The effects of social context and opportunity cost on the behavioral economic value of cannabis.
Samuel F. Acuff, Justin C. Strickland, Elizabeth R. Aston, Kathryn S. Gex, James G. Murphy
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Behavioral economics suggest that cannabis reinforcing value (cannabis demand) may be influenced by external, contextual factors such as the social reward that might accompany cannabis use and the presence of opportunity costs (e.g., a next-day responsibility that cannabis use might adversely impact). The present study examined the effect of social context and opportunity cost on cannabis demand and explored whether relations were moderated by cannabis use severity. METHOD: = 310; 53.5% female, 79.4% White) completed four purchase tasks, in which participants reported how much cannabis they would purchase across escalating prices, to index cannabis demand under varying contexts: (a) solitary, typical responsibilities; (b) social, typical responsibilities; (c) solitary, substantial responsibilities; and (d) social, substantial responsibilities. RESULTS: between solitary and social conditions, and in demand elasticity between typical and substantial responsibility conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with previous research illustrating social and opportunity costs as determinants of cannabis use behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).