USA: Clinical trial recreates real-life experience and reiterates that cannabis use reduces alcohol consumption.

Um clinical trial clinical study conducted by a team of researchers from Brown Universityin the US, published in American Journal of Psychiatry On November 18, 2025, a real bar was recreated to analyze the impact of cannabis use on alcohol consumption. The result is consistent with what had already been observed before: "smoking cannabis"Bis dramatically reduced alcohol consumption compared to the placebo." The conclusions of the trial, which included 157 participants, are promising for those who want to implement alcoholism reduction programs with cannabis. A Health Canada There is already one underway. pilot program for harm reduction from alcohol abuse using cannabis as an alternative substance. 

The social benefits of cannabis appear to extend beyond the medicinal properties of cannabinoids and terpenes, the fiber and seeds that fuel the industrial hemp sector, and the environmental advantages this plant can bring.contributing to 15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development GoalsIn countries where recreational cannabis is legal (Uruguay, USA, Canada or Germany).An unexpected and promising "side effect" has been observed: a significant reduction in alcohol consumption. and also opiates – two substances responsible for numerous health problems worldwide and costing public coffers hundreds of thousands of euros per year.

More cannabis, less alcohol.

Real-world evidence and some previous studies had already concluded that access to legal cannabis has indeed resulted in reduced alcohol consumption, both among young people and the adult population. However, the most recent randomized controlled clinical trial, done by a team of researchers from Brown UniversityA researcher in Rhode Island, USA, reached the same conclusion, not through surveys or data collection, but by recreating real-life experiences. 

According to news published this week in the British newspaper The Guardian“157 participants were given cannabis cigarettes to smoke and then sent to a controlled 'bar lab' where they had the option of consuming up to eight mini alcoholic drinks. The experiment was conducted three times: once with cannabis containing 7,2% THC, once with cannabis containing 3,1% THC, and once with cannabis containing 0,03% THC, which was considered a placebo.” The same newspaper also mentions that “an important component of the study was the replication of a real bar, complete with low lighting and unlimited drinks.”

As the author states in the same article, "it turns out that staying"California sober'It can help keep us away from alcohol.' The study results state that "7,2% THC reduced the desire to consume alcohol immediately after smoking" and that "participants consumed significantly less alcohol after smoking cannabis with 3,1% THC and 7,2% THC, reducing their consumption by 19% and 27%, respectively."

Cannabis may be an answer for the prevention and reduction of alcoholism.

The numbers from this latest study are consistent with other experiments conducted previously. In the trial "Effects of cannabis use on alcohol consumption in a sample of heavy drinkers undergoing treatment in Colorado", conducted in 2021 by researchers from various departments at the University of ColoradoThey observed that among the 96 participants, alcohol consumption decreased by 29%, and they were 2,06 times less likely to have an episode of excessive alcohol consumption on the days when cannabis was used.

Indeed, cannabis has been used as a preferred substitute substance for other addictions, as it has fewer associated risks and even some benefits.

Just like We reported on this about a year ago in CannaReporter®. Regarding National Survey on Drug Use and Health Published by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2024, the results pointed to a decrease in the use of alcoholic beverages. And back in 2009, the researcher... Amanda Reiman (Ph.D. in Social Work), from the University of Berkeley, California, USA, published the results of a study in which he found that “40% of respondents had used cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, 26% as a substitute for other illicit drugs, and 66% as a substitute for prescription drugs.”

The Canadian Ministry of Health –  Health Canada – is already one step further ahead, with a process currently underway pilot program for harm reduction from alcohol abuse using cannabis as an alternative substance. 

One of the arguments that seems to drive all these studies and prevention programs is that, despite not being a 100% risk-free substance, cannabis is, in fact, safer and has fewer adverse effects in the short and long term when compared to alcohol.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you do with €3 a month? Become one of our Patrons! If you believe that independent cannabis journalism is necessary, subscribe to one of the levels of our Patreon account and you will have access to unique gifts and exclusive content. If there are many of us, we can make a difference with little!

Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

More postsBio

Margarita has been a regular contributor to CannaReporter since its inception in 2017, having previously worked for other cannabis-focused media outlets such as Cáñamo magazine (Spain), CannaDouro Magazine (Portugal) and Cannapress. She was part of the original team for the Portuguese edition of Cânhamo in the early 2000s and was part of the organisation of the Global Marijuana March in Portugal between 2007 and 2009.

She recently published the book “Canábis - Maldita e Maravilhosa” / "Cannabis - Cursed and Wonderful" (Ed. Oficina do Livro / LeYA, 2024), about the history of the plant, its ancestral relationship with Humans as a raw material, an entheogen and a recreational drug, as well as the infinite potential it holds in medical, industrial and environmental terms.

• Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

  https://cannareporter.eu/author/margarita/

  Spain: Supreme Court accepts pharmacists' appeal against the exclusion of community pharmacies from dispensing cannabis.
• Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

  https://cannareporter.eu/author/margarita/

  Norway: AROD asks the International Criminal Court to consider drug prohibition a crime against humanity.
• Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

  https://cannareporter.eu/author/margarita/

  Joana de Almeida Teixeira succeeds João Goulão as president of ICAD.
• Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

  https://cannareporter.eu/author/margarita/

  Czech Republic legalizes cultivation of up to 3 cannabis plants.