The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid
compound found in marijuana, on responses to emotional stimuli. Both preclinical and clinical
studies indicate that CBD may act to reduce anxiety without excessive sedative side-effects.
Thus the investigators hypothesize that CBD may reduce responses specifically to negative
emotional and social stimuli, including pictures and emotional faces, without altering
responses to positive stimuli. To examine this, the investigators will administer placebo,
300mg, 600mg, and 900mg CBD to healthy normal adults in a double-blind within-subjects study.
The investigators will measure subjective and subtle physical responses to positive and
negative stimuli using measures that have been characterized with classic anxiety-reducing
drugs and drugs of abuse. Further, the investigators will examine whether CBD-induced changes
in these measures of emotional response relate to changes in actual behavior in a controlled
social interaction. These results will allow the investigators to examine the potential
usefulness of CBD as an anxiety-reducing drug, and suggest mechanisms by which CBD may reduce
anxiety.