Office of Human Research Ethics SOP 4001: Research Involving Potentially Addictive Substances

Summary

With respect to cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, IRBs and researchers should be aware that under North Carolina state law these substances may not be distributed to or used by minors.

Body

Title

Office of Human Research Ethics SOP 4001: Research Involving Potentially Addictive Substances

1. Research Involving Potentially Addictive Substances

With respect to cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, IRBs and researchers should be aware that under North Carolina state law these substances may not be distributed to or used by minors.

When research involving potentially addictive substances is proposed, the IRB must consider the subjects’ capacity to provide ongoing informed consent if judgment is diminished by exposure to the substances. There may also be unusual potential for coercion in some circumstance, for example if such research involves subjects that are institutionalized.

The IRB must also be sensitive to the ethical context of the research, in that there may be other ethical dilemmas associated with these studies if they involve the use of deception or include randomization. It is critical that the IRB focus on the considerations of risk and benefit of such research.

In addition, research involving substances that may impair the judgment of subjects must include provisions for the safety of those subjects both within the research setting and if those subjects choose to withdraw from research while in an impaired state. For example, if a subject who is legally intoxicated should choose to withdraw from a study, he or she cannot be permitted to drive from the research setting.

Potential human subjects with a history of addiction or with direct access to the class of substances in their work environment should be excluded from studies using potentially addictive substance, unless the IRB makes a determination that there is a compelling reason for their inclusion and the study includes all appropriate safeguards to reduce the risk for these subjects.

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Kimberly Brownley
Title:  Associate Director of Policy and Initiative
Unit: Office of Human Research Ethics (OHRE)
Email: kim_brownley@med.unc.edu

Details

Details

Article ID: 132258
Created
Thu 4/8/21 9:27 PM
Modified
Fri 6/28/24 9:58 AM
Responsible Unit
School, Department, or other organizational unit issuing this document.
Research-IRB and Human Research Ethics
Issuing Officer
Name of the document Issuing Officer. This is the individual whose organizational authority covers the policy scope and who is primarily responsible for the policy.
Issuing Officer Title
Title of the person who is primarily responsible for issuing this policy.
Vice Chancellor
Policy Contact
Person who handles document management. Best person to contact for information about this policy. In many cases this is not the Issuing Officer. It may be the Policy Liaison, or another staff member.
Next Review
Date on which the next document review is due.
07/01/2025 12:00 AM
Last Review
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03/18/2021 12:00 AM
Last Revised
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06/02/2017 12:00 AM
Effective Date
If the date on which this document became/becomes enforceable differs from the Origination or Last Revision, this attribute reflects the date on which it is/was enforcable.
06/02/2017 12:00 AM
Origination
Date on which the original version of this document was first made official.
06/02/2017 12:00 AM
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level
17