Examining the Relation Between Baseline Anxiety and Depression and Subjective Response Following Cannabis Flower Consumption and the Moderating Role of THC Potency

Subjective response to a drug is an important variable in understanding addiction, yet it has received very little attention in cannabis use. Given that mental health concerns are a commonly cited reason for cannabis use, perhaps people experiencing affective disturbances such as anxiety and depression may experience more rewarding subjective responses. Additionally, due to the growing influx of THC in cannabis products, which was found to produce positive and negative subjective responses, this study investigated the moderating role of THC potency between anxiety, depression, and subjective response. We used ecological momentary assessment data from 105 regular cannabis-using participants. We used hierarchical multiple regression to examine baseline anxiety and depression scores and THC levels as predictors of subjective response (generally positive, low arousal negative, and high arousal negative) to cannabis flower (main effect), as well as interactions between baseline anxiety and depression and THC concentration (interactions). We found that at higher THC concentrations, higher levels of anxiety and depression were associated with an increase in positive subjective response. Likewise, higher levels of depression were associated with more high arousal negative effects. Future research should investigate THC levels across different cannabis products and include broader measures to capture THC levels in the body.