Neuropsychopharmacology
May 9, 2026
Claudia Poluga, S. S. Dheda, Nadia Boachie et al.
Cannabis withdrawal in cannabis use disorder (CUD) increase the risk of relapse and lacks effective treatments. The endocannabinoid enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) may influence cannabis use and withdrawal, but the relationship between FAAH levels and withdrawal symptoms remains unclear. This study aims to investigate changes in FAAH levels during short-term abstinence from cannabis...
Scientific Reports
March 10, 2026
Bruna Brands, Adam Zaweel, Madison Wright et al.
Given the increasing availability of high-potency Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) products, understanding potency-related effects of Δ9-THC on driving performance is an important public safety issue. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects trial examined the effects of smoked cannabis with varying Δ9-THC concentrations on simulated driving. Adults aged 19–45 who...
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
March 6, 2026
Natasha E Wade, Ryan M Sullivan, Alexander L. Wallace et al.
preprint
Adolescents experience extensive neurocognitive development, with cannabis use potentially impacting developmental trajectories. Here, we comprehensively assess the influence of adolescent cannabis use onset on neurocognitive trajectories and consider how recent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may influence neurocognition. We use the large, diverse longitudinal...
CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology
February 1, 2025
Marilyn A. Huestis, William B Smith, Cathrine Leonowens et al.
3 citations
Midomafetamine (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) is under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration review for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in adults. MDMA is metabolized by CYP2D6 and is a strong inhibitor of CYP2D6, as well as a weak inhibitor of renal transporters MATE1, OCT1, and OCT2. A pharmacokinetic phase I study was conducted to evaluate the effects of food on MDMA...
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
December 1, 2024
Alexa Torrens, Alex Mabou Tagne, Adren Tran et al.
Introduction: Animal studies suggest that adolescent exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the intoxicating constituent of cannabis, causes lasting functional alterations in brain and other organs. Those studies often neglect the impact that age- and sex-dependent differences in the distribution and metabolism of the drug might exert on its pharmacological effects. Here, we provide a...
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology
December 2, 2022
Jérémy Carlier, Sara Malaca, Marilyn A. Huestis et al.
ABSTRACT Background 4-Hydroxy-N,N-methylpropyltryptamine (4-OH-MPT) is a psychedelic tryptamine whose use is regulated in several countries. Due to unspecific effects, consumption can be ascertained only through toxicological analyses. However, the trace amounts of tryptamines are usually challenging to detect in biological samples. 4-OH-MPT metabolism was characterized to identify optimal...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
November 23, 2022
Lourdes Poyatos, Alfredo Fabrizio Lo Faro, Diletta Berardinelli et al.
22 citations
The aim of this study is to define, for the first time, human methylone and HMMC plasma pharmacokinetics following controlled administration of 50–200 mg methylone to 12 male volunteers. A new LC-MS/MS method was validated to quantify methylone, MDMA, and their metabolites in plasma. The study was a randomized, cross-over, double-blinded and placebo-controlled study, with a total of 468 plasma...
Psychopharmacology
May 2022
Andrew Fares, Christine M Wickens, Robert E Mann et al.
With alcohol and cannabis remaining the most commonly detected drugs in seriously and fatally injured drivers, there is a need to understand their combined effects on driving. The present study examined the effects of combinations of smoked cannabis (12.5% THC) and alcohol (target BrAC 0.08%) on simulated driving performance, subjective drug effects, cardiovascular measures, and self-reported...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
May 1, 2022
Christine M Wickens, Madison Wright, Robert E Mann et al.
Co-use of alcohol and cannabis is associated with increased frequency and intensity of use and related problems. This study examined acute effects of alcohol and cannabis on mood, subjective experience, cognition, and psychomotor performance. Twenty-eight healthy cannabis users aged 19-29 years with recent history of binge drinking completed this within-subjects, double-blind, double-dummy,...
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
April 20, 2022
Amanda L A Mohr, Barry K. Logan, Melissa F. Fogarty et al.
66 citations
An important role of modern forensic and clinical toxicologists is to monitor the adverse events of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Following a prior review from 2013 to 2016, this critical literature review analyzes and evaluates published case reports for NPS from January 2017 through December 2020. The primary objective of this study is to assist in the assessment and interpretation of...
JAMA Psychiatry
March 1, 2022
Thomas D Marcotte, Anya Umlauf, David J Grelotti et al.
Expanding cannabis medicalization and legalization increases the urgency to understand the factors associated with acute driving impairment. To determine, in a large sample of regular cannabis users, the magnitude and time course of driving impairment produced by smoked cannabis of different Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the effects of use history, and concordance between perceived...
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
June 3, 2021
Madison Wright, Christine M Wickens, Patricia Di Ciano et al.
Objective: The prevalence of co-use of alcohol and cannabis is increasing, particularly among young adults. Sex differences in the effects of alcohol alone and cannabis alone have been observed in animals and humans. However, sex differences in the acute pharmacological effects of cannabis combined with alcohol have not yet been studied. In young adults, aged 19-29 years, we aimed to examine...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
December 4, 2020
Sara Malaca, Alfredo Fabrizio Lo Faro, Alice Tamborra et al.
