Vaporized Cannabis Extracts Have Reinforcing Properties and Support Conditioned Drug-Seeking Behavior in Rats.

ABSTRACT: Recent trends in cannabis legalization have increased the necessity to better understand the effects of cannabis use. Animal models involving traditional cannabinoid self-administration approaches have been notoriously difficult to establish and differences in the drug used and its route of administration have limited the translational value of preclinical studies. To address this challenge in the field, we have developed a novel method of cannabis self-administration using response-contingent delivery of vaporized Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-rich (CANTHC) or cannabidiol-rich (CANCBD) whole-plant cannabis extracts. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to nose-poke for discrete puffs of CANTHC, CANCBD, or vehicle (VEH) in daily 1 h sessions. Cannabis vapor reinforcement resulted in strong disc

SUBMITTER: Freels TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7046447 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature