Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 29, 2019
Stacey Farmer, Melissa N. Slavin, Mallory Loflin et al.
16 citations
Cannabis remains the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States, and as legal status has changed, more people use edibles. Among 172 individuals who reported an uncomfortable experience with edible cannabis, 62.9% found the experience at least somewhat meaningful, and 95.2% reported no medical problems. The most common non-medical problem was going to bed early or lying down (75.8%). Most participants (69.2%) said dose was the key contributor to the negative experience. Those who rated the experience as more aversive were less likely to use edibles again, and longer duration of the aversive experience correlated with higher aversiveness. Despite discomfort, the vast majority used edibles again and reported no significant problems.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
August 3, 2017
Mallory Loflin, Mitch Earleywine, Stacey Farmer et al.
7 citations
Telling people they are consuming a cannabis-infused edible can produce feelings of intoxication even when the product contains no active drug. In a study of 20 participants who were given a placebo lollipop but told it contained a high dose of THC, measures of cannabis intoxication and negative mood showed significant changes over 60 minutes, while positive mood and a general intoxication measure did not. This provides preliminary evidence that the placebo effect extends to edible cannabis products, which have a delayed onset of effect.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 10, 2025
Mitch Earleywine, Caitlin Holley, Henry A. Macconnel et al.
Veterans receiving care from the Veterans Affairs system hold a mix of hope, curiosity, and concerns about MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. In a story completion task, at least one third of 30 participants mentioned shortcomings of existing treatments, curiosity about the treatment's rationale, hope, and concerns about side effects, subjective effects, and addictive potential. Clear misunderstandings about the molecule, treatment, or its implications appeared in at least 10% of narratives. Allusions to therapist abuse, microdosing, and the role of sitters were rare. These findings can guide development of surveys and psychoeducation materials to address attitudes in larger veteran samples.