Additive roles of tobacco and cannabis co-use in relation to delay discounting in a sample of heavy drinkers.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with steeper delay discounting rates however, it is unknown whether substance co-use, particularly cannabis use, has an additive effect on discounting rates among heavy drinkers. Furthermore, it is unclear whether substance co-use and delay discounting are independently associated with AUD severity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis co-use impacts delay discounting rates. We also sought to determine whether substance co-use and delay discounting were associated with AUD symptom counts. The study sample was culled from several human laboratory studies and consisted of 483 heavy drinking individuals who completed a baseline visit (prior to experimental procedures). Participants were divided into groups based on self-reported alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use during the past 30 days alcohol only (n 184), alcohol cigarettes (n 89), alcohol cannabis (n 82), and tri-use (n 128). We examined discounting rates across the 4 groups and used multiple linear regression to test whether co-use and delay discounting were associated with AUD symptoms. After adjusting for covariates, individuals in the alcohol cannabis group and the tri-use group had steeper discounting rates relative to the alcohol-only group. In addition, tri-use and delay discounting rates were independently correlated with a greater number of AUD symptoms. Delay discounting rates were significantly greater among subgroups reporting cannabis use providing partial support for an additive effect, while also highlighting the importance of co-use substance type. Both tri-use and delay discounting were associated with greater AUD severity, which may provide relevant intervention targets.