Do Adolescents and Adults Differ in Their Acute Response to Cannabis?

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2021-06-16
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The acute effects of cannabis may differ between adolescents and adults. Furthermore, these effects may be tempered by the presence of cannabidiol. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment investigates the acute effects of cannabis (with and without cannabidiol) on subjective effects, behavioural responses and neural functioning in 16-17 year-olds and 26-29 year-olds who regularly use cannabis (0.5-3 days per week).

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University College, London
• Collaborators: Invicro; Medical Research Council
• Treatments: Cannabidiol; Dronabinol; Epidiolex

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adolescents: Aged 16-17

• Adults: Aged 26-29 years

• Self-reported cannabis use between 0.5 and 3 days/week, averaged over the last 3 months

• Adults: Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 29.9

• Adolescents: BMI between 2nd percentile and 98th percentile

• Self-reported ability to consume approximately half a typical joint of cannabis by themselves within 20 minutes

• Willing to be cannulated and have four blood samples taken at every acute session

• Right-handed

Exclusion Criteria:

• Females: Pregnant or breast-feeding

• Adults: Before the age of 18, had a period of 3 or more months when cannabis was used once per week or more frequently.

• Severe cannabis use disorder (DSM-5)

• Illicit drug use of any specific drug more than twice per month, averaged over the last 3 months

• Receiving treatment (pharmacological or psychological) for a mental health problem within the last month

• Lifetime psychosis

• Lifetime psychosis of any immediate family member

• Hypertension (systolic > 160 or diastolic > 100)

• Dependent on tobacco or vaping nicotine (> 1 on the Heaviness of Smoking Index)

• Currently taking a psychotropic medication that will likely affect dependent variables or interact with cannabis

• Any physical or mental health condition, any medication, or any treatment, that the study doctor considers to be an exclusion

• MRI contraindications

• Significant asthma or respiratory problems - severity judged clinically

• Self-reported moderate/severe acute unpleasant effects from cannabis which occur often or always

• Positive alcohol breathalyser reading at any acute session (rearrange session)

• Self-reported use of alcohol within 24 hours at any acute session (rearrange session)

• Self-reported use of illicit drugs (including cannabis) within 72 hours at any acute session (rearrange session)

• Positive saliva drug screen at any acute session (rearrange session)