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NCT Number: NCT06588582

Perceptual Influences From Smoking Cannabis: an Experimental Study

The purpose of the study is to better understand the effects of cannabis in relation to mental and physical states including its relationship with mood, cognition, perception including the experience of temperature and pain, and heart rate.

We expect that participants will be in this research study for approximately one week. The total amount of time that participants will spend completing study tasks will be about 2.5 hours across two separate in-person visits.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Cannabis Use Stress

Age range

21 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Colorado at Boulder

Boulder, Colorado, 80309, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Carillon Skrzynski, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

(734)788-2961

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 21-65 years of age
  • Endorsement of at least some use of cannabis for coping purposes (>1 on CMMQ)
  • Regularly use flower cannabis products (i.e., ≥1x/week in the last 6 months)
  • Proficient in English language
  • At least occasional use of CBD+THC or CBD-dominant products (e.g., ≥1x/month)

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis or use of medications for substance use or psychotic disorders
  • Report of other drug use (cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine) in the past 90 days or fail urine screen for any of these drugs
  • Females cannot be pregnant or trying to become pregnant or nursing mothers
  • Not able to provide informed consent

Treatment and study plan

Water Temperature Variation - WW

Other

Participants are assigned to warm water temperature.

Water Temperature Variation - CW

Other

Participants are assigned to cold water temperature and are video recorded.

Primary outcomes

  1. Blood Cortisol Levels

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use, 40 minutes Post-Use

    Cortisol levels are measured in blood.

  2. Cannabis Used

    Time frame: Immediate Post-Use

    Grams of product used is calculated. Product is measured before and after use to measure how much was used.

  3. Blood Endocannabinoid Levels

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use

    Blood levels of AEA are measured.

  4. Heart Rate

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, Pre-Use/Post-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use

    Participant HR is measured via pulse oximeter.

  5. Social Anxiety

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task

    Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). 20 item survey, questions are answered on scale of 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely), with higher scores indicating higher social anxiety. Questions are summed, with higher overall scores indicating higher social anxiety.

  6. Inhibitory Control

    Time frame: Baseline

    Go/No-go Task. Participants are asked to complete a cognitive task where they see the text "Go" or "No go" during different trials. When they see "Go", they need to push a button within 2 seconds. When they see "No-go", they need to make sure they do not press the button (for 2 seconds). This is a measure of impulsivity.

  7. Stress

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task

    Stress Subscale of Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale measures stress. On scale from 0 (does not apply to me at all) to 3 (apply to me very much or most of the time). Higher scores indicate higher stress levels.

  8. Blood cannabinoid levels

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use

    THC and CBD blood levels are measured.

  9. Current Pain

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, Pre-Use/Post-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use, 40 minutes Post-Use

    Internal scale/measure, measured from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Participants report current pain on this self-report scale.

  10. Mood

    Time frame: Pre-Use/Pre-Water Task, Pre-Use/Post-Water Task, 20 minutes Post-Use, 40 minutes Post-Use

    Profile of Mood States (POMS). Focus on the stress, anxiety, tension, and relaxation questions (combined for a tension/anxiety subscale). Questions are on a scale 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). Scores are summed, with higher scores indicating more tension/anxiety.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carillon Skrzynski, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

(734)788-2961

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Colorado, Boulder

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Registry information

Official study title

Exploring the Antecedents and Consequences of Cannabis Use in the Context of Coping: An Experimental Study

Acronym: PISCES

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Sep 19, 2024
Registry last updated
Jun 13, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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