Can medical marijuana help me quit smoking cigarettes?

Great question!

A team of researchers from University College London published a study in the September issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors that investigated whether low doses of cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid found in medical marijuana, would help treat nicotine addiction in tobacco smokers who want to quit.

The research team, led by Celia J.A. Morgan, used a double-blind, placebo controlled model for their study, which consisted of 24 participants (12 male, 12 female) between the ages 18-35. In order to take place in the study, participants were required to smoke, on average, more that 10 cigarettes per day. That being said, they must also have expressed a desire to break the habit. Participants were asked to record the amount of cigarettes they consumed during the week prior to treatment. After baseline testing, they were split into two groups. Each group was provided with an inhaler – One group received CBD and the other received a placebo. They were then instructed to use the inhaler whenever they felt the urge to smoke.

During the course of the treatment week, participants were asked to record their inhaler use and the number of cigarettes smoked in a journal. Additionally, participants were asked, via text message, to rate their current level of craving once per day. According to the study’s results, the group receiving CBD treatment experienced a significant reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked. The same cannot be said of the placebo group, as there was little-to-no change from pre- to post-treatment.

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