Associations between cannabis use and same-day health and substance use behaviors.

Abstract

Objective: Cannabis use has increased in the United States as states have legalized/decriminalized recreational and/or medicinal use. The primary aim of this study was to examine daily associations between cannabis use and health (physical activity [PA]) and substance use (alcohol consumption, cigarette use) behaviors.

Method: Data from a 28-day nationwide study that prompted daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) were used to assess daily cannabis use, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), alcohol containing drinks consumed, and cigarettes smoked. Only participants who reported cannabis use on at least one day during the study period were included in the analysis (N = 98). Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine associations between cannabis use and same-day health and substance use behaviors while adjusting for race, biological sex, and age.

Results: Daily cannabis use was positively associated with daily PA (p = 0.04, 3.31-minute higher PA duration on use vs. non-use days), number of alcohol containing drinks consumed (p = 0.01, 0.45 more drinks on use vs. non-use days), and number of cigarettes smoked (p = 0.01, 0.63 more cigarettes on use vs. non-use days).

Conclusions: This study was among the first to use EMAs to examine associations between daily cannabis use and same-day PA, alcohol consumption, and cigarette use. Overall, findings indicated that daily cannabis use is associated with higher engagement in these daily health and substance use behaviors. Further research is needed to understand mechanisms linking cannabis use with these and other behaviors.