ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA USERS AT RISK OF INJURY

People who drink alcohol and use marijuana are more likely to sustain
injuries than users of either substance alone or non-users, according to a
recent study led by Robert Woolard, an associate professor at the Brown
Medical School.

The study, which was published in the January issue of Academic Emergency
Medicine, showed that of 433 injured patients considered problem drinkers,
those who smoke marijuana had more injuries and negative consequences than
those who did not.

"Many people believe that marijuana is safe, and they're right in that it
doesn't lead to injuries, but when you use alcohol and marijuana, it's
additive. In fact, there are higher injury rates and problems that people
need to be aware of," Woolard said.

Woolard has been involved in research that provides counseling to people
who come into the emergency room with alcohol-related injuries. He found
that 47 percent of those patients used marijuana, which led him to study
the relationship between alcohol and marijuana use and injuries more
deeply, he said.

Experts in the field do not know why such a large percentage of patients
use marijuana as well, Woolard said. He said he hopes to look into this
question in future research. But he does have a theory he developed
partially from his knowledge of the habits of adolescents, which he learned
from his own children, he said.

"One theory we had is that these are party people," Woolard said. "Alcohol
and marijuana are available at every party they go to. It seemed like a
common activity for young people." The availability of alcohol and
marijuana in the same environments may lead a person to use both, which
then can lead to an increased likelihood for injury, he said. Many of the
patients were young, including a large number of college students, the
report said.

Woolard said the research took into account other factors that could
increase the risk of injury. The researchers looked at a scale of risky
behaviors and impulsiveness to get a sense of whether the patients often
took risks such as skydiving, Woolard said. Even when they controlled for
age, sex and other factors, marijuana use still proved to be significant.

The study was conducted at Rhode Island Hospital. Injured patients who were
intoxicated, were carrying alcohol on them or scored highly on a standard
screen for hazardous drinking were asked a series of questions about their
lifestyle, including whether they used marijuana. The researchers targeted
the night and weekend shifts, when most of the intoxicated injured patients
come in.

Woolard said this latest research will help him tailor his counseling to
more accurately target patients' issues. "Our counseling, which focused on
alcohol, was missing a big factor," he said. Woolard plans to try a new
intervention for alcohol and marijuana, he said. "We're hoping that
intervention will reduce injuries."