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Can Pot Help You Drink Less?
While‘ California sober’ has risks, study suggests smoking marijuana can temporarily cut down how much people drink.
BY JUAN SILIEZAR
As the“ California sober” trend of ditching alcohol in favor of cannabis gains momentum, a new study suggests that smoking marijuana may lead people to drink less in the short term.
Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study by researchers at Brown is the first randomized, placebocontrolled trial to test whether marijuana use directly changes alcohol consumption. Unlike previous research that relied on surveys or self-reported associations, this trial allowed scientists to measure cause and effect under controlled laboratory conditions. continued on p4 J
Researchers with Brown’ s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies served drinks for study participants in a designated lab space that is set up like a real bar.
PHOTOGRAPH: NICK DENTAMARO
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