Acute Effects of Ad Libitum Use of Commercially Available Cannabis Products on the Subjective Experience of Aerobic Exercise: A Crossover Study

Objective The present study aimed to examine the acute effects of legal-market cannabis on regular cannabis users’ subjective responses to exercise in a controlled laboratory environment. Background Given the stereotype that cannabis is associated with extreme sedentary behavior, there are concerns that cannabis legalization may exacerbate the US physical inactivity epidemic. However, despite these concerns, recent years have seen considerable public interest in the use of cannabis concurrently with exercise (e.g., running). Methods The present study compared participants’ experiences of exercise without cannabis to their experiences of exercise after acute ad libitum use of one of two commercially available cannabis flower products: a Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-dominant or a cannabidiol-dominant product. Participants ( N = 42) were regular cannabis users between the ages of 21 and 39 years (mean = 30.81 years, standard deviation = 4.72 years). Results Although participants reported a more positive affect ( p