Although it seems like a substance established in society that is consumed only in specific situations, alcohol constantly generates many problems in the medical environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3 million deaths occur each year due to the harmful use of alcohol, which represents 5.3% of all deaths globally.
In other words, 5.1% of the burden of disease (ill health due to any cause) and physical injuries that occur worldwide is due to the use of this substance. It is not surprising, then From encephalopathies to fatal cirrhosis, there are about 200 diseases that arise from alcohol consumption
With all this data we do not mean that this drink is deadly, but certainly little is known about the effects of its abuse by the general population. Things get even more complicated if we look at the possible synergies and joint effects of alcohol with these substances, since we are usually not clear at all about what can be consumed or done under the influence of alcohol. For both informative and medical purposes, today We explore whether it is dangerous to mix alcohol and cannabis
Before exploring the synergistic effect of both substances at the same time, it is interesting to see what they do at the brain level separately. First of all, it should be noted that cannabis is smoked due to the THC content present in marijuana, which creates a series of effects on the brain. In the brain, THC adheres to cannabinoid receptors, located in nerve cells, which results in overstimulation of brain areas with the greatest number of receptors.
Curiously, Cannabis is considered a depressant drug of the central nervous system, so it is both a depressant and an excitatory compound This means that it is characterized by simultaneously producing sedation and euphoria: the sensation can be very positive on an emotional level, but at the same time entail a clear loss of faculties on a physical level.
All of this causes alteration of the senses, changes in the perception of time, fluctuation in mood, limitation of body movements, difficulty thinking and solving problems and memory failures, among many other things. In the long term, abusive cannabis use is associated with the development of anxiety, psychosis and depression, in addition to other clinical entities of a physical nature (such as lung cancer, if hashish is mixed with tobacco when smoking it). ).
On the other hand, the active compound of alcohol is ethanol, which can be obtained from the bacterial fermentation of sugars in natural or industrial environments. Ethanol is also a nervous system depressant, so high consumption results in loss of reflexes, decreased alertness, tremors, problems maintaining walking, and even hallucinations. With these data it is not difficult for us to imagine why 73% of accident cases with fatalities involve alcohol.
It should be noted that alcohol has a biphasic effect on the body, that is, it initially manifests itself in the form of disinhibition and joy, but then motor problems, clumsiness and even alcohol coma always arrive. Both alcohol and cannabis generate a kind of initial rush, which later translates into a series of signs derived from depression of the central nervous system
Is it dangerous to mix both drugs?
There are many myths and repeated “statements” regarding this topic. Therefore, we are only going to focus on data cited by professional sources, such as the medical journal HHS Public Access or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Go for it.
According to the CDC, The simultaneous consumption of cannabis and alcohol reports more obvious depressant effects than if each of the compounds were consumed separately, that is, the sensation is greater than the sum of its parts. This postulation is based on the fact that alcohol increases the systemic absorption of THC, the active nervous system depressant component of marijuana.
Studies such as “Ethanol increases plasma 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels and subjective effects after marijuana smoking in human volunteers” tested this idea under experimental conditions. For this specific study, a series of volunteers who consumed alcoholic beverages and marijuana and a placebo sample group were taken and, after a certain time, blood tests and subjective questionnaires were carried out on each of them.
Interestingly, it was observed that the level of THC in blood plasma was considerably higher in people who had consumed alcohol before marijuana, which could justify the feeling of more euphoria in the sample group, but at the same time greater clinical signs that evidenced depression in the central nervous system. The exact opposite case has also been demonstrated, since it seems that smoking marijuana delays the absorption of ethanol at a systemic level, reducing its effects on the body.
We are not going to focus on the pharmacokinetic properties of each substance that result in this interaction, since it is enough for us to know that alcohol consumption seems to enhance the effect of THC and THC seems to delay the visible effects of alcohol consumption.
The effects of this synergy
Determining whether this interaction has clear clinical effects is practically impossible, since each person is different and, therefore, the body has different ranges of tolerance and toxic doses. Furthermore, the studies carried out usually involve a fairly small sample group (less than 100 people), so it is quite difficult to generalize from a result. Added to all this is that the long-term effects of consuming one substance are rarely explored, much less in combination with another.
So what to do with the exposed data? If one thing is clear throughout the different investigations, it is that the level of THC in the blood can double after ingesting alcohol, at least compared to people who only consume one of the two drugs separately This is reflected when carrying out many tests (such as reflexes and driving), since consequently the groups that have first taken alcohol and then marijuana perform their work much worse.
In any case, these generalities may or may not apply to each case depending on a series of factors. Among them, we find the following:
Summary
With all this data, we wanted to reflect that, when asked if it is dangerous to mix alcohol and cannabis, there is no concrete answer. The reaction of each person and the pharmacokinetics of the substances depend on each person’s tolerance, mood, health at the time and the consumption of other drugs/substances, among many other things Additionally, to further complicate matters, THC has been shown to slow the depressant effects of alcohol. So what are we left with?
Outside of legal issues, if you are going to drink and then smoke, we recommend that you reduce your cannabis intake by half or, at least, wait a few hours between consuming one substance and the other. If you consume a considerable amount of alcohol and then smoke marijuana, it is likely to make you feel worse and facilitate the well-known “yellow”, so be careful and select the moments wisely.
