As of March 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized non-medical (i.e., recreational) cannabis, (Matthews and More, 2025) which has coincided with increased cannabis use, exposure, and access, as well as more favorable perceptions (e.g., greater perceived social acceptability, less perceived risk). (Goodman et al., 2020, Leung et al., 2022, Fataar et al., 2021, Amroussia et al., 2020) Young adults (those 18–25 and 26–34) have shown particular increases in cannabis use, (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the, 2023, Institute, 2021, System, 2019) as well as daily or frequent use (≥20 days in the past month). (Cerdá et al., 2020) For example, Monitoring the Future data indicate that those ages 19–30 showed increases from 2011 to 2021 in past-month use from 17.1 % to 28.5 % and daily use from 5.7 % to 10.8 %. (Patrick ME, Schulenberg JE, Miech RA, Johnston LD, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG. Monitoring the Future Panel Study Annual Report: National Data on Substance Use among Adults Ages 19 to 60, 2022) Research suggests these increases are associated with non-medical cannabis legalization. (Compton et al., 2019, Goodman et al., 2020, Farrelly et al., 2023) Cannabis-related outcomes differentially impact other sociodemographic subgroups, including males, (Survey, 2021, Cuttler et al., 2016) sexual and/or gender minorities, (Mauro et al., 2022, Schofield et al., 2023, Dyar, 2022) certain races (e.g., Black, multiracial), (Survey, 2021, Montgomery et al., 2022) and those less educated (i.e., high school or less), (Jeffers et al., 2021) unmarried, (Jeffers et al., 2021) or financially constrained (e.g., food insecure (Oh et al., 2023). Thus, understanding characteristics of young adults who experience adverse cannabis-related outcomes is crucial to inform intervention efforts.

Tobacco and alcohol research has documented the important role of price, particularly among price-sensitive populations (i.e., groups whose purchase decisions are greatly impacted by price), which include young adults. (Xu and Chaloupka, 2011, Chaloupka et al., 2011) Despite the wide range of cannabis products and prices, (D'Amico et al., 2020) minimal research has assessed the impact of cannabis price on young adult use. (Donnan et al., 2022, Donnan et al., 2022) In addition to one’s level of cannabis use and expenditures, perceived cost of cannabis products and potential impact of cost on use-related behaviors may distinguish subgroups of young adults. (Donnan et al., 2022, Wadsworth et al., 2022, Goudie et al., 2007) For example, individuals concerned about cost may purchase larger quantities at lower prices and/or from less expensive sources (e.g., unlicensed ‘dealers’). (Amroussia et al., 2020, Wadsworth et al., 2022, Wadsworth et al., 2020) Perceptions and concerns about price have also been associated with use frequency, product types used, (Aston and Meshesha, 2020, Panchalingam et al., 2023) and different use-related outcomes, (Aston and Meshesha, 2020, Aston and Berey, 2022) as well as cannabis-related perceptions (e.g., risk, social acceptability, accessibility) (Zhu et al., 2021, Belackova, 2020) and use motives. (Zhu et al., 2021) State cannabis law is also an important contextual factor. In states with legalized cannabis retail, cannabis prices might vary depending on various factors (e.g., rural/urban, product type/quality, source), and individuals may use licensed or unlicensed sources, depending on their priorities (e.g., price, potency).

These prior studies provide valuable insights but did not assess whether subgroups of young adults differentially respond to price-related factors. For example, some may place little weight on price, limit their cannabis expenditures, or select different products or sources to minimize cost while maintaining relatively high levels of use. Prior research using latent class analysis (LCA), which can identify different behavioral profiles based on key dimensions (e.g., use characteristics), (Craft et al., 2020, Alvarez-Roldan et al., 2023, Krauss et al., 2017, Lee et al., 2020, Scherer et al., 2015) suggests that certain characteristics are associated with adverse cannabis-related outcomes among young people, like continued use/addiction and problematic use. (Simpson et al., 2021, Petrilli et al., Sep 2022) To our knowledge, no such analyses have accounted for price-related factors that may influence use. Such factors can help inform policies and regulations to reduce adverse effects of cannabis, as suggested by prior actions addressing adverse tobacco (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities—A Report of the Surgeon General., 2024) and alcohol (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. Reports of the Surgeon General. Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. US Department of Health and Human Services;, 2016) related outcomes and disparities.

Given the existing literature and its limitations, this study examined classes of young adults characterized by a combination of cannabis price- and use-related factors, including: 1) how frequently they used cannabis; 2) types of cannabis used; 3) how much they spent on cannabis (which may differ depending on product types, use frequency, etc.); 4) general perceptions of cannabis prices (which may be influenced by their disposable income, product choices, legal context, source, etc.); and 5) the extent to which they perceived that price impacted their use. LCA is ideally suited to such analysis given the complexity of these variables and how they might inter-relate. Subsequently, we assessed legislative context and sociodemographics in relation to class membership, and class membership in relation to next-year use intentions and problematic use.