Acute subjective effects after smoking joints containing up to 69 mg Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in recreational users: a randomized, crossover clinical trial.
Claudine C Hunault, Koen B E Böcker, R K Stellato, J Leon Kenemans, Irma De Vries, Jan Meulenbelt
Psychopharmacology December 2014 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3630-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Recreational cannabis users |
| Dose | placebo, 29, 49 and 69 mg of THC |
| Duration | Up to 8 h post-smoking |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | THC significantly increased high feeling, dizziness, dry mouth, palpitations, impaired memory and concentration, and down, sedated, and anxious feelings, while decreasing alertness, contentment, and calmness. Sedation at 8 hours post-smoking was 5.7 times higher with the 69 mg THC dose than with placebo, and the authors report that THC-induced decreases in feeling stimulated and increases in anxiety lasted up to 8 hours. |
Abstract
An increase in the potency of the cannabis cigarettes has been observed over the past three decades. In this study, we aimed to establish the impact of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the rating of subjective effects (intensity and duration of the effects), up to 23 % THC potency (69 mg THC) among recreational users. Recreational users (N = 24) smoked cannabis cigarettes with four doses of THC (placebo 29, 49 and 69 mg of THC) on four separate test days in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. The participants filled in three different questionnaires measuring subjective effects during the exposure up to 8 h post-smoking. The 'high' feeling, heart rate, blood pressure and THC serum concentrations were also regularly recorded during these 8 h. THC significantly increased the high feeling, dizziness, dry-mouthed feeling, palpitations, impaired memory and concentration, and 'down', 'sedated' and 'anxious' feelings. In addition, THC significantly decreased alertness, contentment and calmness. A cubic relationship was observed between 'feeling the drug' and 'wanting more'. The THC-induced decrease in 'feeling stimulated' and increase in anxiety lasted up to 8 h post-smoking. Sedation at 8 h post-smoking was increased by a factor of 5.7 with the highest THC dose, compared to the placebo. This study shows a strong effect of cannabis containing high percentages of THC on the rating of subjective effects. Regular users and forensic toxicologists should be aware that the THC-induced increase in 'feeling sedated' continues longer with a 69 mg THC dose than with a 29 mg THC dose.
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 15
- Legal highs: staying on top of the flood of novel psychoactive substances Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology January 26, 2015
- Cannabis containing equivalent concentrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) induces less state anxiety than THC-dominant cannabis Psychopharmacology October 13, 2022
- Multimodal MRI data fusion reveals distinct structural, functional and neurochemical correlates of heavy cannabis use Addiction Biology November 22, 2021
- High-Concentration Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Cannabis Products and Mental Health Outcomes : A Systematic Review. Annals of Internal Medicine October 1, 2025
- Event-level associations among THC, CBD, social context, and subjective effects during Cannabis use episodes. Journal of Psychopharmacology November 1, 2024
and 10 more in the library
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