Effects of smoked marijuana in healthy and HIV + marijuana smokers.
The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology November 2002 DOI: 10.1002/j.1552-4604.2002.tb06001.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subject, double-blind, staggered, double-dummy study (two avenues of research; first includes a residential laboratory study) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Regular marijuana smokers in a residential laboratory (first study); HIV-positive marijuana smokers with muscle mass loss (<90% body cell mass/height) (second study, n=9) |
| Interventions | sustained-release bupropion nefazodone oral delta9-THC smoked marijuana |
| Dose | Bupropion 0, 300 mg/day; nefazodone 0, 450 mg/day; smoked marijuana 2.8%-3.1% THC (active) and 0.0% THC (placebo); oral delta9-THC 0, 10, 20, 30 mg PO; smoked marijuana 0.0%, 1.8%, 2.8%, 3.9% THC |
| Duration | 4 days active marijuana followed by 8 to 12 days placebo marijuana (first study); not stated for second study |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | Daily marijuana smoking in healthy individuals produces dependence, with withdrawal symptoms such as increased irritability and depression and decreased food intake. Bupropion worsened irritability, depression, stomach pain, food intake, and sleep quality during abstinence, while nefazodone reduced anxiety but did not alter irritability or misery; neither medication showed promise for treating marijuana withdrawal. Preliminary data suggest oral delta9-THC increased food intake more than smoked marijuana in HIV-positive smokers with muscle mass loss, though participants liked smoked marijuana more. |
Abstract
This article presents data from two avenues of marijuana research. First, the author shows that daily marijuana smoking in healthy individuals produces dependence, as demonstrated by withdrawal symptoms such as increased irritability and depression and decreased food intake. In addition, two antidepressant medications were evaluated to assess their potential effectiveness in the treatment of marijuana withdrawal symptoms: (1) sustained-release bupropion (0, 300 mg/day) and (2) nefazodone (0, 450 mg/day). Research participants were regular marijuana smokers who lived in a residential laboratory in groups of two to four. While inpatients, participants smoked active marijuana (2.8%-3.1% THC) repeatedly for 4 days, followed by 8 to 12 days of placebo marijuana (0.0% THC). Results show that during marijuana abstinence, (1) bupropion increased ratings of irritability, depression, and stomach pain and decreased food intake and sleep quality compared to placebo maintenance, and (2) nefazodone decreased anxiety during marijuana withdrawal but did not alter ratings of irritability and misery. Thus, neither medication showed promise as potential treatments for symptoms of marijuana withdrawal. The second avenue of research focused on the effect of cannabinoids in individuals with muscle mass loss, an indicator of wasting in HIV illness. Given that there are little scientific data contributing to the debates concerning medical marijuana, this study directly compared the effects of oral delta9-THC (0, 10, 20, 30 mg PO) to smoked marijuana (0.0%, 1.8%, 2.8%, 3.9% THC) in HIV + marijuana smokers with muscle mass loss (< 90% body cell mass/height). Multiple dimensions of human behavior were measured, including food intake, mood, and cognitive performance. Drugs were administered using a within-subject, double-blind, staggered, double-dummy design. Participants were free to self-select from a variety of foods throughout most of the session. Preliminary data (n = 9) suggest that oral THC was more effective at increasing food intake, but the volunteers "liked" the effects of smoked marijuana more than the effects of oral THC.
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 3
- Cannabis reinforcement and dependence: role of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Addiction Biology June 2008
- Divergent effects of cannabidiol on the discriminative stimulus and place conditioning effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol. Drug and Alcohol Dependence April 1, 2008
- A role for cannabinoid CB1 receptors in mood and anxiety disorders. Behavioural Pharmacology September 2005