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Cannabis and alcohol
Mixing cannabis and alcohol: what to know
Disclaimer
The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you're worried about something that happened, speak with a doctor or another health professional. Read our full disclaimer.
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What is crossfading?
"Crossfading" is a common term for consuming cannabis and alcohol together.
People mix the two for many reasons, sometimes because they want to and sometimes because they happen to be around it while they're drinking or vice versa.
The combination can feel quite different from either substance on its own. For some people it's manageable. For others, it can turn into nausea, dizziness, anxiety or much stronger impairment than they expected.
Why the combination hits differently
The order can matter. In a small controlled study, people who drank alcohol before vaporising cannabis had higher peak levels of THC in their blood than when they consumed the same cannabis without alcohol. This may help explain why cannabis can feel stronger after drinking. The study was small and used controlled amounts of alcohol and vaporised cannabis, so it doesn't tell us exactly what will happen in every situation.
"Grass before beer, you're in the clear." A lot of cannabis consumers find cannabis first is the easier way round. That's lived experience rather than research, and there isn't good evidence that any order makes mixing safe. What research does show is the reverse: drinking first can push THC levels higher, which may be part of why some people find the other order easier. Some older research also suggested cannabis first might slow how quickly blood alcohol rises, but those findings haven't been consistent.
Whatever order you choose to consume them in, the combined effects on reaction time, coordination and judgement are still there and it can make it harder to tell how affected you are.
The effects can stack. Both alcohol and THC can affect reaction time, coordination, attention and judgement. When they're combined, impairment can be greater than with either one alone.
You may not realise how impaired you are. In a controlled driving study, people who had cannabis and alcohol together showed greater impairment than when they had either one alone. They also didn't fully recognise how impaired their driving had become.
People who mix the two also report more alcohol-related harms. In a large US survey, people who consumed cannabis and alcohol at the same time tended to drink more often and in larger amounts, and were more likely to report harms such as drink driving and social problems. This is a population-level association, not a prediction about what will happen to you.
What it can feel like
You might experience:
"The spins", or feeling like the room is moving
Nausea or vomiting
Sweating, feeling clammy or going pale
Feeling faint or needing to lie down
A racing heart
Anxiety, panic or paranoia
Heavy drowsiness
Feeling confused or foggy
You can experience several of these at once, and the intensity can vary.
What helps
Stop adding to it. Try to avoid consuming any more cannabis or alcohol. Alcohol can continue to be absorbed after your last drink, and some forms of cannabis, particularly edibles, can take much longer to reach their full effects.
Get somewhere safe and calm. Reduce noise, stimulation and anything else making you feel overwhelmed. Stay somewhere you can sit or lie down safely.
If you're very drowsy or vomiting, lie on your side rather than your back. The recovery position is safer than lying flat on your back if you lose consciousness or vomit. If someone becomes unconscious but is breathing normally, place them in the recovery position and call 000.
Sip water if you're awake and able to drink. Small sips can be easier to tolerate if you're nauseous. If you're alert and hungry, something light to eat may be easier on your stomach. Don't give food or drink to someone who is very drowsy or having trouble staying conscious.
Slow your breathing. Try breathing gently and making your exhale a little longer than your inhale. This technique can help if anxiety and a racing heart are feeding into each other.
Tell someone. You don't need to explain everything. "I've mixed some things and I'm feeling really rough" is enough. Having someone you trust nearby can make the situation feel much safer.
Give it time. Some fresh air or a splash of cold water on your face might help you feel a bit more with it, but there isn't anything that makes alcohol or THC leave your body faster. Unfortunately, there isn't a quick way to sober up.
If you’re with someone who’s combined the two
Stay with them and keep things calm.
If they're very drowsy or vomiting, put them on their side rather than their back and keep an eye on their breathing. Don't leave someone who is difficult to wake up alone to "sleep it off".
Alcohol poisoning can potentially become life-threatening. If someone can't be woken, has abnormal or slow breathing, has a seizure, or is vomiting while very drowsy or unconscious, call 000.
While waiting for an ambulance, follow the instructions from the 000 operator. Don't make the person vomit and don't give them food or drink if they're not fully alert.
If you’re planning on having both
None of this is about telling you what you should or shouldn't do…
It's about giving you information for you to be able to make informed choices and have more control over what happens.
If you know you're going to mix:
If you've already been drinking, consider starting with less cannabis than you normally would
Choose lower THC cannabis if that's an option for you
Pace your drinks rather than drinking quickly
Have water available and drink some between alcoholic drinks
Eat beforehand if you can
Stay somewhere safe with people you trust and feel comfortable with
Be particularly careful with edibles. They can take much longer to start working, so it's easy to consume more before the first dose has fully taken effect.
Work out how you're getting home before you start
Driving
Don't drive after mixing cannabis and alcohol.
Alcohol and THC can both impair driving and combining them can increase impairment further. You may also feel more capable than you actually are.
In Victoria, it is an offence to drive with any detectable THC in your system, including THC from prescribed medicinal cannabis. It's also an offence to drive while impaired by a drug. Harsher penalties apply to combined drink and drug driving offences.
THC can remain detectable after you no longer feel intoxicated. How long it remains detectable varies considerably, so there isn't a reliable "wait X hours and you'll be clear" rule.
If you've mixed cannabis and alcohol, make another plan for getting home.
When to call 000
Call an ambulance if the person:
Can't be woken or keeps drifting in and out of consciousness
Has slow, irregular, noisy or difficult breathing
Has long pauses between breaths
Is vomiting while very drowsy, unconscious or only partly conscious
Has a seizure
Has collapsed or cannot be kept awake
Has severe or rapidly worsening confusion or agitation
Has chest pain or another serious physical symptom
Has also taken other drugs or medications and you're concerned about the combination
You don't need to wait for every sign before calling.
If you've also taken other drugs or medications, the risks can be different and sometimes much more serious. If you're concerned about the combination, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or if it's an emergency, call 000.
Not sure if its an emergency? Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, anywhere in Australia, 24 hours a day. They give advice on drug, alcohol and poisoning exposures. In a medical emergency, call 000 instead.
Calling an ambulance doesn't automatically mean calling the police. Paramedics are there to provide medical care. Healthdirect advises that paramedics don't need to involve police unless they feel they are in danger.
Where to get help
Emergency: 000
Poisons Information Centre: 13 11 26. Advice on whether something needs medical attention, 24 hours a day.
National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service can connect you with alcohol and drug support in your state or territory.
DirectLine (Victoria): 1800 888 236. Free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You don't have to want to stop consuming to contact these services. You can talk to them about a bad experience, your relationship with alcohol or cannabis, or someone you're worried about.
Sources and further reading
Hartman et al. (2015), Clinical Chemistry. For alcohol raising peak blood THC in a controlled study
Fares et al. (2021), Psychopharmacology. For combined driving impairment and underestimating it
Subbaraman and Kerr (2015), Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. For the association between consuming both together and alcohol-related harms
Transport Victoria: medicinal cannabis and driving. For Victorian law and detection
Healthdirect: drug overdose and Healthdirect: poisoning. For emergency advice and the Poisons Information Centre
More of the research behind Buducation is on our sources page
A note on what this is
This is general education, not medical advice. It can't account for your health, medications or individual circumstances.
If you're worried about something that happened, speak with a doctor or another health professional.
FAQ
Is ‘grass before beer, you’re in the clear’ true?
Can mixing cannabis and alcohol be dangerous?
Will cannabis sober me up if I’ve had too much to drink?
I felt awful after mixing and now I’m cautious. Is that normal?
