Baked Sex: the Exploration of Sex-Related Drug Expectancies of Marijuana Users

Abstract

This study describes a modification of a sex-related expectancy measure to measure sex-related marijuana expectancies, and results were significant. Original research on expectancies for marijuana was conducted over 25 years ago. During this time period, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding marijuana use are rapidly changing. This study examined if sex-related drug expectancies (SRDEs) predicted the frequency of marijuana use. By changing the prompt of a sex-related alcohol expectancy measure that instructed participants to focus on drug use, the study sought to measure SRDEs in a general adult population. An online survey was advertised on social media sites like Facebook and Craigslist. The SRDEs were assessed on N = 419 individuals (326 women, 93 men) who indicated using marijuana over the past 12-month period. A one-way ANOVA for women (p < .001) determined there were significant differences between SRDE scores for individuals, and post hoc analysis determined significant differences between infrequent and frequent marijuana users. Similar results were found for men using independent t tests. According to the SRDE, both male and female frequent marijuana users have higher sex-related expectancies when compared to infrequent marijuana users. With cultural changes influencing use of marijuana, measures like the SRDE that assess sex-related drug expectancies will help researchers understand how sex-related drug expectancies influence drug use.