Exploring the suitability of cannabis use with next-day responsibilities: A behavioral-economic and qualitative study

Abstract

Cannabis demand is sensitive to next-day responsibilities, such as job interviews; however, it is unclear how demand is affected by non-work-related responsibilities and how reported compatibility of cannabis use (i.e., how suitable one perceives cannabis use to be in a situation) influences demand. This study examined the effects of a range of responsibilities on cannabis demand in a crowdsourced sample of adults who smoked cannabis at least monthly (n = 177; 78% White; 47% women; mean age = 36.52). Participants completed hypothetical marijuana purchase tasks asking how much cannabis they would consume at escalating prices in the context of no responsibilities and next-day responsibilities spanning work, leisure, and caregiving. Cannabis demand was significantly reduced in all responsibility conditions (ps < .008; ds .28–.94), with the largest reductions for the job interview and caring-for-kids conditions. Higher ratings of suitability of cannabis use in each situation were correlated with higher demand. Finally, a qualitative thematic analysis characterized why cannabis use was considered suitable or unsuitable with each responsibility. These results suggest that demand is sensitive to next-day responsibilities. However, these effects are not uniform, and future research is needed to examine these individual differences and the timing of upcoming responsibilities.