Legal Marijuana Curtails Binge Drinking on College Campuses

Recent studies have found that, in states where marijuana has been legalized, college binge drinking sees a significant decline. As reported by Healthline, the two new reports just out also indicate that college students in recreationally-legal states are 18% more likely to have used weed in the past thirty days.

In states where weed is legal, the study found that students were 17% more likely to report frequent cannabis use, which is characterized as consuming weed at least 20 of the previous 30 days. But the same group was 6% less likely to report binge drinking within the same 30-day period.

The deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Paul Armentano, is quoted in the article as saying, “These findings are consistent with prior evidence indicating that in some populations cannabis appears to be a substitute for, rather than a compliment to, alcohol.”