Alcohol and Cannabis Use and Co-Use among Ethnic Groups in California

Nationally, approximately 11% of people who drank in the past 12 months also used cannabis. The objective of this paper is to examine rates and correlates of alcohol and cannabis use and co-use among ethnic/racial groups in California. Data are from the 2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) (N = 21,463, 49.1% male, 50.9% female), a representative household survey of the non-institutionalized population in California. Data were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression. Alcohol and cannabis co-use was higher among respondents in the Other/Two or more races group (17.7%) and Whites (17.0%) compared to other ethnic groups (p < 0.001). Among alcohol users only, the mean number of monthly drinks was higher among Whites than among Blacks and Asians (p<,004). Binge drinking was highest among Hispanics (41.9%; p > 0.001). Among co-users there were no differences in the mean number of drinks across ethnic groups, but binge drinking was highest among the Other/Two or more races group (62.5%; p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the percentage of illicit drug use across ethnic groups. In multinomial logistic regression, Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians were statistically less likely than Whites to report alcohol use only and co-use, while Hispanics and Blacks were less likely than Whites to report cannabis use only. Ethnic/racial minority groups appear to be less likely than Whites to co-use alcohol and cannabis. Because co-users are a group at higher risk for a variety of associated problems, it is important to maintain future monitoring of this behavior given the legalization of recreational cannabis use in California.