Delta-9-THC
Acute self-administration of inhaled or oral ∆9-THC by healthy adult research volunteers
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Delta-8-THC is an isomer of delta-9-THC that has become widely available due to the legalization of hemp and its derivatives. Very little controlled research has been conducted with delta-8-THC and some research suggests it produces similar effects to delta-9-THC, albeit at lower potency. The present study will evaluate the dose effects of delta-8-THC, compared with delta-9-THC, on simulated driving performance, field sobriety tests, cognitive performance, and biomarkers of exposure to cannabinoids. The results will inform policy and education related to impairment due to acute delta-8-THC exposure via vaporization and oral ingestion.
Locally preserved from ClinicalTrials.govOpen ClinicalTrials.govlast source update 2026-07-20
What this record can show
This locally preserved record separates the registered protocol from source-reported registry results. Neither is a treatment recommendation.
Registry facts
The present study will characterize the acute effects of oral and inhaled ∆8-THC, compared with a positive control dose of ∆9-THC and placebo, on subjective drug effects, cardiovascular effects, cognitive performance, simulated driving performance, field sobriety tests, and drug testing outcomes in oral fluid, blood, hair, and urine. Healthy adults with a history of cannabis use will be recruited to participate in a placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover study at the Johns Hopkins Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU). The result will be a comparative pharmacology and toxicology dataset for ∆8-THC and ∆9-THC via both oral ingestion and inhalation, two routes of administration that are predominant in retail products currently being sold across the U.S. This study will provide urgently needed data on the behavioral pharmacology and toxicology of ∆8-THC, a novel cannabinoid that is now widely available, but for which there is little public knowledge or public health messaging. This data will directly inform the impact of ∆8-THC use on drug testing programs, and the comparative effects of ∆8-THC to ∆9-THC can be used to inform regulatory decisions related to public safety and the sale of these products.
Linked local records
Local links use governed condition terms or exact source-reported intervention names. They are navigation candidates, not efficacy claims.
Interventions
Acute self-administration of inhaled or oral ∆9-THC by healthy adult research volunteers
Acute self-administration of inhaled or oral ∆8-THC by healthy adult research volunteers
Consumption of a brownie or inhalation of ambient air through a cannabis vaporizer by health adult research volunteers
Eligibility
primary outcomes
Time frame: 0-8 hours
A measure of lane weaving during simulated driving performance, the standard deviation of lateral position is a standard metric of impairment in driving performance. A score of 0 (perfect score, no deviation) is the minimum score possible and there is no upper threshold score. Higher scores equate to worse performance (more lane weaving).
secondary outcomes
Time frame: 0-8 hours
Peak rating (0-100) of Drug Effect on the DEQ, a visual analog scale (VAS) self-report questionnaire with 0 being No drug effect and 100 being maximum drug effect
Time frame: 0-8 hours
Peak Global Impairment score (0-75) recorded as a result of performance on the DRUID App, a brief cognitive task battery completed on a mobile device (e.g., iPad). Larger scores indicate worse performance on the task.
Publications
No exact PMID-linked public article is currently readable locally.