Young adults who report drinking malt liquor are more likely to have drinking problems and use marijuana and other illicit drugs, according to researchers from the University of Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.

Researchers studied 639 men and women (average age: 23) who drank 40 ounces or more of malt liquor weekly and were considered heavy drinkers, consuming an average of 30 drinks each week.

"We found that malt liquor use is significantly related to reports of alcohol problems, problems specific to the use of malt liquor, and to marijuana use above and beyond typical alcohol use," said lead researcher R. Lorraine Collins, Ph.D.

Among study participants, 46 percent said they used marijuana when they drank; those who used both substances together smoked an average of 19 joints a week, compared to two a week among marijuana users who didn't smoke when they drank.

Malt liquor contains between 6 and 11 percent alcohol, meaning that the 67 percent of study participants who reported drinking one or two 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor at each sitting could be consuming the equivalent of up to 14 standard drinks, researchers said.

"These results suggest that regular consumption of malt liquor, beyond that associated with typical alcohol use, may place young adults at increased risk for substance abuse problems," Collins said. "Although many of these young people may not yet meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, there is clearly a need for prevention strategies targeted to their patterns of drinking and particularly excessive drinking of malt liquor."

The survey was published in the June 2007 issue of the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.