Behavioral and Physiological Effects of THC and CBD

Behavioral and Physiological Effects of delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD)

This study will evaluate physiological and behavioral responses to vaporized delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) administered via inhalation.

Study Overview

• Status: Withdrawn
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Vaporized THC alone; Drug: Vaporized CBD alone; Drug: Vaporized CBD with THC

Detailed Description

The proposed study will be conducted at the Johns Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU). In this between-subjects study, participants will be randomized to complete 1 of 8 possible acute drug administration sessions in which participants will administer THC alone, CBD alone, THC and CBD together, or placebo. Following drug administration, participants will complete a performance session and complete a battery of questionnaires assessing subjective drug effects, mood, affect, and mental state. Vital signs and hormone levels will also be assessed before and after drug administration. The study will help the investigators understand the individual and interactive effects of THC and CBD, the two most common cannabis constituents.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224
      • Johns Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have provided written informed consent
• Be between the ages of 18 and 50
• Be in good general health based on a physical examination, medical history, vital signs, and screening urine and blood tests
• Willingness to provide urine sample at the screening visit and again upon admission for the experimental session
• Test negative for recent drug or alcohol use at the screening visit and upon arrival for each experimental session.
• Not be pregnant or nursing (if female). All females must have a negative pregnancy test at the screening visit and at clinic admission.
• BMI 18-36
• Blood pressure at screening visit does not exceed a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 150 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mmHg
• Occasional/Intermittent cannabis users.
• Have not donated blood in the prior 30 days.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Recent non-medical use of psychoactive drugs;
• History of or current evidence of significant medical or psychiatric illness
• any condition (as determined by the study physician or investigator) that puts the participant at greater risk.
• Recent use of an over the counter (OTC), systemic or topical drug(s), herbal supplement(s), or vitamin(s) which, in the opinion of the investigator or sponsor, will interfere with the study result or the safety of the subject.
• Recent use of a prescription medication (with the exception of hormonal birth control prescriptions) which, in the opinion of the investigator or sponsor, will interfere with the study result or the safety of the subject. This includes any medication metabolized via CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2B10, or which induce/inhibit CYP3A4 enzymes.
• Recent use of hemp seeds or hemp oil.
• Recent use of dronabinol (Marinol).
• History of clinically significant cardiac arrhythmias or vasospastic disease (e.g., Prinzmetal's angina).
• Recently enrolled in another clinical trial or have recently received any drug as part of a research study.
• Epilepsy or a history of seizures.
• Individuals who have a recent history of traumatic brain injury diagnosed by CT/MRI and have current sequela from prior brain injury, as determined by the study physician
• Individuals with anemia
• 5th grade reading level or lower.
• Clinically relevant anxiety.
• Individuals who are night shift workers

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: DOUBLE

Number of Arms

8

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo; Distilled Water	Drug: Placebo; Placebo vapor (distilled water); Other Names: distilled water
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized THC alone; 5mg pure THC	Drug: Vaporized THC alone; Acute exposure to vaporized THC
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized low CBD alone; 50mg pure CBD	Drug: Vaporized CBD alone; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized medium CBD alone; 100mg pure CBD	Drug: Vaporized CBD alone; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized high CBD alone; 200mg pure CBD	Drug: Vaporized CBD alone; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized low CBD with THC; 50mg pure CBD paired with 5mg THC	Drug: Vaporized CBD with THC; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD with THC
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized medium CBD with THC; 100mg pure CBD paired with 5mg THC	Drug: Vaporized CBD with THC; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD with THC
EXPERIMENTAL: Vaporized high CBD with THC; 200mg pure CBD paired with 5mg THC	Drug: Vaporized CBD with THC; Acute exposure to vaporized CBD with THC

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in blood cortisol levels	Peak change in blood cortisol levels in micrograms per deciliter (ug/dl) will be measured	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in blood Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels	Peak change in blood ACTH levels in picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) will be measured	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in heart rate	Peak change in rate (in beats per minute)	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in State Anxiety levels as assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)	Peak change in composite STAI score. Scale consists of 20 items assessing state anxiety levels; each item is on 4 point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (almost always). Items are summed to obtain a composite score which can range from 20 to 80 (higher scores indicate more anxiety).	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in Mood state as assessed by the The Profile of Mood States (POMS)	Peak change in total tension-anxiety sub-scale score for POMS. This sub-scale of the POMS consists of 9 items, each on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) which are summed to create a total score of 9 to 36 (higher scores indicate more tension/anxiety).	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in Positive affect levels as assessed by The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	Peak change in total positive affect score. This PANAS consists of 20 items assessing positive affect (10 items) and negative affect (10 items). Each item is on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely). 10 positive affect items are summed to create a total positive affect score while the 10 negative affect items are summed to create a total negative affect score; higher total scores indicate more positive affect or more negative (i.e., worse) affect.	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Change in Negative affect levels as assessed by The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	Peak change in total negative affect score. This PANAS consists of 20 items assessing positive affect (10 items) and negative affect (10 items). Each item is on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely). 10 positive affect items are summed to create a total positive affect score while the 10 negative affect items are summed to create a total negative affect score; higher total scores indicate more positive affect or more negative (i.e., worse) affect.	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.
Subjective rating of "Drug Effect" as assessed via the Drug Effect Questionnaire	Visual Analog Scale rating of subjective drug effect. Score ranges from 0 (none) to 100 (extreme) using a 100mm line anchored with none/extreme designation.	Prior to drug exposure and for 4 hours post-exposure.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Elise Weerts, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ANTICIPATED): December 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 1, 2021
• Study Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 5, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 5, 2019
• First Posted (ACTUAL): February 6, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): August 5, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 1, 2019
• Last Verified: August 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cortisol; Heart rate; ACTH; cannabidiol; delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Psychotropic Drugs; Hallucinogens; Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Dronabinol
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00199386

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No