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CLINICAL STUDIES ON THE INTERACTION OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS WITH MARIHUANA
Author(s) -
Lemberger L.,
Dalton B.,
Martz R.,
Rodda B.,
Forney R.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb27933.x
Subject(s) - medicine , clinical pharmacology , library science , pharmacology , computer science
We have been interested in the interaction of marihuana and its constituents with other psychopharmacologic agents. The purpose of this paper will be first to describe our recent attempts to study the interactions of the barbiturates with cannabis, and then to discuss the interactions between several of marihuana’s constituents. There is considerable evidence that a segment of the marihuana-smoking population also uses other drugs, either concurrently with marihuana, or on separate occasions. Fisher and Brickman’ reported that about 17% of occasional users of marihuana may occasionally use barbiturates, whereas 28% and 48% of regular and daily users, respectively, also occasionally use barbiturates. There is much evidence from animal studies in our laboratory, as well as from other laboratories, that marihuana and A!’-tetrahydrocannabinol ( A9-THC), its major psychoactive component, produce CNS depression, and that an interaction occurs between these drugs and the Since no previous clinical studies have been reported on the interaction of cannabis and barbiturates, we embarked on a clinical study to investigate whether these interactions occurred in man, and to determine their clinical significance. Twelve healthy male volunteers were recruited from our student population. All subjects had previous experience with cannabis preparations. Each subject was given a complete history, physical, laboratory evaluation, and electrocardiogram, and the purpose of this study and its associated hazards and risks were explained. Written informed consent was obtained. The basic design of this study was carried out in a double-blind fashion with subjects randomly assigned to one of four groups as shown in TABLE 1 . All subjects were tested on each of four weekly sessions, and each subject received all four possible combinations of placebo or drug. T h e order of testing and drug administration is shown in TABLE 2 . The tests used included a modified Cornell Medical Index, wobble board, pursuit meter,