2.3. Measures

Data on key socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender and race/ethnicity) were collected at wave 1, while educational level and income were assessed annually (Lankenau et al., 2017b).

Use of CBD products with varying CBD:THC ratio was assessed with the following item: In the past 90 days, have you used any of the following marijuana products that contain CBD [check all that apply]? Answer options were as following: (1) hemp-derived CBD product (no THC); (2) mostly CBD product (some THC); (3) half CBD/half THC product; (4) some CBD product (mostly THC); (5) none of the products I have used had CBD in it. Measures assessing CBD use also included questions about CBD forms (e.g., bud/flower, tinctures, edibles), reasons for CBD product use, and health conditions CBD products were used for. Measures of past 90-day cannabis use included days of cannabis use (range 0-90), hits per day (i.e., pull of a pipe, joint, bong, etc.), times per day for using edible/drinkable/oral cannabis products, vaping cannabis oil (yes/no), and reasons for cannabis use. Microdosing was defined as past 12-month consumption of small amounts of marijuana, e.g., 2.5 mg, one hit, one bite, to experience the benefits of THC while limiting the high. Those who had a current valid medical cannabis recommendation at wave 5 were classified as MCP. A dichotomous self-reported medical cannabis use motivation variable was created representing those who reported using cannabis for exclusively or primarily medical, or equally medical and recreational reasons, relative to those who reported using cannabis for primarily or exclusively recreational reasons. Past 12-month physical and psychological health was assessed through the following multiple-choice question: Have you experienced any physical or psychological problems in the past 12 months in the following area? This question was followed by a list of potential health problems including pain, psychological and gastrointestinal problems.

Other drug use measures included questions about licit (i.e., alcohol, tobacco, prescribed medications) and illicit (e.g., street and club drugs, and prescription medications misuse) drug use. Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse were assessed with the following question: In the past 12 months, have you used any of the following drugs when they were not prescribed to you or that you took only for the experience or feeling it caused (including to get high or to self-medicate)? Affirmative responses were followed by the question: How long has it been since you last used [drug name]? Responses were dichotomized into yes/no indicating presence or absence of use in the past 90 days. Past 90-day users of illicit drugs and misusers of prescription drugs were asked to select the most frequently used/misused drug and reasons for use/misuse. Prescribed medications question assessed medications prescribed for any injury or health condition in the past 12 months.