Trial Outcomes & Findings for Marijuana's Impact on Alcohol Motivation and Consumption (NCT NCT02983773)
NCT ID: NCT02983773
Last Updated: 2026-04-21
Results Overview
Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised (ACQ-SF-R) is a 12-item state measure of alcohol craving in the current moment (i.e., right now), scored on a 7-point Likert scale, from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree, with higher scores indicating greater craving. Scores on this measure are averaged to yield a total craving score.
COMPLETED
PHASE2
157 participants
T0: pre-smoking (-45 minutes) and post smoking at 12 mins (T1), 47 mins (T2), and 58 mins (T3), 116 mins (T4), 178 mins (T5) during the experimental session
2026-04-21
Participant Flow
157 participants were randomized to the experimental session order at the first experimental session and all completed the first experimental session. 131 participants completed all three experimental sessions.
Participant milestones
| Measure |
7.2% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
Placebo Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
3.1% THC Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 placebo cigarette on three separate experimental days.
|
7.2% THC Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by placebo cigarette on three separate experimental days.
|
Placebo Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
3.1% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall Study
STARTED
|
26
|
26
|
26
|
27
|
26
|
26
|
|
Overall Study
COMPLETED
|
20
|
22
|
23
|
23
|
23
|
20
|
|
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
6
|
Reasons for withdrawal
| Measure |
7.2% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
Placebo Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
3.1% THC Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 placebo cigarette on three separate experimental days.
|
7.2% THC Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by placebo cigarette on three separate experimental days.
|
Placebo Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette, Then 3.1% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
3.1% THC Cigarette, Then Placebo Cigarette, Then 7.2% THC Cigarette
Participants smoke 1 cannabis cigarette with 3.1% THC, followed by 1 placebo cigarette, followed by 1 cannabis cigarette with 7.2% THC on three separate experimental days.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall Study
Adverse Event
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Overall Study
Protocol Violation
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Overall Study
Lost to Follow-up
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
|
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
|
Overall Study
Pregnancy
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Baseline Characteristics
Marijuana's Impact on Alcohol Motivation and Consumption
Baseline characteristics by cohort
| Measure |
Overall Study
n=157 Participants
Overall sample of randomized participants (N = 157)
|
|---|---|
|
Age, Continuous
|
25.66 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.13 • n=13 Participants
|
|
Sex: Female, Male
Female
|
53 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Sex: Female, Male
Male
|
104 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
|
1 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
|
4 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
|
0 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
|
23 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
|
101 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
|
12 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
|
16 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
|
34 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
|
121 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
|
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
|
2 Participants
n=13 Participants
|
PRIMARY outcome
Timeframe: T0: pre-smoking (-45 minutes) and post smoking at 12 mins (T1), 47 mins (T2), and 58 mins (T3), 116 mins (T4), 178 mins (T5) during the experimental sessionPopulation: Results are based on 138 participants, who completed at least two experimental sessions; 138 completed the placebo session, 134 completed the 3.1% THC session, and 134 completed the 7.2% THC session.
Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised (ACQ-SF-R) is a 12-item state measure of alcohol craving in the current moment (i.e., right now), scored on a 7-point Likert scale, from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree, with higher scores indicating greater craving. Scores on this measure are averaged to yield a total craving score.
Outcome measures
| Measure |
High THC Dose
n=134 Participants
1 marijuana cigarette (7.2% THC)
THC 7.2%: 1 smoked marijuana cigarette with 7.2% THC
|
Low THC Dose
n=134 Participants
1 marijuana cigarette (3.0% THC)
THC 3.0%: 1 smoked marijuana cigarette with 3.0% THC
|
Placebo
n=138 Participants
Placebo marijuana cigarette
Placebo: 1 smoked placebo marijuana cigarette
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alcohol Craving
Post smoking at 12 mins (T1)
|
2.55 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .98
|
2.64 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .98
|
2.67 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .97
|
|
Alcohol Craving
Post smoking at 47 mins (T2)
|
2.62 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.00
|
2.78 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.02
|
2.74 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.04
|
|
Alcohol Craving
Post smoking at 58 mins (T3)
|
2.84 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.11
|
3.04 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.17
|
2.99 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.18
|
|
Alcohol Craving
Post smoking at 116 mins (T4)
|
2.49 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .98
|
2.55 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .96
|
2.52 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .97
|
|
Alcohol Craving
Post smoking at 178 mins (T5)
|
2.25 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .87
|
2.22 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .81
|
2.34 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .94
|
|
Alcohol Craving
T0: pre-smoking (-45 minutes)
|
2.54 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .93
|
2.64 units on a scale
Standard Deviation .90
|
2.65 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.01
|
SECONDARY outcome
Timeframe: post-smoking during two-hour alcohol choice task during the experimental sessionPopulation: Results are based on 138 participants, who completed at least two experimental sessions; 138 completed the placebo session, 134 completed the 3.1% THC session, and 134 completed the 7.2% THC session.
Participants completed two 60-minute blocks in the bar lab, during which they could drink up to eight mini-drinks of their personal choice with total amount of alcohol available designed to raise blood levels up to 0.10 g/dl or receive monetary reinforcement (in each block $12 tab in which each drink is worth $3) for drinks not consumed. The primary dependent variable for this task is percent of total available alcohol consumed.
Outcome measures
| Measure |
High THC Dose
n=134 Participants
1 marijuana cigarette (7.2% THC)
THC 7.2%: 1 smoked marijuana cigarette with 7.2% THC
|
Low THC Dose
n=134 Participants
1 marijuana cigarette (3.0% THC)
THC 3.0%: 1 smoked marijuana cigarette with 3.0% THC
|
Placebo
n=138 Participants
Placebo marijuana cigarette
Placebo: 1 smoked placebo marijuana cigarette
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Percent of Total Available Alcohol Consumed
|
26.61 percent (range 0 to 100)
Standard Error 2.33
|
29.52 percent (range 0 to 100)
Standard Error 2.13
|
36.25 percent (range 0 to 100)
Standard Error 2.47
|
Adverse Events
7.2% THC
3.1% THC
Placebo
Serious adverse events
Adverse event data not reported
Other adverse events
| Measure |
7.2% THC
n=157 participants at risk
1 marijuana cigarette (7.2% THC)
|
3.1% THC
n=157 participants at risk
1 marijuana cigarette (3.1% THC)
|
Placebo
n=157 participants at risk
Placebo marijuana cigarette
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Psychiatric disorders
elevated anxiety response after cannabis smoking
|
0.00%
0/157 • AEs were monitored following the randomization through study completion, an average of 24 days.
Study-related Adverse Events are reported
|
0.64%
1/157 • AEs were monitored following the randomization through study completion, an average of 24 days.
Study-related Adverse Events are reported
|
0.00%
0/157 • AEs were monitored following the randomization through study completion, an average of 24 days.
Study-related Adverse Events are reported
|
Additional Information
Results disclosure agreements
- Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
- Publication restrictions are in place