Abstract
As many jurisdictions consider relaxing cannabis legislation and usage is increasing in North America and other parts of the world, there is a need to explore the possible genetic differences underlying the subjective effects of cannabis. This pilot study investigated specific genetic variations within the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) gene for association with the subjective effects of smoked cannabis. Data were obtained from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial studying the impact of cannabis intoxication on driving performance. Participants randomized to the active cannabis group who consented to secondary genetic analysis (n = 52) were genotyped at the CNR1 rs1049353 and rs2023239 polymorphic areas. Maximum value and area under the curve (AUC) analyses were performed on subjective measures data. Analysis of subjective effects by genotype uncovered a global trend towards greater subjective effects for rs1049353 T-allele- and rs2023239 C-allele-carrying subjects. However, significant differences attributed to allelic identity were only documented for a subset of subjective effects. Our findings suggest that rs1049353 and rs2023239 minor allele carriers experience augmented subjective effects during acute cannabis intoxication.
Highlights
Cannabis has been used medically for centuries, yet today cannabis is used primarily for recreational purposes [1]
In the United States, peak usage occurred in the late 1970s and the following decades exhibited a decline in cannabis use due to increased education surrounding risks and widespread public disapproval [3,4]
Split-plot ANOVA analysis to analyze the changes between baseline and post-cannabis between genotypes exhibited no significant results
Summary
Cannabis has been used medically for centuries, yet today cannabis is used primarily for recreational purposes [1]. For much of the 20th century, cannabis was illegal in most countries of the world, yet it is the most widely used drug after alcohol and tobacco [2]. In the United States, peak usage occurred in the late 1970s and the following decades exhibited a decline in cannabis use due to increased education surrounding risks and widespread public disapproval [3,4]. Since 1992, there has been a resurgence of cannabis usage in Canada and the United States. Canadians had greater access to cannabis than alcohol and were nearly twice as likely to experiment with cannabis over tobacco, and Canadian adolescents had the highest rates of cannabis consumption in the industrialized world [5,6]. Youth cannabis consumption in Canada was relatively stable between 2004 and 2015.
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