Attitudes and beliefs about recreational cannabis legalization among cannabis-using young adults in Los Angeles: Impact on concurrent cannabis practices and problematic cannabis use

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence 2021-11, Vol.228, p.109053-109053, Article 109053
• Main Authors: Wong, Carolyn F., Mendez, Stephanie E.A., Conn, Bridgid M., Iverson, Ellen, Lankenau, Stephen E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Attitude; Attitudes; Attitudes and beliefs; Cannabis; Cannabis legalization; Cannabis use behaviors; Demography; Drug abuse; Drug legalization; Health beliefs; Humans; Latent class analysis; Legalization; Legislation, Drug; Los Angeles - epidemiology; Marijuana; Medical Marijuana; Norms; Patients; Problematic cannabis use; Recreation; Recreational use; Sales; Social norms; Sociodemographics; Storefronts; Substance abuse; Substance use; Tracking; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109053

This study investigated differences in attitudes and beliefs about recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) among cannabis-using young adults comprised of medical cannabis patients (MCP) and non-patient users (NPU). We further investigated whether these variations are associated with concurrent cannabis practices and problematic use. Cannabis-using young adults (N = 301) were interviewed between 2017 and 2018 – after RCL and through the early months after storefront sales began. Latent class analysis empirically derived groups based on participants’ attitudes/beliefs about the impact of RCL. Socio-demographic factors, patient status, medicinal and/or recreational use, and social norms differentiated latent class memberships, while concurrent cannabis practices and problematic use served as distal outcomes. The manual Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars (BCH) three-step process modeled all covariates and distal outcomes simultaneously in the final LCA solution. Three patterns emerged: Impacted (RCL had broad impact on attitudes/beliefs) (n = 113), Partially-Impacted (RCL had some impact on attitudes/beliefs) (n = 131) and Neutral (RCL had no/limited impact) (n = 57). MCP were more likely to be Neutral than Partially-Impacted users while those who reported recreational cannabis use were more likely to be Impacted than Neutral users. Class membership predicted cannabis practices and problematic use with Impacted individuals reporting the greatest recent days of use, number of hits per day, and highest scores in problematic cannabis use compared to Partially-Impacted and Neutral users. Variability in attitudes/beliefs about RCL served as strong drivers of concurrent cannabis practices and problematic use. Findings provide an important baseline for tracking attitudes/beliefs’ long-term health and substance use impact as retail cannabis sales evolve. •We found meaningful differences in young adult cannabis-users’ attitudes/beliefs about recreational cannabis legalization.•The three groups were: “impacted across attitudes/beliefs”, “partially impacted only on attitudes” and “neutral”.•“Impacted” individuals exhibited the highest risk behaviors and reported significantly greater problematic use.•Current findings provide an important baseline to continue tracking attitudes/beliefs’ long-term impact.