Marijuana and HIV drugs: a risky mix or safe combo?
NCT ID NCT04800159
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how cannabis (marijuana) affects the levels of HIV medications in the blood and brain, as well as mood and thinking. Researchers will give cannabis or a placebo to 40 people with HIV to see if it changes how their drugs work. The goal is to understand if cannabis use is safe for people on HIV treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cannabis (THC and CBD)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help doctors understand whether cannabis is safe to use with HIV medications and how it might affect treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (Phase 2) with only 40 people receiving cannabis. Results may not apply to everyone, and the study looks at drug levels, not long-term health outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Feb 2021
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria for Study Entry: 1. Age 18 or older; 2. Capacity to provide informed consent; 3. Presence of HIV infection by a standard diagnostic test; 4. On a stable ART regimen for at least 1 month and with a suppressed viral load by self-report; 5. Willing to abstain from cannabis for at least 24 hours prior to the Phase 1 assessment. 6. Willing to abstain from grapefruit juice consumption for 4 weeks prior to the Phase 1 assessment. Exclusion Criteria for Study Entry: 1. Traumatic brain injury, including head injury with loss of consciousness for greater than 30 minutes or resulting in neurologic complications; 2. Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease; 3. History of stroke with residual neurologic sequelae; 4. History of seizure disorder with a seizure in the past year; 5. Severe psychiatric disorder (e.g., schizophrenia) that might make the person's participation in the study unsafe; 6. Substance or alcohol use disorder in the past 3 months; 7. Contraindications to lumbar puncture for those consenting to lumbar puncture (e.g., coagulopathy). Additional Inclusion Criteria for participation in the cannabis administration visits (Phase 2-interventional): 1. Treatment with an integrase inhibitor (i.e. dolutegravir); 2. Use of cannabis in the past 10 years without a severe adverse reaction (e.g., disorientation, paranoia, or hallucinations). The two-year cutoff is to ensure exposure to modern cannabis, which is more likely to match the drug concentrations administered in this study; 3. Willing to refrain from driving or operating heavy machinery after the visit; and 4. Willing to abstain from cannabis for at least 48 hours prior to the cannabis administration visits. 5. Willing to abstain from grapefruit juice consumption for 4 weeks prior to cannabis administration and during the administration visits Additional Exclusion Criteria for participation in the cannabis administration visits (Phase 2-interventional): 1. Younger than 21 years due to problems with the use of cannabis in children and adolescents; 2. a respiratory condition that would be exacerbated by inhaling vaporized cannabis (e.g., asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or limited lung capacity that would prevent the individual from performing the Foltin puff procedure; 3. History of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction; 4. Uncontrolled hypertension with systolic blood pressure greater than 160 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 100 mm Hg prior to study product administration; 5. Resting pulse greater than 100 beats per minute prior to study product administration; 6. Pregnancy as determined by a human chorionic gonadotropin urine test, women who are lactating, or unwillingness to prevent pregnancy during the cannabis administration portion of the study (using birth control in women of child-bearing age). Acceptable methods of birth control are: oral contraceptive pills, diaphragm, condom, progestin implant, intrauterine contraceptive device, sterilization, etc; 7. Active opportunistic infection or malignancy requiring treatment; 8. Unintentional loss of 10% or more of body weight during the previous 6 months; 9. CD4+ T-cell count less than 200 cells/µL; 10. Estimated glomerular filtration rate \< 30 mL/minute, indicative of renal dysfunction; 11. Hepatic transaminases \> 2 times the upper limit of normal; 12. Current severe depressive symptoms (BDI-II score ≥ 31) or suicidal ideation; 13. Known sensitivity to Acetaminophen (the probe for UGT activity); 14. Current use of substances that could have adverse interactions with Acetaminophen or cannabis (e.g., grapefruit juice).
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cannabis use are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Ucsd Hnrp-Cmcr
San Diego, California, 92103, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can 'Queen Mothers' bring HIV testing to the doorstep?
- Scientists map HIV's hiding spots in early infection
- Can rewards and remote coaching help people cut back on cannabis?
- Can local clinics keep more people with HIV in care?
- Can a phone call keep HIV-Positive mothers and babies on track?
- Can a phone app and a health worker ease depression in rural HIV care?