Lessons Learned in Developing a Behavioral Economic Measure of Cannabis Use Using a Predominantly White Sample

Abstract

Behavioral economic approaches to measuring cannabis demand represent a well-validated, low-cost method of assessing risk for hazardous cannabis use. One widely used measure of cannabis demand is the Marijuana Purchase Task (MPT), which has shown good psychometric properties across multiple samples. However, preliminary data suggest that changes could improve task ecological validity and acceptability. Using a predominantly White convenience sample, this study aimed to develop a revised MPT that uses a modern dispensary scenario to better reflect national trends in cannabis use (e.g., multiple forms of cannabis consumption). Participant inattentiveness due to increased task length and difficulty estimating purchases for the next month may have impacted demand measures. Lessons learned are discussed to inform future efforts to assess cannabis demand in a manner that is more reflective of naturalistic use: including minimizing participant burden, setting higher price ceilings to increase task utility, and considering person-level factors that may influence demand.