Cannabidiol attenuates the appetitive effects of Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in humans smoking their chosen cannabis.
Celia J A Morgan, Tom P. Freeman, Gráinne Schäfer, Helen Valerie Curran
Neuropsychopharmacology August 2010 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.58 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 94 |
| Population | Cannabis users |
| Duration | 7 days apart (two test sessions) |
| Topics | Cannabis CBD |
| Key findings | When intoxicated, smokers of high CBD:THC cannabis showed reduced attentional bias to drug and food stimuli and lower self-rated liking of cannabis stimuli compared with smokers of low CBD:THC cannabis. The authors suggest that CBD has potential as a treatment for cannabis dependence and possibly other addictive disorders. |
Abstract
Worldwide cannabis dependence is increasing, as is the concentration of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in street cannabis. At the same time, the concentration of the second most abundant cannabinoid in street cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), is decreasing. These two cannabinoids have opposing effects both pharmacologically and behaviorally when administered in the laboratory. No research has yet examined how the ratio of these constituents impacts on the appetitive/reinforcing effects of cannabis in humans. A total of 94 cannabis users were tested 7 days apart, once while non-intoxicated and once while acutely under the influence of their own chosen smoked cannabis on dependence-related measures. Using an unprecedented methodology, a sample of cannabis (as well as saliva) was collected from each user and analyzed for levels of cannabinoids. On the basis of CBD : THC ratios in the cannabis, individuals from the top and bottom tertiles were directly compared on indices of the reinforcing effects of drugs, explicit liking, and implicit attentional bias to drug stimuli. When intoxicated, smokers of high CBD : THC strains showed reduced attentional bias to drug and food stimuli compared with smokers of low CBD : THC. Those smoking higher CBD : THC strains also showed lower self-rated liking of cannabis stimuli on both test days. Our findings suggest that CBD has potential as a treatment for cannabis dependence. The acute modulation of the incentive salience of drug cues by CBD may possibly generalize to a treatment for other addictive disorders.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on CBD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Psychopharmacology May 1, 2019
- Acute and chronic effects of cannabinoids on effort-related decision-making and reward learning: an evaluation of the cannabis ‘amotivational’ hypotheses Psychopharmacology September 2, 2016
- Age-related differences in the impact of cannabis use on the brain and cognition: a systematic review European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience January 24, 2019
- Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain’s resting-state functional connectivity Journal of Psychopharmacology April 23, 2019
- Investigating the interaction between schizotypy, divergent thinking and cannabis use Consciousness and Cognition January 10, 2012
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Cites 7
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- Divergent effects of cannabidiol on the discriminative stimulus and place conditioning effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol. Drug and Alcohol Dependence April 1, 2008
- The diverse CB1 and CB2 receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and delta9-tetrahydrocannabivarin. British Journal of Pharmacology January 2008
and 2 more in the library