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Cannabis and Alcohol Co-Use Linked to HIV Prevention and Care Engagement in Black Sexual/Gender Minority Population

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research on the association between cannabis and alcohol co-use and HIV prevention and care engagement in the Black sexual/gender minority (BSGM) population has yielded significant findings. A study conducted in Chicago between 2022 and 2024 found that daily use of cannabis, alcohol, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral (ARV) medications was assessed via 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in the Neighborhoods and Networks Part 2 (N2P2) cohort study of BSGM. The study examined day-level associations between cannabis and alcohol co-use and following day PrEP/ARV use.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cannabis and alcohol co-use is a common behavior among BSGM people, with 19.8% of days involving co-use, 36.5% days involving cannabis-only use, 6.3% days involving alcohol-only use, and 34.9% days involving no substance use.
  • Among participants who reported hazardous alcohol use, cannabis-only use was associated with increased likelihood of following day PrEP/ARV use (aRR=1.54; 95% CI=1.00, 2.38).
  • Among participants with no hazardous alcohol use, alcohol-only use was associated with greater following day PrEP/ARV use (aRR=1.34; 95% CI=1.02, 1.76).
  • Cannabis and alcohol co-use was not associated with PrEP/ARV use, regardless of hazardous alcohol or cannabis use status.
  • The study suggests that future research should collect fine-grained contextual data on cannabis and alcohol co-use to examine mechanisms by which co-use influences HIV care engagement.

Statistics:

  • 19.8% of days involved cannabis/alcohol co-use among participants.
  • 36.5% of days involved cannabis-only use among participants.
  • 6.3% of days involved alcohol-only use among participants.
  • 34.9% of days involved no substance use among participants.
  • Hazardous alcohol use status was associated with increased likelihood of cannabis-only use (aRR=1.54; 95% CI=1.00, 2.38).
  • No hazardous alcohol use status was associated with greater following day PrEP/ARV use (aRR=1.34; 95% CI=1.02, 1.76).

Sources:

  • Chen, Yen-Tyng, et al. "Cannabis and alcohol co-use and HIV biomedical intervention engagement among Black sexual/gender minority (BSGM) people: A day-level analysis." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 108, no. 144, 2025, p. 108144.
  • NewsRx. Study Data from Rutgers University - The State University of New Jersey Provide New Insights into Marijuana/Cannabis [Cannabis and alcohol co-use and HIV biomedical intervention engagement among Black sexual/gender minority (BSGM) people: A ...]. AIDS Weekly. October 20, 2025; p 233.

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