Conditioned place preferences for virtual reality cannabis cues.

Abstract

This study investigated whether 221 undergraduates (123 males, 98 females) with varying levels of cannabis use displayed a conditioned place preference (CPP) for a virtual reality (VR) room that previously contained virtual cannabis stimuli compared to a neutral VR room that was not paired with cannabis cues. We hypothesized that cannabis-using participants (n = 180) would spend a greater amount of time in, report greater subjective enjoyment in, and explicitly prefer a VR room that was previously paired with virtual cannabis stimuli relative to a neutral room, while participants with nonuse (n = 41) would not. Overall, participants did not demonstrate an implicit or explicit CPP for a VR room that was previously paired with cannabis cues. Interestingly, however, participants with recent cannabis use (n = 41) exhibited a significant implicit CPP for the cannabis-cue-paired VR room, while participants with nonrecent cannabis use (n = 113) did not. Furthermore, relative to males with cannabis use (n = 93), females with cannabis use (n = 87) demonstrated a significant explicit CPP for the cannabis-cue-paired context as well as significantly greater cannabis cravings. These findings elucidate the need for further research on the role of acute cannabis intoxication, sex, and cue-induced cravings in modulating CPP for cannabis-associated contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).