Edible-THC Temperature Tolerance Did Not Prevent a Motor Finding in Adolescent Mice

forensic toxicology working group members October 29, 2026 Forensic Toxicology

Adolescent mice showed evidence of tolerance to THC-related hypothermia while also showing poorer motor coordination during short-term abstinence. Adaptation on one physiological measure did not establish normal performance on another.

Voluntary consumption rather than injected THC

The study gave male adolescent mice limited access to THC-containing or control dough and ethanol or water. Home-cage movement was recorded, and later tests examined motor performance, temperature responses, blood ethanol and brain CB1 receptor expression.

Consumption and outcomes diverged

Edible THC suppressed movement, whereas alcohol increased activity under the tested conditions. Prior edible THC consumption was associated with a reduced hypothermic response to a THC challenge. It also impaired subsequent drug-free rotarod performance, a motor-coordination endpoint.

The alcohol comparison remained negative

The alcohol-access regimen did not produce significant functional or metabolic tolerance on the later alcohol challenge. Those null findings matter: the co-use model did not demonstrate the same adaptation to each substance. Neither alcohol intake nor consumed THC dose showed a significant association with the measured CB1 expression.

Limits of an adolescent co-use model

Only male mice were studied, intake varied and the laboratory access schedule was specific. Rotarod behavior and temperature cannot define a human waiting period after an edible, and a mouse day is not a validated human recovery interval. The paper supports separating route, prior intake, physiological tolerance and functional performance rather than treating any one as a clearance certificate.

Related analysis: evaluating cannabis tolerance claims.