A recent scoping review led by Chen and colleagues has examined the relationship between alcohol and cannabis co-use and HIV risk, as well as outcomes related to HIV treatment and prevention. The review comes at a time when cannabis use is rising, in part due to changing legalization policies, which has also led to increased simultaneous use with alcohol.
The authors reviewed 818 unique articles from seven databases through December 2024. Of these, 28 studies met the inclusion criteria for their analysis. The review found considerable differences in how co-use of alcohol and cannabis was defined, measured, and analyzed across studies. Many of the included studies used cluster analyses that placed alcohol and cannabis co-use within broader patterns of polysubstance use. Only one study specifically assessed simultaneous use at the event level in relation to sexual behaviors.
The findings regarding the association between alcohol and cannabis co-use and antiretroviral medication outcomes or sexual behaviors were mixed. However, several studies indicated that people who used both substances might be more likely to have lower adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ARV) and engage in sex behaviors that increase HIV risk.
“This review highlights substantial heterogeneity in how alcohol and cannabis co-use is conceptualized and measured. Few studies examined simultaneous use specifically or disentangle co-use from broader polysubstance patterns. Research prioritizes standardized and event-level assessment can enhance accuracy of measurement and elucidate contextual factors for alcohol and cannabis co-use. Understanding how alcohol and cannabis co-use affects populations disproportionately impacted by HIV can inform more effective and tailored HIV treatment and prevention strategies,” the authors stated.
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The full article by Chen et al., titled “Alcohol and Cannabis co-use and HIV risk, Treatment and Prevention Outcomes: A Scoping Review,” was published in Current Addiction Reports (2026), Volume 13(1). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-025-00707-x.