Acute effects of smoking marijuana on hormones, subjective effects and performance in male human subjects.
E J Cone, R E Johnson, J D Moore, J D Roache
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior June 1986 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(86)90515-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4 |
| Population | Healthy male subjects |
| Interventions | Marijuana cigarettes placebo cigarettes |
| Dose | 2.8% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per marijuana cigarette |
| Measures | Addiction Research Center Inventory, Single Dose Questionnaire, Visual Analog Scale |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Smoking marijuana containing 2.8% THC significantly depressed plasma luteinizing hormone and elevated cortisol, with nonsignificant changes in prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, free testosterone, and growth hormone. Subjective effects were generally elevated and psychomotor performance was significantly impaired, paralleling hormone effects and peak THC levels. All hormone changes stayed within normal basal ranges, but the authors caution that interactions with behavior cannot be discounted. |
Abstract
Four healthy male subjects smoked two marijuana cigarettes or one marijuana cigarette and one placebo cigarette, or two placebo cigarettes on separate days in a random order crossover design. Each marijuana cigarette contained 2.8% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Plasma hormones and THC were measured before and after each smoking session. Plasma LH was significantly depressed and cortisol was significantly elevated after smoking marijuana. Nonsignificant depressions of prolactin, FSH, testosterone and free testosterone and elevation of GH also occurred. Concurrent measures of subjective effects via subscales of the Addiction Research Center Inventory, Single Dose Questionnaire and a Visual Analog Scale were generally elevated. Significant impairment on a psychomotor performance task paralleled elevations in subjective effects, hormone effects and peak THC determinations. Although all the hormone effects were within normal basal ranges, interactions between these systems, and their effects on behavior cannot be discounted.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Healthy participants | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 48 |
| Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Healthy, English-native, right-handed men who had used cannabis 15 times or less in... | 2009 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial | n = 15 |
| Acute Effects of a Single, Oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) Administration in Healthy Volunteers Healthy male subjects | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 16 |
| Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed men of white race/ethnicity who had used... | 2009 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Healthy volunteers with a history of light cannabis use | 2019 | Randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Clinical Investigation on the Impact of Cannabis Abuse on Thyroid Hormones and Associated Psychiatric Manifestations in the Male Population Frontiers in Psychiatry December 3, 2021
- Multimodal examination of the acute effects of cannabis on subjective and physiological stress-related outcomes: a randomized placebo-controlled laboratory study. Neuropsychopharmacology August 22, 2026
- CB1 - cannabinoid receptor antagonist effects on cortisol in cannabis-dependent men. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse January 2012
- The effects of cannabinoids on serum cortisol and prolactin in humans. Psychopharmacology May 2009
- The toxicology of cannabis and cannabis prohibition. Chemistry & Biodiversity August 2007
and 4 more in the library