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Some evidence suggests that males and females may differ in their responses to acute cannabis effects, including subjective drug effects and behavioural effects, and cannabinoid pharmacokinetics. This is significant given current changes to cannabis‐related policies and, in consequence, increased cannabis accessibility. The present study combines data from two randomized controlled trials to investigate possible differences among males (n = 21) and females (n = 19) in the acute effects of vaporized cannabis containing 13.75 mg Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), with and without cannabidiol (CBD; 13.75 mg). To control for differences in the timing of assessments, peak (or peak change from baseline) scores were calculated for a range of measures including subjective drug effects, cognitive performance, cardiovascular effects, and plasma concentrations of THC, CBD, and their respective primary metabolites. While THC elicited robust and significant changes in all but one outcome measure relative to placebo, relatively few sex differences were observed after controlling for BMI and plasma THC concentrations. Relative to females, males performed better overall on a divided attention task (DAT) and had higher peak plasma concentrations of 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐THC (11‐COOH‐THC). Males and females did not differ with respect to plasma concentrations of any other analyte, subjective drug effects, or cardiovascular measures. These data indicate an absence of systematic sex differences in acute cannabis effects given a moderate dose of vaporized cannabis. They do not preclude the possibility that sex differences may emerge with higher THC doses or with other commonly used routes of administration (e.g., orally administered oils or edibles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom encountered by cannabis‐dependent individuals abstaining from cannabis use. In the present study, we investigated the effect of daily aerobic cycling exercise versus control stretching on sleep quality during inpatient cannabis withdrawal in treatment‐seeking dependent cannabis users. The protocol incorporated three consecutive phases: a 4‐Day (4‐Night) (at‐home) 'Baseline' phase, a 6‐Day (5‐Night) 'Treatment' phase (within a 7‐Day inpatient hospital stay) and a 3‐Day (4‐Night) (at‐home) 'Post‐Treatment' phase. Participants performed 35 min of monitored activity per day during the Treatment phase. The intervention group (n = 19) cycled at ~60% aerobic capacity (VO2max), while the control group (n = 12) performed a stretching routine. Objective sleep quality was measured nightly throughout the study using wrist actigraphy ratings of subjective sleep quality were also recorded during the Treatment phase. There were no group differences in sleep measures during the Baseline phase (all p >.05). Objective sleep onset latency increased from the Baseline to the Treatment phase in the control (stretching) group (p =.042). In contrast, the Cycling group exhibited improvements in sleep duration (p =.008) and sleep efficiency (p =.023) during the Treatment phase compared to the Baseline phase. Cycling also increased sleep duration (p =.005), decreased average wake bout (p =.040) and tended to increase sleep efficiency (p =.051) compared to stretching during the Treatment phase. Subjective sleep quality ratings did not differ between groups (p >.10). These preliminary findings suggest that moderate‐intensity aerobic exercise may attenuate the sleep disturbances associated with cannabis withdrawal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point‐of‐collection testing (POCT) for Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral fluid is increasingly used to detect driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). However, previous studies have questioned the reliability and accuracy of two commonly used POCT devices, the Securetec DrugWipe® 5 s (DW5s) and Dräger DrugTest® 5000 (DT5000). In the current placebo controlled, double‐blind, crossover study we used liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to accurately quantify cannabinoid concentrations in the oral fluid of 14 participants at various timepoints (10, 60, 120, and 180 minutes) following vaporization of 125 mg of THC‐dominant (11% THC; <1% CBD), THC/CBD equivalent (11% THC; 11% CBD) and placebo (<1% THC; <1% CBD) cannabis. At each timepoint, oral fluid was also screened using the DW5s (10 ng/mL THC cut‐off) and DT5000 (10 ng/mL THC cut‐off). LC–MS/MS analysis showed peak oral fluid THC concentrations at the 10 minute timepoint with a rapid decline thereafter. This trajectory did not differ with THC dominant and THC/CBD equivalent cannabis. With a 10 ng/mL confirmatory cut‐off, 5% of DW5s test results were false positives and 16% false negatives. For the DT5000, 10% of test results were false positives and 9% false negatives. Neither the DW5s nor the DT5000 demonstrated the recommended >80% sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Accuracy was lowest at 60 minutes, when THC concentrations were often close to the screening cut‐off (10 ng/mL). POCT devices can be useful tools in detecting recent cannabis use; however, limitations should be noted, and confirmatory LC–MS/MS quantification of results is strongly advisable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]