A Survey of Cannabis Consumption and Implications of an Experimental Policy Manipulation Among Young Adults
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Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2018 A SURVEY OF CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AND IMPLICATIONS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL POLICY MANIPULATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS Alyssa K. Rudy Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5297 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A SURVEY OF CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AND IMPLICATIONS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL POLICY MANIPULATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS A thesis proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. by Alyssa Rudy B.S., University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, 2014 Director: Dr. Caroline Cobb Assistant Professor Department of Psychology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia January, 2018 ii Acknowledgement I would like to first acknowledge Dr. Caroline Cobb for your guidance and support on this project. Thank you for allowing me to explore my passions. I am thankful for your willingness to jump into an unfamiliar area of research with me, and thank you for constantly pushing me to be a better writer, researcher, and person. I would also like to acknowledge the other members of my thesis committee, Drs. Eric Benotsch and Andrew Barnes for their support and expertise on this project. I would also like to thank my family for always supporting my desire to pursue my educational and personal goals. I would like to thank my friends for motivating me every single day. Lastly, I would like to thank Peppa for being my best friend on four legs. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgement .......................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Overview and Motivation............................................................................................................ 1 Cannabis: Cannabinoids, Concentrations, and their Health Effects............................................ 1 Trends in Cannabis Use, Abuse, and Dependence ...................................................................... 6 Alternative Cannabis Consumption and Production Methods .................................................. 10 Predictors and Correlates of Cannabis Use ............................................................................... 18 Methods to Understand Patterns and Correlates of Cannabis Consumption: Latent Class Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 22 History of Cannabis Policy in the US ....................................................................................... 25 Methods to Evaluate Cannabis Policy Change ......................................................................... 28 Predicting cannabis use ......................................................................................................... 32 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 33 The Present Study...................................................................................................................... 33 Hypothesis 1 .......................................................................................................................... 34 Hypothesis 2 .......................................................................................................................... 34 Hypothesis 3 .......................................................................................................................... 34 Method .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Selection of Participants ............................................................................................................ 35 Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 36 Measures.................................................................................................................................... 37 Cannabis Policy Conditions................................................................................................... 37 Measures Administered Prior to Randomization. ............................................................. 40 Demographic Measures. ............................................................................................... 40 Cannabis Use Patterns................................................................................................... 41 Cannabis Dependence ................................................................................................... 42 iv Alcohol Use Patterns..................................................................................................... 43 Tobacco Use Patterns and Tobacco Dependence ......................................................... 43 Baseline Cannabis Behavioral Intention ....................................................................... 44 Harm Perceptions .......................................................................................................... 44 Brief Sensation Seeking Scale ...................................................................................... 44 Measures Administered Post-Randomization. .................................................................. 45 Attitudes. ....................................................................................................................... 45 Descriptive Norms ........................................................................................................ 45 Injunctive Norms. ......................................................................................................... 45 Attention Check ............................................................................................................ 46 Perceived Behavioral Control. ...................................................................................... 46 Self-Efficacy ................................................................................................................. 46 Post-Randomization Behavioral Intention. ................................................................... 46 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 47 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 50 Total Sample Descriptives ........................................................................................................ 50 Hypothesis 1 Results – LCA ..................................................................................................... 54 Hypothesis 2 Results – Descriptives ......................................................................................... 55 Hypothesis 3 Results – Cannabis Policy Conditions ................................................................ 58 Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Hypothesis 1 .............................................................................................................................. 64 Hypothesis 2 .............................................................................................................................. 66 Hypothesis 3 .............................................................................................................................. 71 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 74 Conclusions and Future Directions ........................................................................................... 75 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................... 77 References ..................................................................................................................................... 78 v List of Tables Page Table 1. 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