10 Aug Frequent cannabis users show higher cortisol levels at awakening compared to controls
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MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Anita Cservenka, PhD
Associate Professor; Director, Substance Use & Neurocognition Lab
School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Dr. Cservenka, PhD[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Cservenka: There had been limited research on whether frequent cannabis use is associated with changes in individuals' diurnal stress activity, which can be measured by examining the cortisol awakening response. However, some previous studies had shown that the typical rise of cortisol in the morning, which is thought to be a marker of our body's preparation for managing the stressors of the day, may be blunted among individuals with alcohol use disorder. A recent study by Glodosky et al., 2026, also suggested this may be the case among those with chronic cannabis use, so we attempted to replicate those findings. Although we did not find group differences in the cortisol awakening response (the difference in cortisol 30 minutes post-awakening and at the time of awakening) between individuals who engaged in frequent cannabis use relative to controls, we did find that cannabis use may be related to higher levels of cortisol at the time of awakening and this was significantly related to cannabis use consequences.
Dr. Edward Liu[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Edward Liu, MD
Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Scranton, PA 18509
Medicalresearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prescription drugs have high levels of uniformity that plant-based products cannot achieve. Given the liberalization of state-laws regarding medical marijuana1 over the past three-decades and increasing evidence of evidence of cannabis for conditions like chronic pain,2 we were interested in the use of the prescription formulation of delta(Δ)9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). A prior pharmacoepidemiology report found that prescription THC (dronabinol) to Medicaid patients decreased from 2016 to 2020. There were also pronounced state-level disparities in prescribing with a 130-fold difference when correcting for population between the highest and lowest states.
There was no research on this topic among Medicare patients. To address this gap, we obtained prescription numbers nationally and at a state level from 2014 to 2019 for Medicare Part D patients.
Source: IMAGE[/caption]
Dr. Kruger[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
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Dr. Felicione[/caption]
Response: Alcohol consumption, especially heavy alcohol consumption, is associated with many health risks and nearly 200 different health conditions and diseases. Reducing alcohol consumption reduces the risks and harms from alcohol. Previous research has demonstrated that people have reduced their alcohol consumption when they have access to cannabis. Cannabis beverages have emerged in States where cannabis is legal for adult or medical use.