• Home
  • Blog
  • «Antidote» for THC — how CBD reduces addiction to cannabis.

«Antidote» for THC — how CBD reduces addiction to cannabis.

19/05/2023

The cannabis plant contains more than 60 different types of active components — cannabinoids.  Certain varieties of cannabis (aka marijuana) have a pronounced psychoactive effect, which depends, first of all, on the amount of certain cannabinoid — THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).  Cannabis varieties with a low THC content (< 1%) are not psychoactive. However such strains contain all other cannabinoids, and the major of them is CBD, cannabidiol.  Unlike THC, CBD is not mind-altering and does not cause euphoria. CBD is a safe and completely legal substance that has a unique effect on the body.

CBD reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, it promotes nerve cells preservation, and has a mild analgesic action. In addition, CBD has many other therapeutic effects, some of which are still poorly researched.  However,  the "world fame" of CBD began with the discovery of an impressive and for some unwelcome effect — CBD reduces psychoactive action of THC [1].

1. CBD improves cognitive function and reduces cannabis-induced euphoria.

20 people who regularly use cannabis took part in the study.  For 10 weeks, participants took CBD (200 mg) while continuing to use cannabis as usual.  At the end of the experiment, the participants reported that taking CBD made them feel less euphoric from smoking cannabis.  In addition, CBD improved their memory and verbal learning.  Increased plasma concentrations of CBD were associated with improved attention and positive psychological changes in participants [2].

2. CBD reduces addiction to THC.

In another study taking CBD (400, 800 mg) reduced the rate of cannabis abuse.  Daily use of CBD for 10 days reduced withdrawal symptoms in a 19-year-old woman addicted to marijuana (cannabis with a high THC content) [3].

Mixture of herbal THC + CBD is a registered medicine (Sativex, Nabiximols) that is used in treatment of pain and muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Currently, this mixture is also being studied as a replacement therapy for THC addiction [4].

In another study, the use of CBD + THC mixture for 3 months reduced participants' use of cannabis without appearance of withdrawal symptoms [5].

3. CBD protects the brain from the "toxic" effects of THC.

Chronic use of cannabis causes a decrease in the gray matter volume of the hippocampus (brain structure responsible for navigation and memory formation).  Analysis of hair composition of the cannabis smokers showed that the more THC and less CBD were in the hair, the more noticeable was the decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain. This indicates that CBD has neuroprotective properties and prevents the negative effects of THC on the brain [6].

References:


1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5870061/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/230....

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2443...

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21...