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The concentration of THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in blood plasma remains elevated even after five days of abstinence in heavy regular marijuana smokers, according to research funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse that was presented by Mateus Bergamaschi today at the The Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) meeting at Boston Marriott Copley Place. Bergamaschi's research team recruited six men and one woman to volunteer to spend 51 days in an inpatient setting smoking marijuana "ad-libitum", or freely, while their blood was drawn at regular intervals for testing.
In Bergamaschi's study, participants alternated between smoking ad-libitum for a period of several days, then remaining abstinent for five days. Researchers found that even at the end of the five-day abstinence periods, THC concentrations in blood plasma remained high. As an example, Bergamaschi showed a graph of the data for a participant who smoked one joint at 11:00 a.m. This person's THC level spiked to near 80 ng/ml, then dropped to about 20 ng/ml by 12:30 p.m., showing how responsive THC levels are to smoked marijuana.
Bergamaschi reported that the highest THC concentration measured in his study was 211 ng/ml, and this was in a person who had smoked six joints in one hour. He also showed a chart of the THC levels in a participant who had smoked 21 joints in one day. When asked about how representative his participants were of the marijuana-smoking population, Bergamaschi admitted a certain amount of bias may be in play.
"It is easy to find participants for these studies [of heavy users] because they don't have jobs," he explained, and added that "it is difficult to recruit light users" for 51-day inpatient studies as they would need to take time off from work.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Monika Wahi
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: After five days of abstinence, chronic pot smokers still have high THC levels - Boston public health | Examiner.com
In Bergamaschi's study, participants alternated between smoking ad-libitum for a period of several days, then remaining abstinent for five days. Researchers found that even at the end of the five-day abstinence periods, THC concentrations in blood plasma remained high. As an example, Bergamaschi showed a graph of the data for a participant who smoked one joint at 11:00 a.m. This person's THC level spiked to near 80 ng/ml, then dropped to about 20 ng/ml by 12:30 p.m., showing how responsive THC levels are to smoked marijuana.
Bergamaschi reported that the highest THC concentration measured in his study was 211 ng/ml, and this was in a person who had smoked six joints in one hour. He also showed a chart of the THC levels in a participant who had smoked 21 joints in one day. When asked about how representative his participants were of the marijuana-smoking population, Bergamaschi admitted a certain amount of bias may be in play.
"It is easy to find participants for these studies [of heavy users] because they don't have jobs," he explained, and added that "it is difficult to recruit light users" for 51-day inpatient studies as they would need to take time off from work.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Monika Wahi
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: After five days of abstinence, chronic pot smokers still have high THC levels - Boston public health | Examiner.com
