Matheson et al. report that adults who use cannabis showed no measurable cognitive deficits 12–15 h after smoking compared to controls, though subjective drug effects remained elevated. Higher THC potency/concentrations were linked to poorer memory and slower processing.
doi.org/10.1016/j.da...

Cognitive performance and subjective effects the morning after last use of smoked cannabis by adults who use cannabis frequently: An observational study To examine next-day cognitive performance and subjective drug effects after smoking cannabis and to assess associations between performance and cannab…

New from our team at CAMH - we find nuanced evidence for next-day performance effects of smoked cannabis, likely associated with higher-THC-potency products

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🚨 Only 6 of 29 studies on #cannabis’ acute cognitive effects found #sex differences! New #review highlights gaps: small samples, poor sex/gender measurement, and no inclusion of trans/gender-diverse participants 🧠 #CannabisResearch #SexDifferences
https://ow.ly/7Tzi50Yh71A

Congratulations to TC3-Toronto Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Consortium fellows and alumni Justin Matheson, PhD, Catharine Mielnik, PhD and Claire Shyu, PhD for putting together an outstanding… | ... Congratulations to TC3-Toronto Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Consortium fellows and alumni Justin Matheson, PhD, Catharine Mielnik, PhD and Claire Shyu, PhD for putting together an outstanding sym...

Congratulations to TC3 fellows and alumni @justinrmatheson.com, @camielnik.bsky.social & Claire Shyu for an outstanding symposium about integrating sex- &gender-based analysis into #cannabinoid #research at Canadian Organization for Gender & Sex Research's International Meeting tinyurl.com/yc6xs4m9

Amazing interview!!! Congrats 😁

Interview with Screenwriters Lee Bice-Matheson, Kevin Matheson (AWAKEN THE MEDIUM) Awaken the Medium is a feature-length script that follows the story of Maggie Samson, whose latest near-death experience thrusts her into discovering her gifts and powers. Maggie is a librarian in …

Thanks a million @wildsoundfestival.bsky.social for our Award Winner status on our spec script, Awaken the Medium. We are #grateful festivalreviews.org/2026/01/25/7...
#Screenplay #Thriller #Suspense #spiritual

Registration is now open for the Canadian Cannabis Research Summit

Includes a 1-day EDI in cannabis research workshop (May 27) + main conference (May 28–29)

Early bird rates end Feb 28
Learn more: ccic.net/ccic-conference
Register here: lnkd.in/gznYMaMJ
Submit an abstract: lnkd.in/gUiS5ZBM

Sex differences in the acute effects of cannabis: the need for hypothesis-driven research Sex and gender can impact cannabis use and related harms, yet the field has historically centered men and male bodies. In our recent systematic review of sex differences in the acute cognitive effects...

Thrilled to share a new commentary paper!!
Sex differences in the acute effects of cannabis: the need for hypothesis-driven research cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10....

So sorry, Liisa! She looks like such a cutie. 💔

ICRS TRAINEE WEBINAR INFORMATION

We’re excited to announce the upcoming ICRS Training Seminar: Beyond Academia: Expanding your Career Possibilities
📆Thursday, January 22nd
⏰12:00 PM EST
👉Free to Attend with Registration: tinyurl.com/icrswebinar
Reserve your spot today and take the next step toward shaping your future!

Congrats Tory!

Academia problems - I don't have time to finish a paper I started over a year ago because other more urgent papers keep popping up.

I think this is why I stopped using Trello. I don't really want to see in writing that I started a task on May 3 and completed it in September. it waters down the sense of accomplishment when I cross the task off my list 😂

📣 SAVE THE DATE: May 27-29, 2026 for the Canadian Cannabis Research Summit and TC3 EDI Workshop at the University of Toronto! We are excited to partner once again with the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids. Details To Come! #cannabis #cannabinoids #research @utoronto.ca

All six studies with positive evidence found greater cognitive effects of cannabis in female participants, so there's likely something to consider there, though it might mean moving beyond the binary "sex differences" framework!

There's a lot to unpack here! Almost all studies rely on secondary analysis, no description of sex/gender measurement, no consideration of gender, wide variability in outcome measures, drug exposure paradigms, and stat considerations

Sex differences in the acute effects of cannabis on human cognition: A systematic review Acute cannabis exposure can transiently impair cognitive performance, increasing the risk of accidental injury and potentially disrupting activities o…

Thrilled to share a new systematic review where we examined sex differences in the acute cognitive effects of cannabis in humans

Overall, not much evidence of sex diffs (6/29 studies, 8/216 variables found sex diffs)

