People who use cannabis commonly report stress-relieving effects, yet no studies have simultaneously assessed the acute effects of cannabis on multiple stress systems under placebo-controlled conditions. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 120 people (56 men, 52 women, 12 non-binary/transgender) who regularly use cannabis were assigned to vape placebo, a...
One of the most robust acute effects of cannabis is impaired memory. Although memory is not a unitary construct, most cannabis research has focused on verbal memory. Less is known about its effects on more ecologically valid domains of memory, such as prospective and temporal order memory. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to map out which aspects of memory are...
With approximately 4% of the world's population using cannabis, there is a need to better understand its physiological effects. Cannabis consumption acutely promotes food intake ("the munchies") via delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-mediated activation of cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1R); however, these appetitive effects have not been well characterized. We examined effects of cannabis vapor...
The legalization of cannabis in several states across the United States has increased the need to better understand its effects on the body, brain, and behavior, particularly in different populations. Previous rodent studies have revealed age and sex differences in response to injected Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of THC administered...
The ever-changing landscape surrounding legality and accessibility of psychedelics and their increasing popularity make it imperative to better understand the nature of psychedelic use by the general population. To this end, 1,486 eligible respondents (Mage = 29.58, 67.1% male) residing in the United States completed an online survey designed to assess the types of psychedelics used, methods of...
Statewide legislation has increased public access to high-potency cannabis flower and concentrates, yet federal restrictions limit researchers' access to relatively low-potency whole-plant cannabis. The goal of this study was to examine the acute effects of high-potency cannabis on cognition using a novel methodology. We further sought to compare cognitive effects of high-potency cannabis...
March 1, 2021Benjamin J. Warnick, Alexander S. Kier, Emily M LaFrance et al.
Abstract New venture ideation is critical to the entrepreneurial process. To generate creative ideas, some entrepreneurs turn to cannabis, proposing its benefits. However, extant research has not validated such claims. Using a new venture ideation task, we explore differences between cannabis users' and non-users' creativity in new venture ideation by assessing the originality and feasibility...
Little is known about the the acute effects of cannabis on symptoms of OCD in humans. Therefore, this study sought to: 1) examine whether symptoms of OCD are significantly reduced after inhaling cannabis, 2) examine predictors (gender, dose, cannabis constituents, time) of these symptom changes and 3) explore potential long-term consequences of repeatedly using cannabis to self-medicate for OCD...
Many individuals use cannabis to manage symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and evidence indicates that the endocannabinoid system represents a viable target for treating these symptoms. Data from 404 medical cannabis users who self-identified as having PTSD were obtained from Strainprint®, a medical cannabis app that patients use to track changes in symptoms as a function of...
Cannabis is commonly used to alleviate symptoms of negative affect. However, a paucity of research has examined the acute effects of cannabis on negative affect in everyday life. The current study provides a naturalistic account of perceived changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress as a function of dose and concentration of Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Data...
Cannabis use has increased rapidly in recent decades. The increase in cannabis use makes it important to understand the potential influence of chronic use on attentional control and other executive functions (EFs). Because cannabis is often used to reduce stress, and because stress can constrain attentional control and EFs, the primary goal of this study was to determine the joint effect of...
Introduction: Despite known sex differences in the endocannabinoid system of animals, little attention has been paid to sex differences in human's cannabis use patterns and effects. The purpose of the present study was to examine sex differences in cannabis use patterns and effects in a large sample of recreational and medical cannabis users. Methods: A large sample (n=2374) of cannabis users...