A randomized trial compared acute cannabis effects in adolescents and adults, examining whether CBD modulates these effects differently by age group.
Adolescent medicine specialists, cannabis researchers, parents, policymakers, and harm reduction advocates.
Teens vs adultsRandomized crossover trial comparing acute cannabis effects in adolescents and adults with and without CBD
What the researchers found
The study compared acute subjective, cognitive, and physiological effects of cannabis in adolescents versus adults, and investigated whether co-administered CBD modulates these effects, providing rare controlled data on adolescent cannabis response.
Why it matters
Most cannabis research excludes adolescents, yet they are a primary population of concern. Understanding age-related differences in acute effects and CBDs potential protective role is critical for harm reduction.
The numbers in context
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment comparing cannabis effects with and without CBD in adolescent and adult users.
How the study worked
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with adolescent and adult cannabis users.
Who was studied
Adolescent and adult cannabis users in a controlled experimental setting.
What this study cannot tell us
Ethical constraints limit adolescent cannabis research to existing users; crossover design requires washout periods; acute effects may not predict long-term outcomes.
How to read the evidence
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design provides strong evidence; small sample typical of adolescent cannabis research.
When this study was published
Recent trial addressing a critical gap in adolescent cannabis research.
The bigger picture
This is one of very few randomized controlled trials examining cannabis effects in adolescents, providing foundational data for age-specific harm reduction strategies and CBD-based protective interventions.
Replication
Among the first RCTs to directly compare cannabis effects across age groups; replication critically needed.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- Do adolescents experience more cognitive impairment than adults from the same dose?
- Could CBD ratios be optimized for adolescent harm reduction?
- How do acute effects relate to long-term risk?
Read the original research
The acute effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol in adults and adolescents: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment.
Addiction (Abingdon, England), 118(7), 1282-1294
Citation
Lawn, Will; Trinci, Katie; Mokrysz, Claire; Borissova, Anna; Ofori, Shelan; Petrilli, Kat; Bloomfield, Michael; Haniff, Zarah R; Hall, Daniel; Fernandez-Vinson, Natalia; Wang, Simiao; Englund, Amir; Chesney, Edward; Wall, Matthew B; Freeman, Tom P; Curran, H Valerie. (2023). The acute effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol in adults and adolescents: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment.. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 118(7), 1282-1294. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16154