Non-psychoactive cannabis ingredient could help addicts stay clean

Preclinical study using rats shows that Cannabidiol can reduce the risk of relapse

By Adriana Lopez Upegui, Springer Nature

A preclinical study in rats has shown that there might be value in using a non-psychoactive and non-addictive ingredient of the Cannabis sativa plant to reduce the risk of relapse among recovering drug and alcohol addicts. The study’s findings inform the ongoing debate about the possible medical benefits of non-psychoactive cannabinoids, and the way that these may be used as therapeutics. So says Friedbert Weiss, leader of an investigative team at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, in Neuropsychopharmacology published by Springer Nature.

Staying drug-free is a constant battle for abstinent addicts. This struggle is made more difficult when former-addicts find themselves in drug-related settings, experience stress or higher levels of anxiousness. Many struggle to control their impulses when offered an addictive drug like alcohol or cocaine.

Weiss and his research associate Gustavo Gonzalez-Cuevas set out to test the effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) on drug relapse in a rat model…Read more

Read the Neuropsychopharmacology study

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