Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42009751›Full record

ArticlePsychopharmacology2026

Cannabis use patterns and perception of acute pain during brief abstinence: sex-dependent associations with circulating cannabinoid levels.

Elisa Pabon, Samantha L Baglot, Alisha Eversole, Timothy Fong, Katherine Hampilos, Anna Hilger, Stephanie Lake, Conor H Murray, Caroline A Arout, Margaret Haney and 4 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychopharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04385082 (Sex-dependent Effects of Cannabis), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT04385082 phase1active not recruitingnot on this map

Sex-dependent Effects of Cannabis: Assessing Analgesic, Abuse-related and Pharmacokinetic Differences Between Men and Women

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, Los AngelesRan2021 to 2027Enrolled160ConditionsPain, Abuse, DrugArmsActive Cannabis, Placebo Cannabis
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

14 authors.

Elisa PabonDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. elisapabon@g.ucla.edu.
Samantha L BaglotDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alisha EversoleDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Timothy FongDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Katherine HampilosDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Anna HilgerDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Stephanie LakeDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Conor H MurrayDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Caroline A AroutDepartment of Psychiatry, Division on Substance Use Disorders New York Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Margaret HaneyDepartment of Psychiatry, Division on Substance Use Disorders New York Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Adren TranDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine , Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alexa TorrensDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine , Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Daniele PiomelliDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine , Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ziva D CooperDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

UCLA Clinical Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001881 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI ARLEEN F. BROWN, ARASH NAEIM · 2016 to 2026
$118.1M
Impact of Cannabinoid Across the Lifespan (ICAL)P50DA044118 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Daniele Piomelli · 2018 to 2026
$18.2M
UPLIFT: UCLA Postdocs' Longitudinal Investment in Faculty TrainingK12GM106996 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI CAREY, MICHAEL F, VILLANUEVA, CLAUDIO J · 2016 to 2025
$7.1M
UCLA Training Program in Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse (TNDA)T32DA024635 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI LARA A. RAY, Kate M Wassum · 2008 to 2026
$6.2M
Analgesic and subjective effects of terpenes administered alone and in combination with THC: Potential THC- and opioid-sparing effects of myrcene and ß-caryophylleneR01AT010762 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI COOPER, ZIVA D · 2020 to 2025
$4.0M
Sex-dependent effects of cannabis: Assessing abuse-related and pharmacokinetic differences between men and womenR01DA047296 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI COOPER, ZIVA D · 2019 to 2024
$3.5M
Age-and sex-dependent pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of oral and smoked delta-9-THCR01DA057252 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI ZIVA D COOPER · 2022 to 2026
$2.6M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001881NCCIH NIH HHS R01 AT010762NIDA NIH HHS P50 DA044118NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA047296NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA057252NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA024635NIGMS NIH HHS K12 GM106996
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleThe impact of cannabis use patterns on pain perception during abstinence remains unclear.

objectivesThis study examined whether cannabis use frequency and weekly delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure are associated with pain perception and circulating cannabinoid levels during biochemically verified brief abstinence.

methodsHealthy adults (N = 75; 29 females, 46 males; ages 21–55) reporting past-month cannabis use were categorized into “Occasional” (< 5 days/week) or “Frequent” (≥ 5 days/week) groups. Weekly THC exposure (mg) was estimated from self-reported frequency, quantity, and THC concentration of cannabis used. After ≥ 12 h of biochemically verified abstinence, blood samples were analyzed by LC-MS/MS for THC, 11-OH-THC, 11-COOH-THC, anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), oleoylethanolamide (OEA), and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). Participants completed Cold Pressor Test pain threshold and tolerance assessments and subjective pain ratings. Mixed-effects models examined relationships between cannabis use patterns, circulating cannabinoids, and pain outcomes.

resultsFrequent users (N = 37; 6.2 ± 1.4 days/week) exhibited higher plasma THC, 11-OH-THC, and 11-COOH-THC than occasional users (N = 38; 2.6 ± 1.6 days/week; all p < 0.05). Weekly THC exposure positively correlated with plasma THC and 11-COOH-THC (p < 0.05). Females showed higher AEA, OEA, and PEA than males (p < 0.05), independent of use patterns. Pain outcomes did not differ by cannabis use frequency or weekly THC exposure and were not associated with cannabinoid levels.

conclusionsNeither cannabis use frequency nor weekly THC exposure related to acute pain perception during brief abstinence, though weekly THC exposure was positively associated with circulating THC and 11-COOH-THC levels. Short-term abstinence did not produce hyperalgesia in healthy cannabis users. Studies with longer abstinence periods and in clinical populations are needed to elucidate cannabis-related pain mechanisms. [ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04385082; 5/11/2020]

Indexed as

AbstinenceCannabisEndocannabinoidsPainPhytocannabinoidsWithdrawal

Identifiers

PMID42009751
PMCPMC13422074

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Registered trials

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.