As the usage of cannabis continues to increase throughout the United States, with college students being a large proportion of consumers, research concerning the behavior has not been translated to practical intervention at desired rates.  The consequences of cannabis use in college students are continually being delineated, leading to a demand in mitigation and cessation assistance strategies.  This study aimed to test the influence of an online cannabis-use intervention program called “Marijuana e-CHECKUP TO GO” on cannabis use outcomes in college students.  The program itself was derived from the similar “Alcohol e-CHECK UP TO GO” and uses personalized normative feedback (PNF) to address common misconceptions and factually unsupported assertions that individuals may hold concerning the use of alcohol, or in this case, cannabis.   

The study’s sample was composed of 298 students from a large undergraduate university in the state of Colorado who volunteered via email response to a campus-wide invitation (N=298, 49% female).  To be eligible, participants had to be currently enrolled and reporting a cannabis usage rate of at least twice per week in a recreational manner.  The participants were split evenly into two cohorts and were provided either cannabis use information via the Marijuana e-CHECKUP TO GO program or healthy stress management (HSM) techniques.  These two cohorts were to be followed for 6 weeks, reporting the amount of time in hours per week they were high during the following 4 activities: social/partying, exercising/playing sports, studying, and class.  Analysis of the treatment comparisons was performed using “per-protocol” analysis and residualized gains path analysis.   

Results of the data analysis found that participants assigned to the Marijuana e-CHECKUP TO GO cohort reported being high for 27% less time during studying compared to the HSM cohort (p=0.02).  No direct effects were found concerning the other 3 activity variables.  Overall, the e-CHECKUP TO GO cohort saw a significantly lower rate of cannabis use compared to the HSM group, and the authors addressed this finding as being attributable to some extent by the direct effect found regarding the aforementioned studying variable. 

Takeaway: The Marijuana e-CHECKUP TO GO program may be helpful in reducing cannabis consumption in college students.  The exact mechanism concerning its influence requires more research, but preliminary studies show promise using this tool. 

Prince MA, Tyskiewicz AJ, Conner BT, et al. Mechanisms of change in an adapted marijuana e-CHECKUP TO GO intervention on decreased college student cannabis use. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2021;124:108308. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108308