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Updated: May 22, 2025

Preclinical Model of Prenatal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure to Assess Its Impact on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Published on: February 28, 2025
Synthetic cannabinoid use and the acquired preparedness model
Tyler Pia1,2, Andrea H Weinberger2,3
1Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian, Westchester, New York, USA.
Background And Objectives:
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) cause adverse physiological and psychological effects. There is little information about current SC use in the general United States (U.S.) population (i.e., nonclinical samples). The current study investigated the frequency and characteristics of SC use in a nonclinical U.S. sample and investigated potential motivations for use via the Acquired Preparedness Model (APM) of addiction (i.e., impulsivity, positive outcome expectancies (POEs)).
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, adults who endorsed past-year SC use (n = 232) completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics were performed to examine characteristics of the sample. Mediation analyses were performed to examine the relationship between facets of impulsivity (Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency, Negative Urgency, Total Impulsivity) and frequency of SC use with POEs as a mediating variable.
Results:
The mean age of the sample was 41 years old (SD = 13.36) and 62.9% identified as male. The mean frequency of past-year SC use was 83 days (SD = 93.1). Greater Sensation Seeking was the only facet of impulsivity significantly associated with a higher frequency of SC use. POEs were not significantly associated with the frequency of SC use and did not mediate the relationship between impulsivity and frequency of SC use.
Discussion And Conclusions:
U.S. adults with past-year SC use reported using SC to manage stress, anxiety, and pain. Greater Sensation Seeking was associated with greater frequency of past-year SC use.
Scientific Significance:
The present study is novel for its examination of SC in a nonclinical, adult sample and the use of the APM to examine motivations for SC use.
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