Pass the Keys: Using Behavioral Economics to Explore Driving After Cannabis Use

Area of Science:

• Behavioral economics
• Cannabis research
• Road safety

Background:

• Controlled studies indicate cannabis use impairs driving and elevates crash risk.
• Marijuana purchase tasks (MPTs) are emerging tools to study driving after cannabis use (DACU).
• The time interval between cannabis consumption and driving may influence behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how varying latencies between smoking cannabis and driving affect demand for cannabis.
• To examine if a history of driving after cannabis use modifies this relationship.
• To explore the role of perceived risk in driving after cannabis use.

Main Methods:

• 167 adults who smoke cannabis monthly completed four MPTs under different driving latency conditions (non-driving, 20 min, 1 hr, 6 hrs).
• Demand indices measured included intensity, breakpoint, Omax, and Pmax.
• Participants reported their history and perceived dangerousness of driving after cannabis use.

Main Results:

• Cannabis demand significantly decreased with longer latencies to driving, except for the breakpoint.
• Demand increased linearly with increasing latency.
• Individuals with a history of driving after cannabis use exhibited a blunted reduction in demand across latencies.
• Perceived dangerousness was inversely correlated with cannabis demand.

Conclusions:

• Cannabis demand is significantly influenced by the temporal proximity to driving.
• Risk perception plays a role in modulating the demand for cannabis in relation to driving.
• Further research is needed to explore other factors affecting driving after cannabis use.