BUT...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Effects of acute alcohol administration on endocannabinoids and relation to subjective effects - Psychopharmacology Rationale Harmful alcohol use remains a significant global public health challenge. Examining variability in the acute subjective effects of alcohol and related neurobiological mechanisms may advance the understanding of susceptibility to harmful alcohol use. Research suggests the endocannabinoid (eCB) system may play an important role in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. This study examined the relationship between alcohol-induced changes in eCB concentrations and the subjective psychoactive effects of acute alcohol consumption. Method Healthy social drinkers (n = 28, aged 20–35 years) participated in a within-subjects, single-blind, placebo-controlled laboratory alcohol challenge study. Alcohol (0.6 g/kg; with 20% adjustment for women) and placebo sessions were counterbalanced. Subjective alcohol effects were assessed from self-report questionnaires administered pre- and post-dosing, including the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES), Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ), and Profile of Mood States (POMS). The eCBs, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), were assessed from blood plasma taken throughout the dosing session. Results Acute alcohol was associated with an overall decrease in 2-AG concentrations compared to placebo. Further, we found that a drop in 2-AG concentrations was associated with less drug ‘liking’ and feelings of ‘friendliness’, whereas under placebo conditions, a rise in 2-AG was associated with a smaller decrease in feelings of ‘stimulation’ (e.g., feeling energized, talkative). Alcohol did not significantly affect AEA concentrations. Conclusion Our study provides the first evidence that eCBs may contribute to individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol's reward-related mechanisms by influencing subjective experience, offering insight into the potential role of eCBs in the processes underlying harmful alcohol use.

New @pact-lab.bsky.social paper out today led by [current postdoc] Gavin Petrie & [former postdoc] Raegan Mazurka exploring how acute alcohol impacts endocannabinoid levels & their relation to the subjective effects of alcohol 🍻

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Our new paper published in Psychiatry Research: Daily associations between posttraumatic stress disorder, cannabis use, and negative affect among veterans. #PTSD #veterans @iasatusc.bsky.social @uscpsychiatry.bsky.social @leightley.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New Cannabis publication! Cannabis Use Characteristics and Reasons for Product Choices Among Patients Accessing Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Study. Big collaborative effort across 19 affiliations led by @justinrmatheson.com.
publications.sciences.ucf.edu/cannabis/ind...

Thank you! ☺️

Our goal is to evaluate the extent to which problematic cannabis use research has been conducted through a sex and gender lens, and to identify areas for future research and opportunities to incorporate sex-informed and gender-responsive or -transformative interventions to prevent and treat CUDs

Sex and Gender Influences on Problematic Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Disorder: A Scoping Review Protocol Introduction Cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are more prevalent among men and boys than among women and girls. However, this sex/gender gap has been narrowing in recent decades, likely du...

Check out our new pre-print protocol - we're setting out on a journey to examine the scope of existing evidence for sex and gender influences on problematic cannabis use, including cannabis use disorder

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Any lifetime cannabis use was broadly associated with worse mental health characteristics in this sample, though some of these relationships were no longer significant when controlling for trauma history - that was maybe the most interesting piece to me (more cannabis & trauma research needed!)

Associations Between Cannabis Use and Mental Health in Patients Accessing Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study Background: Cannabis use is common among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), yet its relationship with mental health characteristics in treatment-seeking populations remains unclear. O...

Pleased to share a new article published today - we examined relationships between cannabis use and mental health characteristics in patients accessing treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) In Ontario, Canada www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YMGZT...

Understanding why people with minoritized sexual and gender identities have higher rates of cannabis use is one of my research interests... and one day I'll finally start publishing some of the data I have on this topic 🙃

According to the 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey, recreational cannabis use in the past 12 months was lower among people who identified as heterosexual/straight (23%) compared to those who identified as another sexuality (61%), bisexual (55%), or lesbian/gay (38%)

www.canada.ca/en/health-ca...

A Review of Disparities in Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Disorder Affecting Sexual and Gender Minority Populations and Evidence for Contributing Factors - Current Addiction Reports Purpose of Review Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) appear to be at elevated risk for cannabis use (CU) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) compared to cisgender heterosexuals. However, risk factors rema...

Happy Pride Month!

Did you know that 2SLGBTQ+ people have higher rates of cannabis use than cis, straight people?

Bisexual women appear to have the highest rates

Read more in this fantastic review from Christina Dyar: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

We did see some suggestive evidence of body weight reduction in the low-dose nabilone arm vs. placebo, but really small n's here (n=4 in each arm)

Also, some evidence of microbiome changes (again, low n)

Overall, the treatment was not well tolerated, but maybe worth continuing to explore this!

Feasibility and Tolerability of Nabilone for the Treatment of Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial | Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Introduction: In epidemiological studies, people who use cannabis have a lower prevalence of obesity. Furthermore, the endocannabinoid system is recognized as a potential target for obesity treatment ...

New pilot cannabinoid RCT just dropped! We examined feasibility and preliminary efficacy of nabilone for body weight reduction in adults in obesity, and also looked for some potential mechanisms. Long story short - the drug regimen was not well tolerated

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...