Social Triggers Were Stronger Drivers of Cannabis Use Than Emotions in Daily Life | Research

The takeaway

Daily tracking of 65 young adults with problematic cannabis use found that social and environmental triggers had the strongest associations with cravings and use, while emotional states had surprisingly small effects.

Cannabis treatment clinicians, addiction researchers, young adults trying to reduce cannabis use

Social triggers had clinically meaningful effects on use; emotions did not

What the researchers found

Multilevel network analysis of 3,230 daily observations revealed consistent, clinically meaningful associations between socioenvironmental triggers (being around other users, availability) and cannabis cravings, use, and intoxication. Negative affect was statistically associated with cannabis use and positive affect with intoxication, but these emotional associations were not clinically meaningful in size. Coping strategies showed no meaningful association with cannabis use.

Why it matters

Many substance use treatments focus heavily on emotional coping, but this study suggests that for cannabis use, environmental and social triggers may matter more than mood states in daily life. This could shift clinical focus toward situational management strategies.

The numbers in context

N=65 young adults, 3,230 observations. Mean CUDIT-R score: 10.38 (problematic use). Socioenvironmental triggers: nearly all clinically meaningful associations (bs>0.10) with cravings, use, and intoxication. Negative/positive affect: statistically significant but not clinically meaningful. Coping strategies: no clinically meaningful associations.

How the study worked

Ecological momentary assessment study collecting 3,230 observations from 65 young adults with problematic cannabis use and interest in reducing use. Multilevel network analysis modeled associations among biopsychosocial factors aligned with social learning, self-medication, and experiential avoidance theories.

What this study cannot tell us

Small sample (N=65) of young adults interested in reducing use, which may not represent all problematic users. Self-reported momentary assessments. Cannot establish causation from network analysis. Brief measures of affect and coping. Specific to problematic users, not casual users.

How to read the evidence

Moderate evidence from a well-designed ecological momentary assessment study with advanced network analysis, though limited by small sample size.

When this study was published

2025 study using intensive daily tracking of problematic cannabis users.

The bigger picture

The dominant theories of substance use emphasize self-medication (using to cope with negative emotions) and experiential avoidance. This study challenges those frameworks for cannabis, suggesting that social learning theory (use driven by environmental cues and social context) may be a better model for understanding daily cannabis use patterns.

Questions still open

Should cannabis treatment programs focus more on situational management than emotional coping? Would avoidance of socioenvironmental triggers be a more effective intervention target? How do these patterns differ between cannabis and alcohol use?

Common questions

What drives cannabis use in daily life?

This study found that environmental and social triggers, like being around other users or having cannabis available, were the strongest drivers of cravings and use. Emotional states (stress, sadness, happiness) had surprisingly small effects, challenging the idea that people primarily use cannabis to cope with emotions.

Does using cannabis as a coping strategy work?

Coping strategies showed no meaningful association with cannabis use in daily life. This suggests that cannabis use is driven more by habit and social context than by deliberate emotional coping, which has implications for how treatment programs should be designed.

Read the original research

Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Results from a multilevel network analysis.

Journal of psychopathology and clinical science, 134(3), 298-307

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Piccirillo, Marilyn L; Enkema, Matthew C; Schwebel, Frank J; Canning, Jessica R; Bachowski, Diana; Larimer, Mary E. (2025). Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Results from a multilevel network analysis.. Journal of psychopathology and clinical science, 134(3), 298-307. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000963