48 citations
Our understanding of tryptamines is poor due to the lack of data globally. Tryptamines currently are not part of typical toxicology testing regimens and their contribution to drug overdoses may be underestimated. Although their prevalence was low, it is increasing. There are few published data on the many new compounds, their mechanisms of action, onset and duration of action, toxicity, signs...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 15, 2019
Matthew J. Baggott, Kathleen J. Garrison, Jeremy Coyle et al.
20 citations
Entactogens such as 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "molly", "ecstasy") appear to have unusual, potentially therapeutic, emotional effects. Understanding their mechanisms can benefit from clinical experiments with related drugs. Yet the first known drug with such properties, 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), remains poorly studied and its pharmacokinetics in humans are unknown. We...
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
January 13, 2017
Marilyn A. Huestis, Rachel F. Tyndale
12 citations
This “Designer Drugs 2.0” issue of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics focuses on novel psychoactive substances, primarily cannabinoids and cathinones, and the repurposing of established psychoactive compounds (e.g., modafinil, psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine) that simultaneously offer new pharmacotherapies and pose serious health problems. Novel...
Journal of Applied Toxicology
November 2016
Rebecca L Hartman, Timothy L Brown, Gary Milavetz et al.
Although evidence suggests cannabis impairs driving, its driving-performance effects are not fully characterized. We aimed to establish cannabis' effects on driving longitudinal control (with and without alcohol, drivers' most common drug combination) relative to psychoactive ∆(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) blood concentrations. Current occasional (≥1×/last 3 months, ≤3 days per week) cannabis...
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 4, 2015
Nathalie A. Desrosiers, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Émeline Chauchard et al.
136 citations
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent in cannabis, impairs psychomotor performance, cognition and driving ability; thus, driving under the influence of cannabis is a public safety concern. We documented cannabis' psychomotor, neurocognitive, subjective and physiological effects in occasional and frequent smokers to investigate potential differences between these...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
November 1, 2014
Marisol S. Castaneto, David A. Gorelick, Nathalie A. Desrosiers et al.
Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are a heterogeneous group of compounds developed to probe the endogenous cannabinoid system or as potential therapeutics. Clandestine laboratories subsequently utilized published data to develop SC variations marketed as abusable designer drugs. In the early 2000s, SC became popular as "legal highs" under brand names such as Spice and K2, in part due to their ability...
Drug Metabolism and Disposition
October 19, 2013
Marta Concheiro, Michael H. Baumann, Karl B. Scheidweiler et al.
32 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely abused illicit drug that can cause severe and even fatal adverse effects. However, interest remains for its possible clinical applications in posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety treatment. Preclinical studies to determine MDMA's safety are needed. We evaluated MDMA's pharmacokinetics and metabolism in male rats receiving 2.5, 5, and 10...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
February 1, 2013
Ryan Vandrey, Maxine L Stitzer, Miriam Z Mintzer et al.
Prior studies have separately examined the effects of dronabinol (oral THC) on cannabis withdrawal, cognitive performance, and the acute effects of smoked cannabis. A single study examining these clinically relevant domains would benefit the continued evaluation of dronabinol as a potential medication for the treatment of cannabis use disorders. Thirteen daily cannabis smokers completed a...
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
January 2012
Robert S. Goodwin, Michael H Baumann, David A. Gorelick et al.
The endocannabinoid system modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but the effect of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor antagonism following chronic CB1 receptor stimulation in humans is unknown. To evaluate effects of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant on the HPA axis in cannabis-dependent individuals. Fourteen daily cannabis smokers received increasingly frequent 20 mg...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
October 2011
David A. Gorelick, Robert S. Goodwin, Eugene Schwilke et al.
Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists have potential therapeutic benefits, but antagonist-elicited cannabis withdrawal has not been reported in humans. Ten male daily cannabis smokers received 8 days of increasingly frequent 20-mg oral Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) dosages (40-120 mg/d) around-the-clock to standardize cannabis dependence while residing on a closed research unit. On the ninth...
Molecular Psychiatry
July 12, 2011
J. Hirvonen, R. Goodwin, Cheng-Ta Li et al.
Chronic cannabis (marijuana, hashish) smoking can result in dependence. Rodent studies show reversible downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 (cannabinoid receptor type 1) receptors after chronic exposure to cannabis. However, whether downregulation occurs in humans who chronically smoke cannabis is unknown. Here we show, using positron emission tomography imaging, reversible and regionally...
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
March 2011
E L Karschner, William D Darwin, Robert P McMahon et al.
Sativex is a cannabis-plant extract delivering nearly 1:1 Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) by oromucosal spray. It has been suggested that CBD attenuates THC-induced tachycardia, anxiety, and euphoria. In this study, pharmacodynamic effects were compared over 10.5 h in nine cannabis smokers randomly assigned to receive placebo, 5 and 15 mg oral synthetic THC, and low (5.4...
Drug Metabolism and Disposition
November 2009
Michael H. Baumann, Dorota Zolkowska, Insook Kim et al.
Based on animal data, there is speculation that (+ or -)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is neurotoxic to humans. Extrapolation of MDMA findings from animals to humans requires assessment of pharmacokinetics in various species, and low-dose administration data from rats are lacking. In this study, we examine MDMA pharmacokinetics in rats given low (2 mg/kg) and high (10 mg/kg) doses of...