A scoping review of human laboratory cannabis self-administration studies found these paradigms useful for understanding consumption factors but noted methodological inconsistencies that limit comparability across studies.
Addiction researchers, clinical pharmacologists, and scientists developing cannabis use disorder treatments.
Lab self-administration studies reveal tolerance, sex, and potency effects on cannabis consumption
What the researchers found
Ad libitum cannabis self-administration studies in laboratory settings have identified factors influencing consumption and subjective response, including tolerance, sex differences, and cannabis potency. These paradigms could also test potential CUD medications.
Why it matters
Understanding why people use cannabis and how much they consume under controlled conditions helps develop treatments for cannabis use disorder and inform harm reduction strategies.
The numbers in context
Multiple laboratory self-administration studies reviewed. Factors identified: tolerance effects, sex differences, potency influences on consumption patterns.
How the study worked
Scoping review summarizing existing human laboratory studies where participants could self-administer cannabis ad libitum. Examined what factors have been studied and what has been learned.
What this study cannot tell us
Laboratory settings do not replicate real-world use contexts. Ethical constraints limit who can participate and what doses can be studied. Methodological inconsistencies across studies limit meta-analytic synthesis. Small study samples typical.
How to read the evidence
Scoping review mapping a specialized research area. Identifies themes but does not quantitatively synthesize findings.
When this study was published
Published 2023.
The bigger picture
Laboratory self-administration paradigms have been valuable for studying alcohol and other drugs. Applying these methods to cannabis could accelerate medication development for CUD, a condition with no approved pharmacotherapy.
Questions still open
- Could standardized laboratory self-administration protocols become a platform for screening CUD medications? Would these paradigms capture the effects of modern high-potency cannabis products?
Common questions
How do researchers study cannabis use in a lab?
Are there medications for cannabis addiction?
Read the original research
Cannabis self-administration in the human laboratory: a scoping review of ad libitum studies.
Psychopharmacology, 240(7), 1393-1415
Citation
Xiao, Ke Bin; Grennell, Erin; Ngoy, Anthony; George, Tony P; Le Foll, Bernard; Hendershot, Christian S; Sloan, Matthew E. (2023). Cannabis self-administration in the human laboratory: a scoping review of ad libitum studies.. Psychopharmacology, 240(7), 1393-1415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-023-06360-4
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