Cannabis Misuse

This study aims to improve a short motivational conversation to better help young adults who were injured in assaults and also use alcohol or cannabis. Researchers will gather both interview and survey data from young adults who came to the emergency department after an assault and currently use alcohol or cannabis. Guided by a theory about risky behaviors, the study will focus on how confident young people feel about making changes to their alcohol and cannabis use, and how their friends and family influence their alcohol and cannabis use and involvement in injuries from assault. The team will follow a step-by-step process used by the NIH to adapt and test the improved motivational conversation in the emergency department.

The goal of this STTR Phase I funded study is to address the urgent need for an effective primary prevention approach to the problem of heavy episodic drinking and cannabis misuse among mandated college students. Smartphone app interventions are expanding and can offer accessible, scalable, and cost-effective tools. The study will be used to attune a successful evidence-based mHealth smartphone (SP) application (MiREA-AC) focused on alcohol and Cannabis misuse by college students with enhanced content to promote health-seeking behaviors. To test and disseminate the adapted prototype (MiREA-AC), a multisite pilot trial will be conducted to obtain data on the intervention's usability and feasibility in modifying alcohol and cannabis use.