Where White and Hispanic Californians Use Alcohol and Cannabis Together
White and Hispanic cannabis-alcohol co-users in California primarily consume at home — either alone/with family or with friends — with minimal racial/ethnic differences in usage contexts despite different epidemiological profiles.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 1,069 California adults, alcohol-cannabis co-use occurred primarily at home (alone/with family or with friends); race/ethnicity and co-use type (concurrent vs. simultaneous) did not significantly affect consumption context patterns.
Key Numbers
1,069 adults; ages 21-49; 40 California cities; two primary settings: home alone/with family and home with friends; no significant race/ethnicity or co-use type effects on context.
How They Did This
Household survey of 1,069 adults aged 21-49 in 40 California cities, using standardized online questionnaire to assess alcohol and cannabis use contexts, with controlled analyses for demographic correlates.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding where people co-use substances informs policy about public consumption, home delivery, and context-specific interventions — the finding that contexts are similar across groups simplifies targeting.
The Bigger Picture
The home-centered nature of co-use has implications for public consumption bans — most combined use is already happening in private settings where such policies have limited reach.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
California-only; ages 21-49 exclude older adults and youth; online survey may miss certain populations; context categories may not capture all relevant settings.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would context-based interventions work equally across racial/ethnic groups despite similar epidemiological profiles?
- ?How does home-based co-use affect family members?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Adequate household survey with controlled analyses, but California-specific and limited age range restrict generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2026, reflecting current co-use patterns in a mature legal cannabis market.
- Original Title:
- Contexts of drinking and cannabis use by Whites and Hispanics in California.
- Published In:
- Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse, 1-22 (2026)
- Authors:
- Caetano, Raul(4), Paschall, M J(3), Vaeth, Patrice A C(3), Kaplan, Zoe
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08146
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Where do people typically use alcohol and cannabis together?
Primarily at home — either alone/with family or with friends — for both White and Hispanic co-users in California, with minimal differences between groups.
Does race affect where people co-use alcohol and cannabis?
Not significantly in this study — despite different epidemiological profiles, White and Hispanic co-users showed similar patterns of where they consumed together.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08146APA
Caetano, Raul; Paschall, M J; Vaeth, Patrice A C; Kaplan, Zoe. (2026). Contexts of drinking and cannabis use by Whites and Hispanics in California.. Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2025.2576728
MLA
Caetano, Raul, et al. "Contexts of drinking and cannabis use by Whites and Hispanics in California.." Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2025.2576728
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Contexts of drinking and cannabis use by Whites and Hispanic..." RTHC-08146. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/caetano-2026-contexts-of-drinking-and
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.