Genetics of Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabinoid Response in Humans
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2028-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Cannabis is widely used worldwide and is associated with negative outcomes including cannabis
use disorder (CanUD), psychosis, and cognitive impairment amongst others. Given the
legalization of "recreational" and "medical" cannabis globally, the increasing availability
of cannabis, the higher potency of cannabis, the availability of highly potent cannabinoid
products, the commercialization of cannabis, and the rising rates of cannabis use, it is
critical to understand how genetic factors influence 1) an individual's vulnerability for
addiction and psychosis, 2) the response to cannabinoids, 3) the response to novel treatments
for CanUD. CanUD is strongly genetically influenced; the investigators published the first
CanUD genomewide association study (GWAS) with genomewide-significant results; however, the
precise nature of the contribution of genetic factors in the development of CanUD is still
not clear. Cannabis exposure has also been linked to a number of psychosis outcomes including
schizophrenia (SCZ). SCZ is highly heritable and population-based and genetics studies both
support a bidirectional genetic relationship between SCZ and CanUD. However, the precise
contribution of genetic factors in the development of psychosis outcomes related to cannabis
are not clear.