Transdermal nicotine alters some of marihuana's effects in male and female volunteers

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

In order to investigate the effects of the principal psychoactive component in tobacco smoke, nicotine, on marihuana-induced intoxication, the researchers conducted a double blind, cross-over experiment using nicotine transdermal patches.

Why It Was Studied

Despite the fact that tobacco and marihuana are often used together, relatively little is known about the effects of this combination.

Measurements of physiological activity (heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature) and subjective effects (self-reports of drug effects on visual analog scales (VAS) and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI)) were made periodically before and for 3h after smoking.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 10 participants were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

As a double-blind Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) group a baseline to be compared against.

In the crossover set-up each of the participants took both Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

Measurements of physiological activity (heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature) and subjective effects (self-reports of drug effects on visual analog scales (VAS) and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI)) were made periodically before and for 3h after smoking.

Nicotine pre-treatment enhanced several responses to marihuana, in particular, heart rate, reports of "stimulated" on the visual analog scales, and scores on the Amphetamine scale of the ARCI.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Administration, Cutaneous, Blood Pressure, Cannabis, Drug Synergism, Emotions, Heart Rate and Marijuana Smoking.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in 10 participants.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2005 (Drug and alcohol dependence), a journal based in Ireland.

More context: the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) compound page, all human trials.