Role of Cannabidiol in the Therapeutic Intervention for Substance Use Disorders

THC is the chemical in marijuana responsible for its psychoactive effects, meaning it can alter perception and mood. It binds to receptors in the brain that control pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, sensory and time perception, coordination, and movement. Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a psychoactive drug derived from the cannabis plant. The primary psychoactive component in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and another well-known component of this drug is cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD: A Natural Compound

Of these 16 included articles, seven studies were related to CBD treatment for schizophrenia and eight studies described the treatment of SUD with CBD-containing compounds. Only one study assessed the effects of the treatment with medicinal cannabis for patients with a psychotic disorder and a comorbid cannabis use disorder. Clinical trials and case reports published up to February 2019, which described the effects of CBD on the symptomatology of psychotic disorders (i.e., schizophrenia and related disorders), SUD, or both were included.

• If you or a loved one is struggling with a SUD involving marijuana, it’s crucial to seek professional help as soon as possible.
• Tobacco use is the cause of over 8 million deaths per year globally, resulting one of the biggest public health threats worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2020).
• Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three case reports assessed the efficacy of CBD as a treatment for psychotic disorders (Table 1).
• CBD pretreatment attenuated the AMPH-disruptive effects on PPI test after systemic (30 and 60 mg/kg) or intra-NAc (60 nmol; 0.2 μL) administration in mice (Pedrazzi et al., 2015) (Table 1).
• FDA continues to be concerned at the proliferation of products asserting to contain CBD that are marketed for therapeutic or medical uses although they have not been approved by FDA.
• CBD alone did not influence abstinence scores, but in cooperation with THC, lessened the abstinence scores more than THC alone (Hine et al., 1975) (Table 1).

Analysis of studies

While current scientific evidence suggests that heavy cannabis use may increase the risk of dependence in some people, CBD by itself does not appear to be addictive. CBD doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana Oxford House that produces a high. The usual CBD formulation is oil, but CBD is also sold as an extract, a vaporized liquid and an oil-based capsule. Food, drinks and beauty products are among the many CBD-infused products available online.

• Data on its effect during the withdrawal phase remain conflicting and vary based on co-administration of other cannabinoids such as THC.
• However, intra-hypothalamic administration of CBD was reported to increase the release of dopamine extracellular levels collected from the NAcc (Murillo-Rodríguez et al., 2011).
• For instance, the administration of CBD (0.5 mg/kg) to rhesus monkeys challenged with THC (0.2, 0.5 mg/kg) significantly attenuated THC-induced cognitive disturbances (Wright Jr. et al., 2013).
• So, the growing popularity of cannabidiol indicates that you should get clear about the effects of CBD.
• Before incorporating CBD into your routine, it is essential to exercise caution and consult healthcare professionals, particularly if you have a history of substance abuse.

CBD in Neurological Disorders

• These particular findings correlated with increased plasma concentration of CBD (Solowij et al., 2018).
• First, epidemiological studies suggest that cannabis use increases the risk for developing schizophrenia 22 and lowers the age of onset of the disorder 23,24.
• It remains unclear if the efficacy of CBD in schizophrenia, addiction, and their comorbidity could be explained by shared or different biological mechanisms.
• The agency’s role, as laid out in the FD&C Act, is to review data submitted to the FDA in an application for approval to ensure that the drug product meets the statutory standards for approval.

An enhancement in the right CA1 volume over the trial was found mainly in heavy users. The plasma concentration of CBD also correlated with right subicular complex and total right HIP growth in heavy users (Beale et al., 2018) (Table 2). Chesworth and Karl reported that CBD (10 mg/kg) treatment reduced the intensity of cocaine-induced locomotion in mice (Chesworth and Karl, 2020) and blunted the expression of locomotor sensitization induced by cocaine and caffeine co-administration in rats (Prieto et al., 2020) (Table 1). It should note that CBD (15-60 mg/kg) did not change locomotion but prevented D-AMPH-induced hyperlocomotion elicited without catalepsy induction in mice (Moreira and Guimarães, 2005). Several preclinical researches studies were assigned to evaluate the effect of CBD on the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking in the SA paradigm.

Drug Profile: CBD (Is Cannabidiol Addictive?)

Despite the range of =https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the psychosocial and pharmacological therapeutic approaches for substance use treatment, relapse prevalence into drug consumption is estimated between 40 and 75% (Sinha, 2011; Pasareanu et al., 2016; Andersson et al., 2019). This high rate of recurrence is largely due to the ineffectiveness of the available drugs or the lack of specific treatments (e.g., cannabis, cocaine, or amphetamine-type use disorders). Thus, there is a growing need to significantly improve our knowledge about the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of drug dependence to finally design new pharmacological tools with higher efficacy and safety. The role of the eCB system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia has been suggested in an accumulating amount of evidence 20,21. First, epidemiological studies suggest that cannabis use increases the risk for developing schizophrenia 22 and lowers the age of onset of the disorder 23,24.

• Interestingly, CBD significantly reduced the number of active lever presses and ethanol intake under fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) and fixed-ratio 3 (FR3) schedules, as well as the breaking point that measures the motivation to drink alcohol.
• Federal law requires that hemp-derived CBD products contain less than 0.3% of THC.
• Yes, CBD is a plant-derived drug that promotes potential benefits after oral administration and topical exposure on bare skin.

Medical Professionals

The clinical studies that are currently underway will provide relevant information to improve our knowledge about the efficacy and safety of CBD for the treatment of SUD. The protective effects of CBD alone on THC-induced impairments were extensively explored in preclinical and clinical studies. For instance, the administration of CBD (0.5 mg/kg) to rhesus monkeys challenged with THC (0.2, 0.5 mg/kg) significantly attenuated THC-induced cognitive disturbances (Wright Jr. et al., 2013).

The endogenous opioid system is closely involved in the regulation of addictive behaviors. Opioid peptides do not directly affect dopaminergic neurons function in the VTA but inhibit gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) interneurons that innervate VTA dopaminergic neurons in the mesolimbic system (Johnson and North, 1992). Some drugs of abuse (e.g., alcohol, cannabis) stimulate the release of endogenous opioids leading to a MOR-mediated increase of DA release in the NAcc (Tanda and Di Chiara, 1998).

It’s crucial to underscore that CBD online products is not an addictive nor mind-altering substance, since it has a low affinity to cannabinoid receptors within the body, thus producing only mild effects. That said, its cannabinoid cousin, THC, does have the potential for disordered use. That’s because THC does have a high frequency of binding to cannabinoid receptors, particularly within the brain where the brain’s “reward system” is located. Information from adverse event reports regarding cannabis use is extremely limited; the FDA primarily receives adverse event reports for approved products.

FDA has therefore concluded that it is a prohibited act to introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate commerce any is cannabidiol addictive food (including any animal food or feed) to which THC or CBD has been added. FDA is not aware of any evidence that would call into question these conclusions. Interested parties may present the agency with any evidence that they think has bearing on this issue.