Don’t wake and bake: morning use predicts cannabis problems

Abstract

Heavy, frequent cannabis use covaries with cannabis-associated problems. With cannabis policy changing worldwide, identifying risk factors for cannabis-associated problems is crucial. While researchers have consistently studied frequency and quantity of use as important risks, clinical lore suggests that the timing of use might also contribute to problems. Similar to morning use of alcohol among alcohol-dependent individuals, morning use of marijuana may indicate dependence and increased cannabis-related impairment. Morning use also has the potential to lend itself to straightforward intervention. The present study sought to examine the relation between morning cannabis use and self-reported cannabis-associated problems. The study compared daily marijuana users who reported morning use (n = 257) to daily marijuana users who reported no use before noon (n = 76) using the brief Cannabis-Associated Problems Questionnaire. Morning users reported significantly more problems than non-morning users, and morning use accounted for significant unique variance in problems. Exploratory mediational analyses did not support the idea that morning use led to problems via withdrawal. The present study provides evidence that timing of cannabis use is an important factor in examining the cannabis-associated problems.

Keywords:

• Cannabis
• marijuana
• drug problems
• morning drug use

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.