Alcohol and cannabis: the mix
Over the years this column has tended to concentrate on those drugs often linked to the nightclub/ dance party scene. Ecstasy, crystal and GHB attract most of the headlines and we often warn about mixing drugs for, although many people believe that mixing can enhance the effects, we know the risks are also increased when drugs are used in combination, i.e. polydrug use. Not including tobacco, the most common pattern of polydrug use in Australia is among people who mix cannabis and alcohol.
People who mix cannabis and alcohol say they do it to get more out of it, or that they use the second drug to increase the effects of the first. One of the greatest problems people appear to experience when they mix these two drugs is greening out. This refers to the situation where people, for reasons that we don’t understand and cannot predict, feel physically sick after smoking cannabis. They might go pale or even green; they can feel sweaty and dizzy; they experience nausea and might even throw up; and they feel like they have to lie down. But even then, they still feel bad.
Many people say it’s more likely to happen if they have a smoke after they’ve been drinking. Some evidence suggests that when you have alcohol in your blood, it makes you absorb THC (the part of cannabis that gets you stoned) faster. So you might end up having what is a normal amount of cannabis for you, but it has a much stronger effect than if you hadn’t been drinking.
There is an old saying: Beer and grass, you’re on your arse. Grass and beer, you’re in the clear. Ever heard it? It refers to the fact that there seems to be a difference in the effects that mixing alcohol and cannabis can have, depending on the order that you use them. Although the effects are not totally predictable it does seem you’re more likely to have a bad reaction if you drink and then smoke than if you smoke and then drink.
On the other hand, other research suggests smoking cannabis can actually slow the absorption of alcohol, reducing the effects you feel from the alcohol. So it would appear that the old saying is correct, to a point. However, if you want to reduce the risk of something going wrong, avoid mixing the two drugs together.
Information for this column has been adapted from a new NDARC resource called Alcohol And Cannabis: The Mix. If you are interested in getting a copy, contact NDARC reception on 9385 0333.
Remember: if you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug and, no matter how many times you have used a substance, never be blas?/p>
