Exploring Novel Aspects of Cannabis Use Patterns and Their Associations with Anxiety and Cannabis Outcomes in Trauma-Exposed Cannabis Users

Abstract

Many Canadian adults who have experienced trauma are also using cannabis. While these individuals may be self-medicating with cannabis to reduce their post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms acutely, they may be putting themselves at a higher longer-term risk of developing cannabis use disorder (CUD) and/or exacerbating their anxiety symptoms. The current thesis examined two novel aspects of cannabis use patterns – cannabis use regimens and cannabis potency – along with their relationships with the adverse cannabis and anxiety outcomes that can result from such patterns of cannabis use. Study 1 of this thesis examined and provided support that cannabis use regimens including pro re nata (PRN) or, “as needed,” use were more prevalent, more likely to be transitioned to over time, and associated with higher cannabis use frequency per month compared to regularly scheduled (RS) use regimens in a sample of N=94 trauma-exposed regular cannabis users. Study 2 identified that [THC] proportion (THC/[THC+cannabidiol[CBD]]), a new proposed measure of cannabis potency, was significantly positively related to both CUD and anxiety symptoms, and those relationships did not differ by gender, in a sample of N=199 trauma-exposed recent cannabis users. These two aspects of cannabis use among trauma-exposed cannabis users may contribute to the high rates of CUD in this population. Taken together, the results of these two studies may inform preventative and/or clinical interventions for those using cannabis to cope with traumatic experiences, as those using highly potent cannabis (HPC) and/or in a PRN manner may be at the highest risk of adverse cannabis and/or anxiety outcomes.