Combining cannabis edibles with alcohol worsens driving impairment more than either substance alone. In a controlled experiment with 25 healthy adults who reported prior co-use, driving performance was significantly impaired under most active drug conditions, including 25 mg THC with alcohol at 0.05% breath alcohol concentration. The legal alcohol intoxication limit of 0.08% may be too high when cannabis has also been consumed. Standard field sobriety tests often failed to detect impairment that was evident in driving measures. The findings suggest a need for better impairment detection and policies that account for co-use.
Combining the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists salvinorin A or nalfurafine with oxycodone reduced self-administration of oxycodone in adult male rhesus monkeys under a progressive ratio schedule. Oxycodone alone was self-administered above saline levels at sufficient doses. Adding salvinorin A reduced mean injections per session to saline levels, and nalfurafine reduced them to levels significantly lower than oxycodone alone. Pretreatment with the KOR antagonist nor-BNI reversed nalfurafine's effect, indicating the effect is KOR-dependent. The authors propose that combinations of KOR agonists with prescription opioids may have reduced abuse liability.