Relation of Cannabis Use Frequency and Gambling Behavior in Individuals Who Gamble Under the Influence of Cannabis.

Abstract

There appears to be a significant positive relation between problematic cannabis use and problem gambling behaviors. Recent reviews have noted that individuals who use cannabis more frequently may experience less acute executive functioning impairment than those who use cannabis less often. The current study explored the relation between cannabis use frequency and problem gambling outcomes in those who gamble under the influence of cannabis, to explore if increased cannabis use frequency increases reported gambling problems, or is the reported effect on their gambling behavior is lessened in individuals who consume cannabis regularly? 769 individuals who gambled at least weekly were recruited from a crowdsource platform. These individuals reported their gambling behavior and cannabis use. To explore the relation between cannabis use frequency and problem gambling severity, regression models following both a simple linear model and a quadratic model were generated and evaluated for model fit and significance. The quadratic model was found to best fit the relation between cannabis use frequency and problem gambling severity. The quadratic model was also found to best fit the relation between frequency of time spent gambling under the influence of cannabis and problem gambling severity. Those who consumed cannabis infrequently or very frequently reported fewer gambling problems overall compared to those who consumed cannabis at a moderate frequency. The acute relation between cannabis use and gambling may be more complex than simply amplifying problematic gambling behaviors.