# Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis: Testing Novel Harm Reduction Strategies

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $498,458

## Abstract

Research Summary
The prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in the U.S. is approximately 12.7% and has shown a marked
increase in recent years (Grant et al., 2017). Individuals with AUD often use cannabis, which may impact
attempts to reduce or quit drinking. In the last six years, the United States has witnessed enormous changes
concerning the public acceptance and availability of cannabis. Considering that cannabis has historically been
the drug most often used by individuals with an AUD and considering the skyrocketing increase in availability of
cannabis products, it is imperative for health care providers to understand how best to approach cannabis use
with individuals who have an AUD and who want treatment. The central premise of the proposed research is that
products with low THC and high CBD may be less harmful to AUD individuals who want to quit drinking, as
compared to products with high THC only. It is hypothesized that individuals who switch from a high THC product
to a low THC and higher CBD product will demonstrate superior outcomes compared to those individuals who
do not switch. If the hypotheses are supported, the dissemination of the research would have an immediate
effect on public health impact by educating patients and treatment providers about how to address the use of
cannabis among individuals who want to quit or reduce alcohol consumption. To that end, individuals who
currently use a high THC product and want to reduce or quit drinking will be randomly assigned to either the
control condition (continue to use your current cannabis product as you wish) or the intervention condition
(instruction to switch to low THC/high CBD product). Participants in the intervention condition choose the
product and use as little or as much as they want during the study. Participants will be tested in the Mobile
Pharmacology Laboratory at 6 and 12 week timepoints to determine the impact of these products on cue-elicited
anxiety, cue-elicited alcohol craving, drinking outcomes, and biological markers of systemic inflammation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10813120
- **Project number:** 5R01AA029606-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** KENT E. HUTCHISON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $498,458
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-04-20 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10813120

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10813120, Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis: Testing Novel Harm Reduction Strategies (5R01AA029606-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10813120. Licensed CC0.

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