title: Salivary THC following cannabis smoking correlates with subjective intoxication and heart rate.
abstract: A cannabis smoking trial was conducted using paid volunteers. Subjective intoxication, measured using a visual analogue scale, was compared with heart rate and with salivary delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels at various times after smoking a cigarette containing 11 mg THC. Subjective intoxication and heart rate elevation were significantly correlated with the log of salivary THC. Salivary THC levels are a sensitive index of recent cannabis smoking, and appear more closely linked with the effects of intoxication than do either blood or urine cannabinoid levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Menkes
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Spears
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Cairns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013759:Dronabinol