Cutting down is as simple as CBD

The inhalation of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD (cannabidiol) significantly mitigates tobacco smokers’ desire for cigarettes, according to a story in The Daily Chronic quoting clinical trial data published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Investigators at University College London conducted a double-blind pilot study to assess the impact of the ad-hoc consumption of organic CBD versus a placebo in 24 tobacco-smoking subjects seeking to quit their habit. Participants were randomized to receive either, in the case of half of the subjects, an inhaler containing CBD or, in the case of the others, a placebo for one week.

Trial investigators instructed subjects to use the inhaler when they felt the urge to smoke.

The researchers reported that, over the treatment week and in comparison with usual consumption levels, the placebo-treated smokers showed no differences in the number of cigarettes they smoked. In contrast, those treated with CBD reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by 40 percent during treatment. The participants who used CBD did not report experiencing increased cravings for nicotine during the study’s duration.

“This is the first study, as far as we are aware, to demonstrate the impact of CBD on cigarette smoking…,” the investigators concluded. “These preliminary data, combined with the strong preclinical rationale for use of this compound, suggest CBD to be a potential treatment for nicotine addiction that warrants further exploration.”