A new study investigated marijuana use among college students in Colorado, demographic differences in frequency of use and motives for using. Participants (N = 300) included college students, between the ages of 18 to 25, from a mid-sized university in Colorado. Participants were recruited through Introductory Psychology courses and had to be at least 18 years old with at least one semester completed at the university to be included in the study. Participants completed an online survey, which included the following measures. Rutgers Marijuana Problem Index (RMPI) was used to assess problem marijuana use. Comprehensive Marijuana Motives Measure (CMMM) was used to assess a wide-range of reasons for using marijuana. Lastly, marijuana use frequency was assessed via self-report of any marijuana use in their lifetime, over the last year and last month. A marijuana urine screen was also used to assess recent marijuana use among participants. The authors used Hurdle Poisson Regression Model (HPRM) to model frequency of marijuana use as well as Poisson Count Regression Model (PCRM) to model problem marijuana use and identify directional associations between motives and problem marijuana use. Results showed that almost 73% of participants (n = 219) reported lifetime use of marijuana and the mean age of first use was 16.43 among lifetime users. Furthermore, 65% of participants (n = 195) used marijuana within the last year with 39% reporting typically using marijuana at least monthly. Of these participants, just over 7%, (n = 22) reported daily use. In addition, 29% of all participants (n = 88) tested positive for the marijuana urine test. Among those who ever used marijuana (n = 219), most described smoking marijuana with a small pipe or one-hitter (n = 124) as their primary method. Descriptive averages showed that freshman and seniors tend to use more marijuana than sophomores and juniors and that males tend to use more than females. In addition, those who participate in Greek life use less than those not in a sorority or fraternity. For marijuana motives and their association with marijuana use, a significant positive association was found between the RMPI and coping, boredom, alcohol, altered perceptions and food motives, while controlling for all other motive subscales. There was also evidence of a significant negative association between the RMPI and seeing marijuana as low risk, sleep and availability motives.
Take away: Freshmen and non-Greek participants reported more days of marijuana use in the last month compared to other participants. In addition, problem marijuana use was positively associated with a range of motives focused on coping, boredom, alcohol, and food.