# Impact of Reduced Cannabis Use on Functional Outcomes

> **NIH NIH R33** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $160,767

## Abstract

Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is associated with a many negative functional outcomes, and unfortunately
rates of CUD are increasing in the United States. More than 8 million Americans reported heavy cannabis
use in 2013, representing a 59% increase since 2005. Heavy cannabis use (i.e., use on ≥ 40 of last 90
days) is associated with addiction, unemployment, neuropsychological deficits, lower educational
attainment, and reduced physical activity. As shown across multiple epidemiologic samples, Black
Americans are more likely to misuse cannabis than other racial groups. Heavy cannabis use has increased
at an even higher rate among Black Americans. Racial discrimination remains a persistent and significant
public health concern, undermining the health of underrepresented groups living in the USA and may be
related to inequities in cannabis use and CUD. Racial discrimination is defined as unfair, differential
treatment on the basis of race. There is a robust association between the experience of racial
discrimination and psychological distress. Current evidence indicate that repeated everyday racial hassles
are also associated with psychological distress and physical health. Persons who use cannabis to cope
with negative affect are at increased risk of developing CUD. Currently, limited data exist examining the
relationship between perceived discrimination and cannabis use outcomes although several recent studies
suggest perceived stress and discrimination may be important determinants of cannabis use trajectories.
These studies are limited, however, by a reliance on retrospective reports of perceived exposure to
discrimination. We propose to supplement our parent project and state-of-the-art ecological momentary
assessment (EMA) protocol with multiple measures of perceived discrimination to 1) Evaluate whether
exposure to chronic discrimination is related to a) reported cannabis-related problems b) ad lib cannabis
use in grams and b) magnitude of cannabis reduction during a four-week intervention period, and 2) Use
ecological momentary assessment (EMA) technology to measure the daily association between perceived
discrimination and cannabis use. Our central hypothesis for the proposed supplement is that experiences
of discrimination and daily perceived unfair treatment will be related to cannabis use outcomes. The
rationale for this research is that it will provide the first and only real-time data on this important, but
understudied topic. Thus, our findings will directly inform our understanding regarding the effects of past
and ongoing racial discrimination on cannabis use and misuse.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10437223
- **Project number:** 3R33DA045113-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JEAN C. BECKHAM
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $160,767
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10437223

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10437223, Impact of Reduced Cannabis Use on Functional Outcomes (3R33DA045113-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10437223. Licensed CC0.

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