Young adult concurrent use and simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana: A cross-national examination among college students in seven countries

• Published in: Addictive behaviors reports 2021-12, Vol.14, p.100373-100373, Article 100373
• Main Authors: Bravo, Adrian J., Prince, Mark A., Pilatti, Angelina, Mezquita, Laura, Keough, Matthew T., Hogarth, Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; College students; Cross-cultural; Marijuana; Research paper; Simultaneous use; Substance use
• ISSN: 2352-8532; 2352-8532
• DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100373

•Young adults endorse high rates of simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use.•SAM use is associated with greater alcohol and marijuana use and related harms.•Results were consistent among college students from seven different countries. Many young adults report frequent co-use of alcohol and marijuana, with some individuals engaging in simultaneous use (SAM; use of both substances within the same occasion resulting in an overlap of their effects) and others in concurrent use (CAM; use of both substances during a similar time period [e.g., past 30 days] but not within the same occasion). Emerging work demonstrates that SAM relative to CAM use places individuals at a greater risk for substance-related harms; however, these results primarily rely on U.S. samples. The goal of the present multi-country study was to examine prevalence rates of CAM and SAM use and examine differences in past 30-day SAM/CAM use on alcohol/marijuana substance-related outcomes among college students from seven countries. A total of 9171 (70.5% women; Mean age = 20.28, SD = 3.96) college students participated in the cross-sectional online survey study. Among students who endorsed use of both alcohol and marijuana in the past 30-days (n = 2124), SAM use (75.8%) was far more prevalent than CAM use (24.2%). Moreover, ∼75% of students endorsed SAM use within each country subsample. Regression models showed that SAM vs. CAM use was associated with greater alcohol and marijuana use and negative consequences. College students from around the world endorse high rates of SAM use, and this pattern of co-use is associated with greater frequency of use and substance-related harms. On college campuses, SAM use should be a target of clinical prevention/intervention efforts and the mechanisms underpinning the unique harms of SAM need to be clarified.