In a controlled crossover study, participants on placebo tended to look away from cannabis images, but THC eliminated this avoidance pattern. Adding CBD did not change the effect, and teens responded similarly to adults.
Addiction researchers, cognitive psychologists, and clinicians interested in cannabis use disorder mechanisms
48 participants in three-condition crossover trial
What the researchers found
In a three-condition crossover trial (THC, THC+CBD, placebo), participants showed an attentional bias away from cannabis cues on placebo. THC administration eliminated this avoidance pattern (F(2,92) = 3.865, p = 0.024). CBD did not moderate the effect, and there was no significant difference between adolescents and adults.
Why it matters
Attentional bias toward drug cues is thought to contribute to addiction. This finding that THC shifts attention toward cannabis cues could help explain how cannabis use reinforces continued use.
The numbers in context
48 participants (24 adolescents, 24 adults); 3 conditions: THC (8 mg/75 kg), THC+CBD (8 mg + 24 mg/75 kg), placebo; main drug effect F(2,92) = 3.865, p = 0.024, η2p = 0.077; 200-ms trials
How the study worked
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with 48 weekly cannabis users (24 adolescents aged 16-17, 24 adults aged 26-29) who received weight-adjusted vaporized cannabis (THC alone, THC+CBD, or placebo) on three separate days and completed a visual probe task with cannabis cues.
What this study cannot tell us
Small sample size (48 total); participants were already weekly cannabis users so findings may not apply to non-users; moderate dose may not reflect real-world heavy use; single session per condition
How to read the evidence
Well-designed crossover RCT with appropriate blinding and controls, but small sample limits statistical power for subgroup analyses.
When this study was published
2024 study
The bigger picture
The finding that THC eliminates avoidance of cannabis cues adds to the understanding of how cannabis may create self-reinforcing attention patterns, a mechanism proposed to drive addictive behavior across substances.
Questions still open
- Does this attentional shift persist after THC wears off? Would higher CBD doses show a moderating effect? Does the magnitude of this shift predict who develops problematic use?
Common questions
What happened to attention when people were given THC?
Did CBD make any difference?
Read the original research
The acute effects of cannabis, with and without cannabidiol, on attentional bias to cannabis related cues: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.
Psychopharmacology, 241(6), 1125-1134
Citation
Hall, Daniel; Lawn, Will; Ofori, Shelan; Trinci, Katie; Borissova, Anya; Mokrysz, Claire; Petrilli, Kat; Bloomfield, Michael A P; Wall, Matthew B; Freeman, Tom P; Curran, H Valerie. (2024). The acute effects of cannabis, with and without cannabidiol, on attentional bias to cannabis related cues: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.. Psychopharmacology, 241(6), 1125-1134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06543-7
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