Value‐based decision‐making and behavioral economic constructs that distinguish people with and without cannabis use history

Abstract Behavioral economic accounts posit that distorted valuation processes underlie cannabis decisions; however, less is known about the moment‐to‐moment dynamics through which value influences observable choice behavior. This study explored whether value‐based decision‐making and behavioral economic constructs distinguish people with and without cannabis use history. Sixty participants were recruited, half with a history of cannabis use (cannabis group) and half without (control group). Participants completed a value‐based decision‐making task (choosing between previously rated cannabis‐related and cannabis‐unrelated images). A drift‐diffusion model was fitted to behavioral data (choice and response time patterns) to estimate reinforcer‐specific parameters, including evidence accumulation rates and response thresholds. Compared with controls, participants with history of cannabis use had higher cannabis evidence accumulation rates ( p = .023). Exploratory analyses revealed higher self‐report cannabis demand across most indices (all except P max ; p s ≤ .042). However, groups did not differ in cannabis‐unrelated evidence accumulation rates or response thresholds for either decision type ( p s ≥ .186). Notably, controls showed higher cannabis‐unrelated than cannabis evidence accumulation rates ( p = .001). People with a history of cannabis use ascribe a higher value to cannabis than those without such history, who in turn value cannabis less than alternative reinforcers—a pattern consistent with behavioral economic accounts of addiction.