Modulation of the effects of alcohol on driving-related psychomotor skills by chronic exposure to cannabis

Wright, K. A.; Terry, Philip

doi:10.1007/s00213-001-0955-4

Cited by 34 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…However, previous notions (Marks and MacAvoy 1989; Wright and Terry 2002) that chronic cannabis use would also develop cross-tolerance for the impairing effects of alcohol were not confirmed. It should be noted however that previous studies never demonstrated complete tolerance to the behaviorally impairing effects of alcohol in heavy cannabis users.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Consequently, BACs were generally lower than those obtained in the present study after repeated alcohol dosing. For example, Wright and Terry (2002) tested tracking performance of heavy cannabis users within 30 min after drinking while mean BACs declined from 0.28 to 0.22 mg/ml. Mean BAC levels in the present study however were two to three times as high and experimentally controlled to achieve relatively steady state levels during 5 h of repeated performance testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is only little research in humans to support this claim. A few studies have reported (Casswell and Marks 1973; Marks and MacAvoy 1989; Wright and Terry 2002) that regular cannabis users were less impaired in peripheral signal detection and tracking accuracy than controls while intoxicated by THC and/or ethanol. These finding suggest either the development of tolerance and cross-tolerance in regular cannabis users, or their ability to compensate for intoxication effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tolerance and cross-tolerance to neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users

et al. 2010

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IntroductionPrevious research has shown that heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to the impairing effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on neurocognitive functions. Animal studies suggest that chronic cannabis consumption may also produce cross-tolerance for the impairing effects of alcohol, but supportive data in humans is scarce.PurposeThe present study was designed to assess tolerance and cross-tolerance to the neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users.MethodsTwenty-one heavy cannabis users participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-way study. Subjects underwent three alcohol-dosing conditions that were designed to achieve a steady blood alcohol concentration of about 0, 0.5, and 0.7 mg/ml during a 5-h time window. In addition, subjects smoked a THC cigarette (400 μg/kg) at 3 h post-onset of alcohol dosing during every alcohol condition. Performance tests were conducted repeatedly between 0 and 7 h after onset of drinking and included measures of perceptual motor control (critical tracking task), dual task processing (divided-attention task), motor inhibition (stop-signal task), and cognition (Tower of London).ResultsAlcohol significantly impaired critical tracking, divided attention, and stop-signal performance. THC generally did not affect task performance. However, combined effects of THC and alcohol on divided attention were bigger than those by alcohol alone.ConclusionIn conclusion, the present study generally confirms that heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to the impairing effects of THC on neurocognitive task performance. Yet, heavy cannabis users did not develop cross-tolerance to the impairing effects of alcohol, and the presence of the latter even selectively potentiated THC effects on measures of divided attention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tolerance and cross-tolerance to neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users

et al. 2010

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“…Frequent cannabis smokers demonstrate tolerance to some acute cannabis intoxication effects (Ramaekers et al, 2011), but tolerance did not compensate for all effects (Downey et al, 2013). There is currently substantial interest in comparing occasional to frequent smokers and assessing potential tolerance (Ramaekers et al, 2009; Toennes SW et al, 2008; Wright and Terry, 2002), especially as medical and recreational cannabis becomes more commonplace.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis effects on driving lateral control with and without alcohol

Hartman

Brown

Milavetz

et al. 2015

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

200

173

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Background Effects of cannabis, the most commonly encountered non-alcohol drug in driving under the influence cases, are heavily debated. We aimed to determine how blood Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations relate to driving impairment, with and without alcohol. Methods Current occasional (≥1×/last 3months, ≤3days/week) cannabis smokers drank placebo or low-dose alcohol, and inhaled 500mg placebo, low (2.9%)-THC, or high (6.7%)-THC vaporized cannabis over 10min ad libitum in separate sessions (within-subject design, 6 conditions). Participants drove (National Advanced Driving Simulator, University of Iowa) simulated drives (~0.8h duration). Blood, oral fluid (OF) and breath alcohol samples were collected before (0.17h, 0.42h) and after (1.4h, 2.3h) driving that occurred 0.5–1.3h after inhalation. We evaluated standard deviations of lateral position (lane weave, SDLP) and steering angle, lane departures/min, and maximum lateral acceleration. Results In N=18 completers (13 men, ages 21–37years), cannabis and alcohol increased SDLP. Blood THC concentrations of 8.2 and 13.1μg/L during driving increased SDLP similar to 0.05 and 0.08g/210L breath alcohol concentrations, the most common legal alcohol limits. Cannabis-alcohol SDLP effects were additive rather than synergistic, with 5μg/L THC+0.05g/210L alcohol showing similar SDLP to 0.08g/210L alcohol alone. Only alcohol increased lateral acceleration and the less-sensitive lane departures/min parameters. OF effectively documented cannabis exposure, although with greater THC concentration variability than paired blood samples. Conclusions SDLP was a sensitive cannabis-related lateral control impairment measure. During-drive blood THC ≥8.2μg/L increased SDLP similar to notably-impairing alcohol concentrations. Despite OF’s screening value, OF variability poses challenges in concentration-based effects interpretation. KEYWORDS: Cannabis, Alcohol, Driving, Lateral Control, THC, Oral Fluid

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“…Regarding the prolonged combined impact of alcohol and cannabis, research has proposed that persistent or lingering effects of cannabis could result in crosstolerance to certain impairing alcohol effects (sleep outcomes not examined, [15,16]). Conversely, a recent study discovered that cannabis users experienced decreased negative feelings following alcohol consumption compared to non-cannabis users [17], indicating possible cross-sensitisation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily diary study of associations between alcohol, cannabis, co‐use and sleep quality in individuals with intentions to use cannabis to cope with anxiety

Sznitman,

Martin‐Willett,

et al. 2023

Drug and Alcohol Review

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IntroductionSleep problems and anxiety conditions are common comorbidities and may be influenced by cannabis and alcohol use. This study examined daily within‐person variation in subjective sleep quality among individuals with anxiety symptoms after cannabis or alcohol were used alone, and after co‐use.MethodsA total of 347 individuals with intentions to use cannabis to cope with anxiety reported their cannabis and alcohol use in the previous 24 h and their previous nights' sleep quality for 30 consecutive days. Mixed‐effects models examined whether the within‐person daily variation in use of cannabis and alcohol (alone and co‐use) was associated with subjective sleep quality. Models also examined whether daily cannabis and alcohol use associations with sleep were moderated by frequency of cannabis, alcohol and co‐use during the study period.ResultsCompared to non‐use, participants reported better sleep after cannabis‐use‐only and after co‐use, but not after alcohol‐use‐only. People who more frequently use alcohol and cannabis reported sleeping better after cannabis‐use‐only days compared to those who use cannabis and alcohol less frequently.Discussion and ConclusionsThe study's utilisation of naturalistic data among individuals with anxiety symptoms replicated previously reported experimental findings among individuals without sleep and anxiety problems that overall, cannabis is associated with higher subjective sleep quality. The results expand upon other research to suggest that more frequent use of alcohol and cannabis may moderate daily associations of cannabis use and sleep, potentially through pharmacokinetics and cross‐sensitisation.

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Modulation of the effects of alcohol on driving-related psychomotor skills by chronic exposure to cannabis

Cited by 34 publications

References 35 publications

Tolerance and cross-tolerance to neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users

Tolerance and cross-tolerance to neurocognitive effects of THC and alcohol in heavy cannabis users

Cannabis effects on driving lateral control with and without alcohol

Daily diary study of associations between alcohol, cannabis, co‐use and sleep quality in individuals with intentions to use cannabis to cope with anxiety

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