Alcohol and marijuana: comparative dose effect profiles in humans.
S J Heishman, M L Stitzer, G E Bigelow
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior November 1988 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(88)90244-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Double-blind, randomized crossover study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Male subjects with histories of moderate alcohol and marijuana use |
| Interventions | Alcohol Marijuana |
| Dose | Alcohol: 0, 0.6, 1.2 g/kg; Marijuana: 0, 1.3, 2.7% delta 9-THC |
| Measures | circular lights, tracking, digit-symbol substitution (DSST) |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | Alcohol's subjective and performance-impairing effects increased with dose, with the high dose (1.2 g/kg) impairing circular lights, tracking, and digit-symbol substitution and the low dose (0.6 g/kg) impairing only circular lights. Marijuana produced similar subjective elevations at both active doses and minimal performance impairment, slowing only DSST speed. The authors report that smoked marijuana's subjective and performance profile resembled that of the low alcohol dose. |
Abstract
This study compared subjective and performance dose effect profiles of oral alcohol and smoked marijuana. Male subjects (N = 6) with histories of moderate alcohol and marijuana use received three doses of alcohol (0, 0.6, 1.2 g/kg) and three doses of marijuana (0, 1.3, 2.7% delta 9-THC) in a double-blind, randomized crossover design. Physiological indices indicated that active drug was delivered to subjects dose dependently. Alcohol produced dose-related elevations on several subjective measures of drug effect. The high dose of alcohol impaired performance on circular lights, tracking and digit-symbol substitution (DSST) tasks, whereas the low alcohol dose impaired only circular lights performance. Marijuana produced elevations on subjective report measures, but effects were similar for the two active doses. Minimal performance impairment was seen with marijuana on only one measure (DSST speed). The subjective and performance effect profiles produced by smoked marijuana were similar to that of the low (0.6 g/kg) dose of alcohol. These data are useful for understanding the relative performance impairment produced by alcohol and marijuana and the relationship between their subjective and behavioral effects.