From fried to focused? A daily diary study of after‐work cannabis use and downstream performance effects
Jeremy B. Bernerth, Gargi Sawhney, Songqi Liu, Jaclyn Marie Koopmann, Taylor Flinn
Journal of occupational and organizational psychology February 13, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/joop.70092 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Daily diary study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Cannabis users and non-users (first study); cannabis users (second study) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | In a first daily diary study, after-work cannabis use showed no link to next-day executive functioning, cognitive engagement, or daily task performance. In a second diary study of cannabis users, after-work use interacted with daily workload and a between-person performance-related cannabis use motive to predict next-day cognitive engagement, which was subsequently related to changes in daily task performance. The authors argue employee substance use theories should be updated to account for these daily effects or non-effects. |
Abstract
Abstract Claims regarding the implications of employee cannabis use vary considerably even though little research explores cannabis as it relates to the modern workplace. Drawing from substance use theories and the epidemiology literature, we develop a conceptual model that suggests after‐work cannabis use is a mechanism to help employees protect cognitive resources in the evening, allowing them to stay engaged at work the next day. In a daily diary study of cannabis users and non‐users, we find no link between after‐work cannabis use and next‐day executive functioning, cognitive engagement or daily task performance. A deeper dive into the literature led to a contextualized model including both within‐ and between‐person moderators that we tested in a second daily diary study of cannabis users. We specifically predict moderated indirect effects from after‐work cannabis use to cognitive engagement at work the following day. Results from this second study indicate after‐work cannabis use interacts with daily workload and a between‐person performance‐related cannabis use motive to predict next‐day cognitive engagement. Daily cognitive engagement is subsequently related to changes in daily task performance. Collectively, results suggest that theories on employee substance use should be updated to better account for the daily effects (or non‐effects) of after‐work cannabis use on important workplace outcomes.
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Altered brain structural and functional connectivity in cannabis users Scientific Reports April 10, 2023
- Systematic review of structural and functional neuroimaging studies of cannabis use in adolescence and emerging adulthood: evidence from 90 studies and 9441 participants. Neuropsychopharmacology April 2022
- A systematic review of neuroimaging and acute cannabis exposure in age-of-risk for psychosis Translational Psychiatry April 13, 2021
- Modulation of acute effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on psychotomimetic effects, cognition and brain function by previous cannabis exposure. European Neuropsychopharmacology July 1, 2018
- Cannabis users exhibit increased cortical activation during resting state compared to non-users Neuroimage June 9, 2018
and 3 more in the library