Cannabidiol Effects on Blood Alcohol Level and Intoxication

Exploring the Effects of Acute Cannabidiol Administration on Blood Alcohol Level and Intoxication in Adult Human Subjects

The main objectives of this study were to test if 2 different doses of Cannabidiol (compared to placebo) alter 1) breath alcohol concentration, 2) craving and subjective responses to alcohol or 3) cognitive performance following a standard dose of alcohol.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: 200mg Cannabidiol oral solution; Dietary supplement: 30mg Cannabidiol oral solution; Dietary supplement: Placebo

Detailed Description

Cannabidiol (CBD), is commonly found in the cannabis plant and has shown promise in treating alcohol use disorders (AUD). In this within-subjects, placebo-controlled, crossover study, the investigators explored the effects of two doses (200mg and 30mg) of plant-based CBD (compared to placebo CBD) on blood alcohol level, subjective effects of alcohol, craving and cognition over the course 4 hours after subjects consume a standardized dose of alcohol.

This pilot study was conducted at Colorado State University and volunteers were recruited from the local community. 36 individuals completed at least 1 study session and 22 completed all three sessions. At each session they received either placebo 30mg oral CBD or 200mg oral CBD prior to being given a standard dose of alcohol. They then remained in our laboratory for 4 hours and completed cognitive testing using the NIH toolbox Cognitive Battery, breath alcohol level measurements and self-reported intoxication ratings (using the The Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale [BAES] and the The Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale [SEAS]) and reported their craving levels using the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ) every 30 minutes. They also provided 3 blood samples to measure blood-CBD levels at each session (prior to receiving the CBD, 25 minutes post-CBD ingestion and again 60 minutes later). Study sessions were separated by at least one week.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Colorado
    • Fort Collins, Colorado, United States, 80523
      • Colorado State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 21-60 years old
• able to provide consent
• willing to consume CBD during the study
• report heavy drinking (>5 drinks [>4 for women] per occasion on at least 5 days/month in the past 3 months)
• not cannabis/CBD naive (i.e. THC or CBD use at least once in the past year), do not use cannabis regularly (i.e., less than monthly over past year), and no past-month cannabis use.

Exclusion Criteria:

• a regular or recent cannabis user (i.e. they used cannabis more often than monthly during the past year or used cannabis in the past month)
• were seeking treatment a substance use disorder (SUD) including AUD, taking medications to treat bipolar or psychotic disorders
• using nicotine every day
• taking blood thinning medications
• reported having a major medical condition contraindicating alcohol or CBD use (e.g., liver disease or heart disease)
• reported current suicidality
• met criteria for psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder or a current major depressive episode,
• reported using illicit drugs in the 30 days prior to beginning the study or tested positive for any illicit drugs
• were pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to become pregnant.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 200mg Cannabidiol; A single dose of 200mg commercially available (product code T-L-A-5) water-soluble solution supplied by Caliper Foods, to be consumed orally (mixed with water).	Dietary supplement: 200mg Cannabidiol oral solution; 200mg cannabidiol administered in the laboratory prior to a standard dose of alcohol. The water-soluble product is standardized to 5.0% cannabidiol, 0.0% THC and composed of reverse-osmosis water, gum arabic, cannabidiol, MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil and citric acid. The same lot of Caliper water soluble CBD was used for both the 30 mg and 200 mg test variable. All CBD was sourced from the same lot of CDB isolate. The Caliper commercial product conforms to all standards set forth by the CDPHE (Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment).
Experimental: 30mg Cannabidiol; A single dose of 30mg commercially available (product code T-L-A-5) water-soluble solution supplied by Caliper Foods, to be consumed orally (mixed with water).	Dietary supplement: 30mg Cannabidiol oral solution; 30mg cannabidiol administered in the laboratory prior to a standard dose of alcohol. The water-soluble product is standardized to 5.0% cannabidiol, 0.0% THC and composed of reverse-osmosis water, gum arabic, cannabidiol, MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil and citric acid. The same lot of Caliper water soluble CBD was used for both the 30 mg and 200 mg test variable. All CBD was sourced from the same lot of CDB isolate. The Caliper commercial product conforms to all standards set forth by the CDPHE (Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment).
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; A single dose of water-soluble Placebo solution supplied by Caliper Foods, to be consumed orally (mixed with water).	Dietary supplement: Placebo; Placebo administered in the laboratory prior to a standard dose of alcohol. The placebo was made up for the study and contained reverse-osmosis water, gum arabic, MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil, citric acid, plus the addition of a natural food color, used at <0.1%.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Biphasic Effects of Alcohol (BAES)--Stimulation Subscale	BAES stimulation will be measured by self-report repeatedly during the experimental session. The total score on the stimulation subscale ranges from 0-70 where higher is more stimulated.	At each of the three study sessions, BAES stimulation is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Biphasic Effects of Alcohol--Sedation Subscale	BAES sedation will be measured by self-report repeatedly during the experimental session. The total score on the sedation subscale ranges from 0-70 where higher is more sedated	At each of the three study session, BAES sedation is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ	The AUQ is a self-report measure of urge for alcohol and has been validated for real-time assessment of alcohol craving in the laboratory. The total score on the measure ranges from 0-48 where higher is worse	t each of the three study sessions, AUQ is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale (SEAS)--High Arousal Positive Subscale	Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale (SEAS) is a standard self-report measure for assessing subjective mood responses to alcohol. The SEAS includes 14 items with response option that range from 1-10. The high arousal positive subscale is a combination of four items from this scale.	At each of the three study session, SEAS is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale (SEAS)--Low Arousal Positive Subscale	Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale (SEAS) is a standard self-report measure for assessing subjective mood responses to alcohol. The SEAS includes 14 items with response option that range from 1-10. The Low Arousal Positive Subscale is a combination of four items from this scale	At each of the three study session, SEAS is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Task (NIH Toolbox)	The Flanker task measures both a participant's attention and inhibitory control. The test requires the participant to focus on a given stimulus while inhibiting attention to stimuli flanking it.	At each of the three study session, the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Task is administered at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]
Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC)	Breath alcohol level will be measured using a breathalyzer repeatedly during the experimental session	At each of the three study sessions, BrAC is measured at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
DRUID Psychomotor Battery	The DRUID is a mobile app that tests for cognitive and motor impairment, and has been shown to detect impairment related to alcohol and cannabis use. total score ranges from 0-100 where higher is worse.	At each of the three study session, DRUID is administered at baseline (pre ingestion) and again every 30 minutes post ingestion (9 measures)]

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Colorado State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 9, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 3, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): March 3, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 23, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 23, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): October 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 30, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 26, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: craving; alcohol; cannabidiol
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Alcoholism; Anticonvulsants; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Cannabidiol
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1903

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Individual (de-identified) participant data is to be made available to other researchers.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will become available upon request.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

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