The second factor, “Persistence,” is comprised of Omax, Pmax, breakpoint, and elasticity, and reflects the individual’s sensitivity to increasing cost . This factor structure aligns with research demonstrating a similar structure for alcohol and tobacco purchase tasks . Responses on hypothetical purchase tasks have been shown to be an accurate reflection of demand for the real substance , as well as a key determinant of patterns of use and misuse . For cannabis specifically, higher Amplitude is associated with increased cannabis use quantity and frequency, increased craving, and more symptoms of cannabis dependence . Higher Persistence is associated with fewer stop attempts or attempts to cut down on cannabis use . Increased demand for cannabis has also been linked to hazardous behaviors, such as driving after using cannabis grow system. Efforts have been made to identify and better understand the etiological and maintaining factors of substance use disorders.
However, currently there is little research on which mechanisms explain the relationship of greater demand for cannabis with its use and associated problems.One potentially relevant factor that may account for the relationship between cannabis demand and outcomes is specific motives for use. Previous research has indicated that for other substances like alcohol, substance demand and specific motives for use are both implicated in consumption and related problems . Those with elevated demand may be more likely to use cannabis for specific reasons or under particular circumstances. Understanding the specific motives for substance use can shed light on when and how much someone is likely to use as well as the potential consequences of their use . Motives for cannabis use generally vary along two dimensions: valence and source of reinforcement . The internal motives of coping and mood enhancement appear to be especially related to negative outcomes, showing associations with worse mental health functioning, greater quantities of cannabis use, and more cannabis-related problems. Research with alcohol demand has indicated that the demand indices of intensity and Omax are positively related with alcohol use and problems, and this relationship is mediated by elevated motives of enhancement and coping .
Additionally, a study among veterans demonstrated that those with a high valuation of alcohol were more likely to use alcohol for coping and enhancement motives, which in turn predicted more alcohol-related consequences . Enhancement and coping motives for use are relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, as individuals with higher levels of demand may be at higher risk of escalating substance use to alleviate the elevated levels of boredom or negative affect. Previous meta-analytic research has demonstrated this contextual link, with alcohol demand indices showing significant increases following stress- or negative affect-inducing paradigms . The extant literature suggests that motivations to use play a mediational role between elevated substance demand and problems, but comparable mechanistic research has yet to be done on the effects of cannabis grow lights demand on cannabis use patterns. This is an especially important area to explore as we see increased levels of cannabis use as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The current study is the first to our knowledge to investigate internal cannabis use motives as a potential mediating factor between cannabis demand pre-declaration of COVID-19 emergency measures and cannabis use patterns and problems after the implementation of COVID-19 emergency measures in Canada.
To do this, we used a crowd sourcing platform to examine how pre-existing levels of cannabis demand related to changes in cannabis use and problems during the first 30 days of the COVID-19 state of emergency. Then, we examined the mediating role of internal motives . We hypothesized that higher levels of cannabis demand pre-COVID-19 may lead to greater coping or enhancement motives to use cannabis during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated emergency measures. Further, we hypothesized that this mechanism may lead to increased cannabis use and/or problems after the enactment of COVID-19 emergency measures. Participants for the study were recruited through Prolific. Prolific is an online recruiting platform where individuals are able to access and complete a host of surveys and studies run by researchers.