Association Between Cannabis Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Young Heterosexual Adults

To study the association between cannabis use and frequent sexual risk behavior, we tested the hypothesis of a situational influence of cannabis use in sexual encounters using a combination of global association study and event-level analysis and examined possible mediator variables, including the personality trait of hedonism/risk preference, psychosocial stress, and HIV-related beliefs, using mediation models. The results of a computer-assisted telephone interview of a random sample of 2790 heterosexual men and women aged 16–24 years showed that risky sexual behavior was more frequent in cannabis-using men and women than in non-using persons. The results did not support a situational effect of cannabis intoxication on sexual risk behavior. The more frequent sexual risk behavior among cannabis users was mediated by decreased intentions to use HIV protection, by lower HIV-self-efficacy, and higher risk preference/hedonism. Only among women psychosocial stress was a partial mediator. The findings show that HIV prevention programs for cannabis-using young adults should emphasize the role of person variables instead of situation variables.