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Acute marijuana effects on human risk taking.

Scott D Lane, Don R Cherek, Oleg V Tcheremissine, Lori M Lieving, Cythia J Pietras

Neuropsychopharmacology April 2005 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300620 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Within-subject repeated-measures laboratory experiment Peer reviewed
Sample size 10
Population Adults
Intervention Placebo cigarettes
Dose half placebo and half 1.77% Delta9-THC; 1.77% Delta9-THC; 3.58% Delta9-THC
Topics Cannabis
Key findings The 3.58% Delta9-THC marijuana dose increased selection of the risky response option and shifted trial-by-trial response probabilities following both winning and losing risky outcomes. The authors suggest that altered sensitivity to both reinforced and losing risky outcomes may be a mechanism in drug-induced changes in risk taking.

Abstract

Previous studies have established a relationship between marijuana use and risky behavior in natural settings. A limited number of laboratory investigations of marijuana effects on human risk taking have been conducted. The present study was designed to examine the acute effects of smoked marijuana on human risk taking, and to identify behavioral mechanisms that may be involved in drug-induced changes in the probability of risky behavior. Using a laboratory measure of risk taking designed to address acute drug effects, 10 adults were administered placebo cigarettes and three doses of active marijuana cigarettes (half placebo and half 1.77%; 1.77%; and 3.58% Delta9-THC) in a within-subject repeated-measures experimental design. The risk-taking task presented subjects with a choice between two response options operationally defined as risky and nonrisky. Data analyses examined cardiovascular and subjective effects, response rates, distribution of choices between the risky and nonrisky option, and first-order transition probabilities of trial-by-trial data. The 3.58% THC dose increased selection of the risky response option, and uniquely shifted response probabilities following both winning and losing outcomes following selection of the risky option. Acute marijuana administration thereby produced measurable changes in risky decision making under laboratory conditions. Consistent with previous risk-taking studies, shifts in trial-by-trial response probabilities at the highest dose suggested a change in sensitivity to both reinforced and losing risky outcomes. Altered sensitivity to consequences may be a mechanism in drug-induced changes in risk taking. Possible neurobiological sites of action related to THC are discussed.

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
Smoked Cannabis' Psychomotor and Neurocognitive Effects in Occasional and Frequent Smokers Occasional (<2x/week) and frequent (≥4x/week) cannabis smokers 2015 Controlled within-subjects study n = 25
Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Healthy volunteers experienced with cannabis but not regular users 2019 Within-subjects experimental design n = 17
Which biological and self-report measures of cannabis use predict cannabis dependency and acute psychotic-like effects? Young cannabis users 2018 Observational study (naturalistic, within-subject counterbalanced design) n = 410
Cannabis Essential Oil: A Preliminary Study for the Evaluation of the Brain Effects Healthy volunteers 2018 Experimental study n = 5
Coming off cannabis: a cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with multiple sclerosis Patients with multiple sclerosis who began using cannabis after disease onset, used it... 2019 Quasi-experimental study with odd-even allocation n = 40

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