Impact of Repeatedly-Administered THC-cannabis on Experimental Pain and Abuse Liability in Humans

NCT ID: NCT04596644

Last Updated: 2025-10-03

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

SUSPENDED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

16 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-08-01

Study Completion Date

2025-10-31

Brief Summary

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Chronic pain is a significant public health concern in the U.S., for which prescription opioids have historically been the standard treatment. This has resulted in striking rates of opioid use disorders and fatal overdoses. Identifying non-opioid medications for the management of chronic pain with minimal abuse liability is a public health necessity, and cannabinoids are a promising drug class for this purpose. More than 80% of medicinal cannabis users report pain as their primary medical indication, and they report experiencing minimal psychoactive effects. However, there are few well-controlled human laboratory studies assessing cannabis' efficacy for pain in the context of abuse, and even less is known regarding the effects of daily repeated use of cannabis on pain and its relationship to abuse liability. Carefully controlled research is needed.

The proposed randomized, within-subjects, placebo-controlled 16-day crossover inpatient human laboratory study (N = 20 healthy cannabis users; 10 men, 10 women) will address three important gaps in our understanding of the potential therapeutic utility of cannabis for pain: 1) Does tolerance develop to repeated, daily smoked cannabis administration on measures of experimental pain and abuse liability; 2) If so, is tolerance reversed during the 7 days of abstinence from active-THC cannabis; 3) Does abrupt abstinence from active cannabis increase experimental pain sensitivity, i.e. hyperalgesia, relative to baseline, and do these effects parallel measures of cannabis withdrawal such as disrupted mood and sleep?

Two distinct modalities of experimental pain will be assessed: The Cold Pressor Test (CPT) and Quantitative Sensory Testing Thermal Temporal Summation (QST-TTS). Throughout the study, experimental pain and abuse-related effects will be assessed, as will sleep and subjective mood assessments.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Cannabis Pain Tolerance Hyperalgesia

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

This study comprises a 16-day inpatient stay. On the first full inpatient day (Day 1), participants will smoke one specified strength (Dose A) of cannabis. Days 2-8 will comprise Phase 1, in which a second strength (Dose B) of cannabis will be administered 3x/day. The next 7 days (Day 9-15) will be Phase 2, in which cannabis Dose A will be administered once again, at the same 3 daily time points.
Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Dose A: Standardization Phase

On the first full inpatient day (Day 1), participants smoke one specified strength (Dose A; 75% of two 6.58% cannabis cigarettes) of cannabis at three timepoints.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active Cannabis

Intervention Type DRUG

6.58% THC + \<0.01% CBD cannabis (in one cigarette)

Dose B: Placebo Phase

On Days 2-8, participants smoke a second strength (Dose B; 75% of two \< 0.01%THC:CBD cannabis cigarettes) of cannabis will be administered 3x/day.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo Cannabis

Intervention Type DRUG

\<0.01% THC:CBD cannabis.

Dose A: Active Phase

On Days 9-15, cannabis Dose A will be administered again (75% of two 6.58% cannabis cigarettes) at three timepoints each day.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active Cannabis

Intervention Type DRUG

6.58% THC + \<0.01% CBD cannabis (in one cigarette)

Interventions

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Active Cannabis

6.58% THC + \<0.01% CBD cannabis (in one cigarette)

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo Cannabis

\<0.01% THC:CBD cannabis.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Males/non-pregnant females, 21-60 years old
* Current cannabis user
* Able to perform all study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

* Use of other illicit drugs
* If medical history, physical and psychiatric examination, or laboratory tests performed during the screening process reveal any significant illness that the study physician deems contraindicated for study participation
* Insensitivity to the cold-water stimulus of the Cold Pressor Test or the heat stimulus of Quantitative Sensory Testing
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

New York State Psychiatric Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Caroline A. Arout, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology (in Psychiatry)

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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New York State Psychiatric Institute

New York, New York, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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R21DA050752

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

8058

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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