Four Distinct Spending and Use Profiles Emerge Among Young Adult Cannabis Consumers
Young adult cannabis users fell into four distinct profiles based on spending, price sensitivity, and product preferences, with higher-spending groups showing more problematic use.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Latent class analysis identified four profiles: price-insensitive low-spend (36%), high-spend heavy users (32%), moderate-spend oil/other users (24%), and price-sensitive high-spend mixed users (8%). All groups except the low-spend group showed higher problematic use.
Key Numbers
Class 1: 36.1% (price-insensitive, low-spend). Class 2: 31.9% (high-spend, high-frequency). Class 3: 24.1% (moderate-spend, oil/other). Class 4: 7.9% (price-sensitive, high-spend, mixed).
How They Did This
Survey of 1,359 US young adults reporting past-month cannabis use (mean age 26.95). Latent class analysis used cost perception, spending, use frequency, and product type.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how cannabis spending and use patterns cluster helps identify which consumer profiles may be at greatest risk for problematic use.
The Bigger Picture
The link between higher spending and problematic use echoes patterns seen with alcohol.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design. Self-reported spending may be inaccurate. Convenience sample.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would price-based policies reduce problematic cannabis use?
- ?Do spending profiles change over time?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Higher-spending profiles showed significantly more problematic use
- Evidence Grade:
- Large cross-sectional survey with latent class analysis; moderate because of strong methodology but cross-sectional design.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication using 2024 survey data
- Original Title:
- Profiles of cannabis use and expense-related factors among US young adults.
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 170, 108428 (2025)
- Authors:
- Cui, Yuxian(13), McCready, Darcey M(11), Romm, Katelyn F(14), LoParco, Cassidy R, Speer, Morgan, Chakraborty, Rishika, Williams, Jessica, Cavazos-Rehg, Patricia A, Wang, Yan, Yang, Y Tony, Berg, Carla J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06276
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What does "problematic use" mean in this context?
Validated scales assessing whether cannabis use is causing difficulties in daily life, relationships, or responsibilities.
Does spending more on cannabis mean someone has a problem?
Not necessarily. But in this study, higher-spending groups were statistically more likely to score higher on measures of problematic use.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06276APA
Cui, Yuxian; McCready, Darcey M; Romm, Katelyn F; LoParco, Cassidy R; Speer, Morgan; Chakraborty, Rishika; Williams, Jessica; Cavazos-Rehg, Patricia A; Wang, Yan; Yang, Y Tony; Berg, Carla J. (2025). Profiles of cannabis use and expense-related factors among US young adults.. Addictive behaviors, 170, 108428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108428
MLA
Cui, Yuxian, et al. "Profiles of cannabis use and expense-related factors among US young adults.." Addictive behaviors, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108428
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Profiles of cannabis use and expense-related factors among U..." RTHC-06276. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/cui-2025-profiles-of-cannabis-use
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.