Obsessive Passion for Cannabis Use is Associated with Cannabis Outcomes Among Sexual Minority College Students

Background: We examined whether obsessive passion (OP) for cannabis use (e.g., cannabis use is enmeshed with identity and conflicts with values and other life priorities) predicts future cannabis use, use-related consequences, refusal self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life among sexual minority (SM) college students. Objectives: Data were drawn from a prospective cohort study of 513 undergraduates at two U.S. Midwestern institutions. Of these, 142 students self-identified as gay (n = 15), lesbian (n = 15), bisexual (n = 94), pansexual (n = 13), asexual (n = 1), and other (n = 4) and were used in analysis. Canonical correlation analysis was used to explore dimensional relationships between OP and cannabis use and use-related outcomes. Results: The first significant canonical correlation (R_c=0.62, p < 0.001) revealed higher levels of OP (-0.88) and greater past 30-day cannabis use (-0.74) at baseline predicted greater past 30-day cannabis use (-0.89), use-related consequences (-0.58), and lower refusal self-efficacy (0.77) at 10-month follow-up. The second significant canonical correlation (R_c=0.39, p < 0.01) revealed lower OP (0.41) and greater past 30-day cannabis use (-0.60) at baseline predicted greater past 30-day cannabis use (-0.43), refusal self-efficacy (-0.48), and satisfaction with life (-0.49) at 10-month follow-up. Conclusions:Future research should explore whether OP for cannabis use is itself a modifiable target within cannabis use interventions for SM college students.