Citation

Bird KD, Boleyn T, Chesher GB, Jackson DM, Starmer GA, Teo RKC. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1981; 1981: 1111-1125.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

122 male and 39 female healthy student volunteers participated in the study. The cannabinoids (thc 215 mu g/kg; CBD and cbn 320 mu g/kg) were dissolved in sesame oil and presented as capsules, ethanol (0.54 g/kg) was given as a 20% (v/v) solution in lemon squash and appropriate placebo treatments were included in the design. The test battery (belgrave et al., 1979) included: standing steadiness, visual auditory and complex reaction times, the Vienna determination test of psychomotor co-ordination and a pursuit rotor test. Breath ethanol concentrations were measured using an alcolmeter, pulse rates were taken, an assessment was made of pupillary injection and mood and intoxication rating scales were administered. Each subject was randomly assigned to one of 16 treatment groups and after pre-drug measurements was given 6 capsules containing the cannabinoid dose or a placebo. 60 min later the subject received either an ethanolic or placebo beverage which was consumed over a 20 min period. At 100 min, performance on the battery was reassessed and again at hourly intervals thereafter. Thc alone produced significant decrements on all rotated factors (maximum decrement at 160 min) and on the general performance factor and ethanol had similar (maximum decrement at 100 min) but more short-lived effects, with recovery by 220 min. Again, an additive interaction occurred between thc and ethanol. There were no systematic effects involving cbn or CBD either alone or in combination with other drugs. (Author/TRRL)