.09), 41 to 50 (+2.5 percent; aOR, 1.15), and ≥51 (+1.8 percent; aOR, 1.17).

"As the cannabis legislative landscape continues to change in the U.S., efforts to minimize harms related to binge drinking are critical," the authors write.

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