Acute and residual effects of alcohol and marijuana, alone and in combination, on mood and performance. 1994

L D Chait, and J L Perry
Department of Psychiatry, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL 60637.

The duration of behavioral impairment after marijuana smoking remains a matter of some debate. Alcohol and marijuana are frequently used together, but there has been little study of the effects of this drug combination on mood and behavior the day after use. The present study was designed to address these issues. Fourteen male and female subjects were each studied under four conditions: alcohol alone, marijuana alone, alcohol and marijuana in combination, and no active treatment. Mood and performance assessments were made during acute intoxication and twice the following day (morning and mid-afternoon). Acutely, each drug alone produced moderate levels of subjective intoxication and some degree of behavioral impairment. The drug combination produced the greatest level of impairment on most tasks and "strong" overall subjective ratings. There were few significant interactions between the two drugs, indicating that their effects tended to be additive. Only weak evidence was obtained for subjective or behavioral effects the day after active drug treatments, although consistent time-of-day effects (morning versus afternoon) were observed on several subjective and behavioral measures. In sum, this study provided little evidence that moderate doses of alcohol and marijuana, consumed either alone or in combination, produce behavioral or subjective impairment the following day.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008606 Mental Processes Conceptual functions or thinking in all its forms. Information Processing, Human,Human Information Processing
D011597 Psychomotor Performance The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity. Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D002188 Cannabis The plant genus in the Cannabaceae plant family, Urticales order, Hamamelidae subclass. The flowering tops are called many slang terms including pot, marijuana, hashish, bhang, and ganja. The stem is an important source of hemp fiber. Bhang,Ganja,Hashish,Hemp,Cannabis indica,Cannabis sativa,Hemp Plant,Marihuana,Marijuana,Bhangs,Cannabi,Ganjas,Hashishs,Hemp Plants,Hemps,Plant, Hemp,Plants, Hemp
D002248 Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide (CO). A poisonous colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. It combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin, which has no oxygen carrying capacity. The resultant oxygen deprivation causes headache, dizziness, decreased pulse and respiratory rates, unconsciousness, and death. (From Merck Index, 11th ed) Monoxide, Carbon
D002940 Circadian Rhythm The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli. Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D004347 Drug Interactions The action of a drug that may affect the activity, metabolism, or toxicity of another drug. Drug Interaction,Interaction, Drug,Interactions, Drug
D005260 Female Females
D006339 Heart Rate The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute. Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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