Acute Stress Effect on Delay Discounting and Cannabis Demand Among Individuals Endorsing High-Frequency Cannabis Use

Limited research examines the effect of stress on behavioral economic constructs among individuals using cannabis. This study examined whether the effects of acute stress on delay discounting differed in terms of cannabis use status and whether cannabis demand changed after stress induction.

Participants were two groups (n = 39 endorsing high-frequency cannabis use and n = 48 not endorsing cannabis use) of young adults (75.86% female, 67.82% White, M _age = 21.64 years). During an online Zoom session, participants completed a prestress assessment, the Trier Mental Challenge Test (TMCT) stress induction, and then a poststress assessment.

Subjective stress increased significantly across groups after stress induction (p < .001, ηp² = .23); no group X time interaction was observed. There were no differences in delay discounting across time or groups. For the use group only, cannabis demand intensity (p = .006, d = .50), but not other demand indices, significantly increased following the acute stress induction. Coping motives did not moderate the association between the change in subjective stress and the change in delay discounting or the change in any cannabis demand indices among the use group.

Cannabis demand might exert a more influential role than delay discounting in shaping decisions related to cannabis use while experiencing acute stress. However, the practical implications of this finding warrant further research due to the relatively small difference in hypothetical cannabis use observed. Study design limitations that could impact the findings or lead to null results are discussed to inform future research.