Even low doses of synthetic cannabinoids can impair cognitive performance

New Rochelle, NY, March 19, 2019–A new study shows that inhaled doses of as little as 2 mg of the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 can significantly impair critical thinking and memory, slow reaction times, and increase confusion and dissociation. The results of this placebo controlled, cross-over study are published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research website through April 19, 2019.

Seventeen healthy participants inhaled the vapor of JWH-018 in doses ranging from 2-6.2 mg. The article entitled “Neurocognition and Subjective Experience Following Acute Doses of the Synthetic Cannabinoid JWH-018: Responders Versus Nonresponders” describes the highly variable subjective intoxication of the participants. Coauthors Eef Theunissen, Nadia Hutten, Natasha Mason, Kim Kuypers, and Johannes Ramaekers, Maastricht University (The Netherlands) and Stefan Toennes, Goethe University of Frankfurt (Germany), concluded that the serious adverse effects seen in overdose cases are the result of either higher doses or mixtures of synthetic cannabinoids.

“This is incredibly important as it is the first controlled human laboratory study of synthetic cannabinoids that have been found in illicit drug products such as Spice and K2,” says Associate Editor Dr. Ryan Vandrey, John Hopkins School of Medicine. “Demonstrating safety and providing initial dose-effects on key outcomes will hopefully inspire additional research in this area.”

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About the Journal

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research is the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the scientific, medical, and psychosocial exploration of clinical cannabis, cannabinoids, and the biochemical mechanisms of endocannabinoids. Published quarterly in print and online and led by Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, the Journal publishes a broad range of human and animal studies including basic and translational research; clinical studies; behavioral, social, and epidemiological issues; and ethical, legal, and regulatory controversies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue is available on the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Palliative Medicine, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.