Experienced cannabis consumers exhibit tolerance to some of the drug’s acute impairing effects, according to clinical trial data to be published in the journal Psychopharmacology.
Investigators at Maastricht University in the Netherlands assessed behavioral performance following THC administration in 12 occasional cannabis consumers and 12 experienced cannabis consumers in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Researchers reported that THC administration “decreased amplitude in occasional but not heavy cannabis users” on certain cognitive tasks, such as a divided attention task. Authors stated that the difference in the experienced users’ performance compared to inexperienced consumers was “not completely due to behavioral compensation.”
They concluded, “The present study confirms that heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to some of the impairing behavioral effects of cannabis.”
Separate studies have previously shown that experienced consumers exhibit limited changes in cognitive performance compared to occasional users following cannabis administration.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: [email protected]. Full text of the study, “Neurophysiological functioning of occasional and heavy cannabis users during THC intoxication,” appears online in the journal Psychopharmacology.
