Using Sewers to Understand the Legalized Retail Sales Effects on Marijuana Consumption

描述(由申请人提供)：大麻是美国滥用最多的非法药物，过去一个月估计有1740万吸毒者。在过去的6年里，年轻人的使用量有所增加，人们对毒品风险的看法有所减少，这归因于它的崛起，特别是考虑到这种毒品的合法地位。事实上，最近的一项全国民意调查显示，大多数美国人第一次支持大麻合法化。在过去的两年里，科罗拉多州、华盛顿州、阿拉斯加州、俄勒冈州和哥伦比亚特区已经将成人使用娱乐性大麻合法化。这一史无前例的举措并没有直接的科学数据来了解这些新的娱乐使用法律将如何影响大麻消费和公共健康。该提案旨在解决娱乐用大麻的零售如何影响其在社区内的消费和使用趋势的问题。虽然调查是研究药物滥用最常用的工具，但最近出现了新的方法，使人们能够更客观地评估非法药物的消费情况。使用以下水道为基础的药物流行病学是在不到十年前首次采用的，但已被证明是一种与传统药物使用指标相补充的有效技术。来自已知集水区和特定地理边界的人口流入污水处理厂(WWTP)的原始污水可以用来分析一段时间内药物使用的趋势。我们建议测定大麻中主要活性成分Δ9-四氢大麻酚(Δ9-THC)的下水道有效代谢物11-NOR-9-羧基-9-四氢大麻酚(THC-COOH)，以及人为种群生物标记物5-羟基吲哚酸(5-HIAA)。在目标1中，我们将开发和验证一种分析方法来测定废水中THC-COOH和5-HIAA的浓度。在目标2中，我们将确定根据测量的废水中THC-COOH水平和从调查获得的使用数据估计的总体大麻使用量之间的相关性。在目标3中，我们将通过废水中发现的水平来探索更具体的使用趋势，以确定时间变化，如工作日与周末的使用情况。在目标4中，我们将探讨娱乐零售市场对大麻总量的贡献 通过将西澳州在污水处理厂范围内出售的克THC的记录与废水中发现的THC-COOH总量进行比较，可以确定市场上的THC-COOH总量。在这些研究的结论中，我们将及时了解成人娱乐用大麻的销售如何影响其在人群中的使用。这些数据可供地方、州和国家规划者在评估和考虑华盛顿的娱乐性大麻法律时使用，并为未来的纵向研究提供基线数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Marijuana is the most abused illicit drug in the United States with an estimated 17.4 million past-month users. There has been a rise in use by young people in the last 6 years with a diminished perception of the drug's risks being attributed to its rise, especially in light of the drug's legal status. In fact, a recent national poll shows that fo the first time a majority of Americans favor legalized marijuana. In the past two years, the states of Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia have legalized the adult use of recreational marijuana. This unprecedented step comes with no direct scientific data available to understand how these new recreational use laws will affect marijuana consumption and public health. This proposal aims to address the question of how the retail sales of recreational marijuana affect its consumption and usage trends within a community. While surveys are the most used tool in studying drug abuse, new methods have recently emerged that enable a more objective assessment of illicit drug consumption. The use of sewer-based drug epidemiology was first employed less than a decade ago but has been shown to be a valid and complementary technique with traditional drug use indicators. Raw influent to a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) from a population with a known catchment area and specific geographic boundary can be used to analyze trends in drug use over time. We propose to measure 11-nor-9-Carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), the sewer available metabolite of the main active ingredient in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydocannabinol (THC) as well as also measure the anthropogenic population biomarker 5-hydroxyindoleacidic acid (5-HIAA). In Aim 1, we will develop and validate an analytical method to determine the concentration of THC-COOH and 5-HIAA in wastewater. In Aim 2, we will determine correlation between estimates of total population marijuana use from measured THC-COOH levels in wastewater and from the usage data obtained from surveys. In Aim 3, we will explore more specific usage trends with levels found in wastewater to determine temporal changes such as weekday vs. weekend use. In Aim 4, we will explore the contribution of the recreational retail market to the total marijuana market by comparing WA State records of the grams of THC sold within the WWTP's bounds to the total THC-COOH levels found in the wastewater. At the conclusion of these studies, we will provide a timely understanding of how the sales of adult recreational marijuana impact its use within a population. This data can be used by local, state, and national planners as they assess and consider Washington's recreational marijuana law, as well as provide baseline data for future longitudinal studies.