Data were drawn from a larger study of alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic among Canadian adults . Four attention check items, as recommended by Prolific’s guidelines, were implemented in this study to ensure data quality . Participants’ data were automatically excluded from the study if they failed 2 or more attention checks and completed all questions in an unrealistically short time . Of the 400 remaining participants, we selected a sub-sample that endorsed having used any type of cannabis in the past three months for the present analyses. Participants’ data were further excluded for missing or non-systematic data on the Marijuana Purchase Task . The final sample was comprised of 137 participants. Data collection was completed from April 30, 2020 to May 4, 2020, approximately 7–8 weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. A majority of the measures required participants to respond to items by referencing either a month prior to the COVID-19 state of emergency in their area or in reference to the past month cannabis grow tent. This study was approved by York University’s Office of Research Ethics. All participants were given $13 CAD as compensation.
The present study is among the first to investigate mediational pathways to cannabis use and problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to understand the role of indices of cannabis demand on motives for use and patterns of cannabis use and misuse. Previous research has indicated that individual differences in substance demand is a pre-existing factor that may place an individual at vulnerability for increased substance use and problems . In line with previous alcohol demand research, we hypothesized that internal motives for cannabis use, specifically coping and enhancement, may mediate this relationship. Our results indicate that two indices of demand, Persistence and Amplitude, were related to increased cannabis problems via the use motive of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. This model did not support the role of enhancement motives. This finding indicates that those with increased cannabis demand who tend to use cannabis to cope are at increased risk of experiencing negative cannabis-related consequences. This is largely in line with previous research implicating increased cannabis demand in increased cannabis craving, use quantity and frequency, and dependence symptoms . Of particular note is the finding that the demand facet of Persistence was implicated in this model.
Previous research has indicated that Amplitude was more associated with increased cannabis use and cannabis-related problems. This difference in finding may be attributable to differences in sample characteristics. The participants in Aston et al. recruited pre-pandemic from Rhode Island, a U.S. state in which recreational grow lights for cannabis use is illegal. In contrast, participants in the current study were from across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, a country in which recreational cannabis use has been legal for over two years. Elevated cannabis demand appears to be a vulnerability factor for experiencing cannabis-related problems, and as such early identification and prevention efforts should be targeted at these individuals. This is especially relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, with its associated unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety, both about the virus itself as well as caused by the associated lock downs and emergency measures.Cannabis use has been well-established as a method to cope with stress for some, and this method may be especially salient to those individuals who perceive cannabis to have a higher reinforcement value .
Other research has shown that COVID-19-related worry is associated with using cannabis to cope . Those that use cannabis to deal with stressors may be more likely to experience heavier cannabis use and more cannabis-related problems . Specifically focusing cannabis interventions on skills for coping with general and traumatic stress might be an important target to improve treatment outcomes . In extreme situations like the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns in which access to formal interventions might be limited, encouraging stress-reducing activities like exercise and yoga may be beneficial . Broadly, encouraging the use of more adaptive coping strategies rather than cannabis use is a clear implication of the current research. The findings of this study must be considered in light of certain limitations. The most significant limitation is the use of cross-sectional data to test a mediational model, and therefore being unable to determine the temporal precedence of variables.