A new study on the impact of marijuana consumption on people’s use of other drugs suggests that for many, cannabis may act as a less-dangerous substitute, allowing people to reduce their intake of substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids like morphine.
The survey, of 23,500 people in New Zealand, asked participants about whether their use of cannabis had any influence on their consumption of other substances. For the most part, it found that marijuana use was associated with reduced frequency and quantity of use of other certain substances.
“Significant proportions reported cannabis use led to ‘less’ alcohol (60%), synthetic cannabinoid (60%), morphine (44%) and methamphetamine (40%) use,” the new report says. “Those who reported using ‘less’ had lower frequency and amount used of other drugs.”
That said, results varied by substance as well as demographics. Nearly 70 percent of people said cannabis had “no impact” on LSD, MDMA or cocaine use, for example. One-third of cannabis and tobacco co-users reported using less tobacco, while an even smaller minority of respondents—1 in 5—reported that using marijuana actually led to more tobacco use.
Substituting cannabis for other drugs also appears more popular among young adults, aged 21 to 35, who were more
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