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Can CBD Help Me Quit Smoking?
Across the world, hundreds of millions of people suffer from smoking addictions. Tobacco products are killers. In fact, smoking is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Every year millions die from the results of long-term smoking addictions or from being exposed to second-hand smoke. Because smoking is a habit that is formed – usually over the course of many years – it is one of the most preventable causes of death.
Marijuana is also a serious problem for many individuals. Besides its legal status in many states, it can cause strong psychoactive side-effects which can cause anxiety and discomfort in many users. Smoking marijuana long-term can also cause damage to the lungs and other internal organs. Although the long-term effects of marijuana are usually not as serious as tobacco products, there are still many reasons to quit.
Unfortunately, smoking is an extremely addictive habit. After years of daily use, many users suffer from severe anxiety when they are unable to smoke for long periods of time. In addition, many smokers also suffer from a variety of uncomfortable side-effects when they try to give it up. Because of this, only a small percentage of users are able to successfully quit on their first try. In fact, it often takes many attempts over months, or even years to finally kick the habit.
Fortunately, for those who are struggling to give up smoking tobacco or marijuana, there is a substance out there that may be able to help – CBD.
What is CBD?
First things first – CBD is a chemical compound naturally produced in cannabis plants. Wait for a second – cannabis? Weren’t we just talking about giving that stuff up? Well, not exactly.
The cannabis plant produces two different varieties – hemp and marijuana. Marijuana produces a variety of chemical compounds known as “cannabinoids.” Among these are high levels of THC – which is often smoked for its euphoric, high-inducing effects. with a
On the other hand, hemp is primarily grown and harvested as an industrial product. Like marijuana, hemp produces a variety of cannabinoids. However, unlike its cousin, hemp contains little to no THC. Instead, it makes high levels of healthy cannabinoids such as CBD.
Once extracted from hemp, CBD oil can be taken as a vape additive, tincture or edible – making it a much healthier alternative to smoking. On top of this, CBD has been linked to a variety of positive health benefits including:
· Regulates the immune system,
· Calms anxiety,
· Regulates blood sugar levels
· Relieves chronic and surface pain
· Reduces nausea and vomiting
· Reduces inflammation
· Improves mood, and
· Promotes muscle and bone growth.
As CBD grows in popularity, more and more people are finding relief in this natural remedy. While CBD’s positive health benefits are obvious, the question still remains – can CBD help you quit smoking? Let’s take a look at some research to find out.
Science, Smoking, and CBD
Whether you are trying to give up smoking tobacco or marijuana, CBD might be able to help. It does this in a variety of ways, such as by reducing negative side effects, lessening anxiety, and altering the brain’s positive memories of smoking. Even the simple act of vaping can help smokers find relief.
In 2013 an article was published in the Addictive Behaviors magazine in which researchers CJ Morgan, RK Das, A Joye, HV Curran, and SK Kamboj conducted a double-blind study of 24 heavy smokers. 12 of the smokers were given an inhaler which contained CBD, while 12 were given an inhaler with only a placebo. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was given what when the inhalers were distributed.
Each participant was told to use the inhaler whenever they felt the need to smoke. They were also asked to keep track of their anxiety levels throughout the week. However, they were told to continue smoking normally during the experiment.
After a week, the results were analyzed and it was discovered that the participants who were given the inhalers with CBD had reported a 40% decrease in cigarette usage as compared to the participants with a placebo. In addition, this decrease in cigarette use continued for several days after the experiment had concluded.
Although much more research is needed before anything definitive can be said, this study certainly seems to support the idea that CBD can help those with cigarette addictions to reduce the frequency of their habit – or even quit altogether.
Copy and paste the following link to read the full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23685330.
Marijuana does not cause as many negative side effects as cigarettes do, but it is still a difficult substance for many users to give up. Fortunately, there is also evidence that CBD may help those trying to kick their weed habits as well.
Researchers Scott Shannon, MD and Janet Opila-Lehman, ND released a case study in 2015 in which they document their success in using CBD to help an individual with bipolar-disorder give up his marijuana addiction.
The individual, a 27-year-old man living with his parents, struggled with a chaotic sleep schedule, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. He was addicted to marijuana and used it daily. To help him quit, he was given regular 24 mg doses of CBD. These were eventually lowered to 18 mg. Besides the introduction of CBD, no other changes were made to his diet or medications.
According to the study, “Using the CBD oil, the patient was able to maintain the nonuse of marijuana. With a subsequent, gradual decrease in anxiety, the patient was able to maintain a regular sleeping schedule.” The study later went on to state, “The current case study found that CBD oil can be an effective compound to use for transitioning an individual off addictive use of marijuana. The fact that no changes were made in the patient’s medication schedule, diet, or lifestyle gives credence to the idea that the results were the actual effects of the CBD oil.”
Copy and paste this link into your browser to read the full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718203/.
Where Can I Find CBD?
The number of studies in regard to smoking and CBD is limited. More studies need to be concluded before anything definitive can be claimed one way or another. However, the research we do have certainly seems to back up the idea that CBD can help those with addictions overcome their struggles and quit smoking for good. With all of the other positive health benefits CBD provides, there’s really no reason not to give it a try.
If you or someone you know is struggling to quit smoking, CBD may be worth looking into. Follow this link for a full list of high-quality CBD oils, tinctures, vape additives, and edibles.
References
Morgan, C. J., Freeman, T. P., Schafer, G. L., & Curran, H. V. (2010). Cannabidiol attenuates the appetitive effects of Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in humans smoking their chosen cannabis. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(9), 1879–1885. doi:10.1038/npp.2010.58
Shannon, S., & Opila-Lehman, J. (2015). Cannabidiol Oil for Decreasing Addictive Use of Marijuana: A Case Report. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 14(6), 31–35.
Liput, D. J., Hammell, D. C., Stinchcomb, A. L., & Nixon, K. (2013). Transdermal delivery of cannabidiol attenuates binge alcohol-induced neurodegeneration in a rodent model of an alcohol use disorder. Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 111, 120–127. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2013.08.013
Morgan, C. J., Das, R. K., Joyce, A., Curran, H. V., & Kamboj, S. K. (2013). Cannabidiol reduces cigarette consumption in tobacco smokers: preliminary findings. Addictive Behaviors, 38(9):2433. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23685330
Nagarkatti, P., Pandey, R., Rieder, S. A., Hegde, V. L., & Nagarkatti, M. (2009). Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Future Medicinal Chemistry, 1(7), 1333–1349. http://doi.org/10.4155/fmc.09.93
Callén, L., Moreno, E., Barroso-Chinea, P., Moreno-Delgado, D., Cortés, A., Mallol, J., … McCormick, P. J. (2012). Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2Form Functional Heteromers in Brain. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287(25), 20851–20865. http://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M111.335273
Zou, S., & Kumar, U. (2018). Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System: Signaling and Function in the Central Nervous System. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(3), 833. doi:10.3390/ijms19030833
Lu, H. C., & Mackie, K. (2015). An Introduction to the Endogenous Cannabinoid System. Biological psychiatry, 79(7), 516–525. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.028
Fine, P. G., & Rosenfeld, M. J. (2013). The endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids, and pain. Rambam Maimonides medical journal, 4(4), e0022. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10129
