Inhaled doses of as small as 2 mg of the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 can significantly reduce critical thinking and memory, slow response times, and raise confusion and dissociation reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Seventeen healthy participants inhaled the vapor of JWH-018 in doses ranging from 2-6.2 mg.
‘Synthetic cannabinoid mixtures have been readily accessible for years, leading to the belief that these products were natural and safe, which contributed to their popularity. But a new study finds that lack of control over drug delivery may raise the risk of overdosing in synthetic cannabinoid users.’
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The article entitled "Neurocognition and Subjective Experience Following Acute Doses of the Synthetic Cannabinoid JWH-018: Responders Versus Nonresponders" describes the highly variable subjective intoxication of the participants. Read More..
Coauthors Eef Theunissen, Nadia Hutten, Natasha Mason, Kim Kuypers, and Johannes Ramaekers, Maastricht University (The Netherlands) and Stefan Toennes, Goethe University of Frankfurt (Germany), concluded that the serious adverse effects seen in overdose cases are the result of either higher doses or mixtures of synthetic cannabinoids.
"This is incredibly important as it is the first controlled human laboratory study of synthetic cannabinoids that have been found in illicit drug products such as Spice and K2," says Associate Editor Dr. Ryan Vandrey, John Hopkins School of Medicine.
"Demonstrating safety and providing initial dose-effects on key outcomes will hopefully inspire additional research in this area."
Source-Eurekalert