How Alcohol and Pot Interact

Now that marijuana is a major news item due to Colorado legalization and the national debate over whether all states ought to legalize marijuana, more information is coming forth to dispel myths about pot. There is also new information from recent studies. I’m not taking a side on the legalization issue, just reporting the latest findings. We need good, solid, scientific information, not anecdotes and street myths. Growing up in the 60s and 70s I heard over and over from pot smokers how they drive better when stoned. Marijuana affects reaction time and mental functioning, so, even though many pot smokers believe they drive better under the influence, it’s not true that pot improves driving skills (you wouldn’t think I’d have to establish this point). Driving under the influence of THC is dangerous — this I will take a side on, since I don’t want someone stoned to drive their vehicle into a car carrying my 6 year old granddaughter, or anyone else for that matter.

Now there’s evidence that when alcohol and marijuana are mixed the alcohol enhances the level of THC in the blood stream. The study is from the latest issue of the journal Clinical Chemistry. Here’s an excerpt:

Researchers analyzed data from 19 cannabis users who were split into two groups. The first group consumed a small amount of alcohol 10 minutes before inhaling vaporized cannabis, while the other group consumed a placebo before smoking.

The scientists found those who consumed alcohol had much higher levels of THC in their bloodstream than the placebo group. Because the alcohol group also showed greater levels of impairment than the placebo group, it was also concluded that using alcohol and marijuana together greatly increased the risk of a car crash compared to just using marijuana alone.

“The significantly higher blood THC … values with alcohol possibly explain increased performance impairment observed from cannabis-alcohol combinations,” said lead researcher Dr. Marilyn A. Huestis.

Many people who smoke pot also drink alcohol, even, as I’ve been told, if it’s just a few beers t0 cool down their throats from the smoke (as if beer is the only cool beverage that will work). The mixture of alcohol and THC makes driving more dangerous than if the person simply smoked a joint or just drank a couple of beers. The mixture also impairs judgment so that the decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle is more likely. Understanding the effects of THC on motor reaction and critical thinking is important — so is understanding how alcohol and pot interact and the heightened THC levels in the bloodstream when mixing alcohol and THC, because it slows down motor reaction and negatively affects thinking even more in combination.