Rocky Mountain Cannabis Research Center - Cannabidiol and Older Adult Cannabis Users: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
University of Colorado, Boulder
Summary
Cannabis use increased 10 fold among adults over the age of 65 between 2014 and 2016 but very little data exists on the extent of their harmful effects on health and behavior. The overarching goal of this project is to test a novel harm reduction strategy in which older individuals who seek to use cannabis for pain, anxiety or mood problems (depression/anxiety) will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions in an 8 week randomized controlled trial: hemp-derived CBD+THC, hemp-derived CBD-THC, or placebo. This work has the ability to directly inform individual choices regarding the use of cannabis products among older adults, and direct policy decisions regulating cannabis formulations on the legal market.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 60+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * At least 60 years of age * Able to provide informed consent * Must have used a cannabis product at least once with no negative effects * Must not have been regularly using any cannabis products (\<3x/month) in the last 6 months * Female participants must be postmenopausal * Liver function tests (Alanine transaminase (ALT) and * Aspartate transaminase (AST)) must show levels no greater than 2x the upper normal limits for age * Must be currently taking medication/s for pain, sleep, and/or mood Exclusion Criteria: * Blood alcohol level \> 0 at screening (to sign consent f…
Interventions
- DrugfsCBD Cannabidiol
Full Spectrum hemp-derived CBD (fsCBD; 200mg CBD/4mg THC) capsules produced by Ecofibre/Ananda Hemp will be used
- DrugbsCBD Cannabidiol
Broad spectrum hemp-derived CBD (bsCBD; 200mg CBD) capsules produced by Ecofibre/Ananda Hemp will be used
- DrugPlacebo
Placebo arm; capsules produced by Ecofibre/Ananda Hemp will be used
Location
- University of Colorado at BoulderBoulder, Colorado