Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38407636›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2024

Associations between hair-derived cannabinoid levels, self-reported use, and cannabis-related problems.

Emese Kroon, Janna Cousijn, Francesca Filbey, Christian Berchtold, Tina M Binz, Lauren Kuhns

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychopharmacology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.5field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Something is not nothing: Hair-tested substance use and cognitive functions in a large community sample of young adults.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. The role of sex in the association between cannabis use disorder and resting-state functional connectivity.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Emese KroonDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. kroon@essb.eur.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1803-9336
Janna CousijnDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Francesca FilbeyDepartment of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Christian BerchtoldCenter for Forensic Hair Analytics, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Tina M BinzCenter for Forensic Hair Analytics, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Lauren KuhnsDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
University of Zurich · CHIVO Addiction Research Institute · NLNetherlands Leprosy Relief · NLThe University of Texas at Dallas · USUniversity of Amsterdam · NL

Funding

The Role of Motivation and Control in Cannabis Use Disorders: A Cross-Cultural Longitudinal Neuroimaging StudyR01DA042490 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · PI COUSIJN, JANNA, FILBEY, FRANCESCA · 2017 to 2021
$2.6M
NIDA NIH HHS 1R01 DA042490-01A1NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA042490
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleAs cannabis potency and cannabis use are increasing in newly legalized markets, it is increasingly important to measure and examine the effects of cannabinoid exposure.

objectivesThe current study aims to assess how hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations - offering insight into three-month cumulative exposure - are associated with common self-report measures of cannabis use and cannabis use-related problems.

methods74 near-daily dependent cannabis users self-reported their quantity of cannabis use, cannabis use-related problems, and estimated cannabis potency. Hair samples were provided to quantify Δ9-THC, CBD, and CBN using LC-MS/MS and THC-consumption was verified by analyzing THC-COOH in hair using GC-MS/MS.

resultsCannabinoids were detectable in 95.95% of the hair samples from individuals who tested positive on a urine screen for cannabis. Δ9-THC concentrations were positively associated with measures of self-reported potency (relative potency, potency category, and perceived 'high'), but Δ9-THC, CBD, CBN concentrations and THC/CBD ratio were not associated with self-reported quantity of use. Self-reported potency, but not hair-derived concentrations, were associated with withdrawal and craving. Self-reported quantity of cannabis use, but not cannabinoid concentrations, were associated with cannabis use-related problems.

conclusionsThe use of hair-derived cannabinoid quantification is supported for detecting cannabis use in near-daily users, but the lack of associations between hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations and self-report measures of use does not support the use of hair analyses alone for quantification of cannabinoid exposure. Further research comparing hair-derived cannabinoid concentrations with other biological matrices (e.g. plasma) and self-report is necessary to further evaluate the validity of hair analyses for this purpose.

Indexed as

CannabinoidsHairSelf ReportAdultChromatography, LiquidDronabinolFemaleHumansMaleMarijuana AbuseMiddle AgedSubstance Abuse DetectionTandem Mass SpectrometryYoung AdultCannabinoidsDronabinolCannabinoidsCannabisHair analysisSelf-report

Identifiers

PMID38407636
PMCPMC11106191
OpenAlexW4392167355

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.