Cannabis in Manitoba

Liquor and cannabis.

Unlike alcohol, there is currently no official “dose” of cannabis.

When consuming alcohol, most users know that beer, wine, and spirits contain different amounts of alcohol. The same is true for cannabis. Some products may contain very little THC or CBD, while others may contain very high amounts of one or both of these compounds.

Similar to alcohol consumption, there can be a wide spectrum of effects on the user when consuming cannabis.

Public health experts suggest that when people use cannabis, they shouldn’t combine it with other substances including alcohol. The more of these risky behaviours you engage in when using cannabis, the higher your risk of harms. When cannabis and alcohol are combined, the side effects can lead to serious impairment.

Cannabis and liquor affect people in different ways, and mixing them can lead to unpredictable effects. The effects of either substance may be stronger or the combination may produce different, unexpected reactions.

The risks of consuming cannabis with liquor include:

• Increased negative effects. Consuming cannabis and liquor at the same time increases the possibility of physical effects, such as nausea or vomiting. It also increases the risk of psychological effects, like panic, anxiety and paranoia.
• Effects on driving. Like liquor, cannabis affects a person’s ability to concentrate and react in driving situations. Even in small quantities, consuming cannabis and liquor at the same time is dangerous. It puts drivers, their passengers and others on the road and in public at serious risk for harm.
• Increased levels of intoxication. Consuming both cannabis and liquor can make people more intoxicated than if they consumed cannabis and liquor alone. A person may feel the effects more quickly, and may be less aware of themselves and their surroundings. This puts a person who is mixing cannabis and liquor at greater risk of making unsafe decisions that affect others; not being able to look after themselves and their belongings; and being vulnerable to harm from others.