Rationale: As cannabis potency and cannabis use are increasing in newly legalized markets, it is increasingly important to measure and examine the effects of cannabinoid exposure.

Objectives: The current study aims to assess how hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations - offering insight into three-month cumulative exposure - are associated with common self-report measures of cannabis use and cannabis use-related problems.

Methods: 74 near-daily dependent cannabis users self-reported their quantity of cannabis use, cannabis use-related problems, and estimated cannabis potency. Hair samples were provided to quantify Δ9-THC, CBD, and CBN using LC-MS/MS and THC-consumption was verified by analyzing THC-COOH in hair using GC-MS/MS.

Results: Cannabinoids were detectable in 95.95% of the hair samples from individuals who tested positive on a urine screen for cannabis. Δ9-THC concentrations were positively associated with measures of self-reported potency (relative potency, potency category, and perceived 'high'), but Δ9-THC, CBD, CBN concentrations and THC/CBD ratio were not associated with self-reported quantity of use. Self-reported potency, but not hair-derived concentrations, were associated with withdrawal and craving. Self-reported quantity of cannabis use, but not cannabinoid concentrations, were associated with cannabis use-related problems.

Conclusions: The use of hair-derived cannabinoid quantification is supported for detecting cannabis use in near-daily users, but the lack of associations between hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations and self-report measures of use does not support the use of hair analyses alone for quantification of cannabinoid exposure. Further research comparing hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations with other biological matrices (e.g. plasma) and self-report is necessary to further evaluate the validity of hair analyses for this purpose.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11106191PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06558-0DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hair-derived cannabinoid
20
cannabinoid concentrations
16
cannabis
12
cannabis use-related
12
self-reported quantity
12
associations hair-derived
8
cannabinoid
8
cannabis potency
8
self-report measures
8
cannabis cannabis
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!