Jack Waddell, a psychology doctoral student in the clinical training program at Arizona State University, recently received a National Institute of Health grant examining the subjective experiences of simultaneously using alcohol and cannabis.
The main question that Waddell hopes to investigate further is the subjective experience of simultaneously using alcohol and cannabis, and how it compares to using just one of the substances.
“So many things are impressive about Jack’s work, but , he has created an innovative, independent, rigorous and programmatic line of research on the co-use of alcohol and cannabis, using multiple methods and guided by both theory and intervention implications.
In 2021, college students reported co-using alcohol and marijuana at rising levels, with many reporting simultaneous use.
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, over 95,000 Americans die from the effects of alcohol each year, and 6.7% of adults will develop some form of Alcohol Use Disorder.
The model he is basing his research on is the “Acquired Preparedness Model,” which says that people who are high in impulsivity gain different experiences from their drinking environment than users who are low in impulsivity.