# Licit Abused Drugs

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $341,382

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Caffeine is a widely consumed drug that may cause or exacerbate anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks,
hypertension, urinary incontinence, gastrointestinal disturbance, and problems in pregnancy. Although caffeine
is not generally associated with life-threatening health risks, caffeine has been the subject of recent FDA
regulatory concerns. Some people become clinically dependent on caffeine and are unable to cut back or quit
caffeine use despite wanting to for medical reasons. Caffeine may be both an important predictor and a
determinant of vulnerability to substance abuse. Co-ingesting caffeine and alcohol has been implicated in
increases in reckless behavior and alcohol-related injury. A series of three human laboratory studies and one
epidemiological survey study will extend previous research investigating the clinical pharmacology of caffeine
as a model system for understanding substance use disorders. Each of the studies is a direct extension of prior
research conducted on this grant project. One laboratory study will investigate caffeine choice as a predictor of
abuse potential of a pharmacologically diverse group of drugs including nicotine and hydrocodone, which are
of particular concern as abused substances. A second laboratory study will investigate the effect of caffeine
maintenance on the abuse liability (including measures of subjective effects and drug reinforcement) of
nicotine delivered via electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to never-smokers. The third laboratory study will
determine if co-consumption of caffeine with alcohol increases risk-taking on behavioral measures of monetary
and HIV risk decisions. All three laboratory studies may have important public education and regulatory
implications. For example, findings indicating that caffeine is a predictor or determinant of vulnerability to
substance use disorders for drugs such as opioids or nicotine would be relevant to medical practice and public
policy. The epidemiological survey study will determine, in a general population sample, the prevalence, extent
of functional impairment, and correlates of Caffeine Use Disorder, which was recently included in DSM-5 as a
condition for further study. An accurate prevalence estimate and knowledge of demographic correlates may be
important in developing treatment interventions, while assessment of clinically meaningful impairment is critical
to assessing the validity of the diagnosis. The survey results may also encourage the inclusion of caffeine in
important larger national epidemiological surveys of drug use and health that currently exclude caffeine. In
addition to the specific contributions of each of the studies, the investigation of caffeine as a model system for
understanding substance dependence should have broad relevance to the development of prevention and
treatment strategies for substance abuse and dependence. Data from this project will contribute to a scientific
understanding of drug abuse and will...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10199983
- **Project number:** 5R01DA003890-35
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Dustin Clark Lee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $341,382
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1984-09-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10199983

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10199983, Licit Abused Drugs (5R01DA003890-35). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10199983. Licensed CC0.

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