A new study funded by the federal government and published in Nature suggests that CBD may reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms, risk of relapse as well as provide neuroprotective benefits.
Researchers from University of California San Diego wanted to know how non-intoxicating CBD could affect people who have alcohol use disorders. The findings from the study on mice provide additional evidence to suggest that CBD may play a part in reducing the negative health effects associated with alcohol consumption.
166 rats participated in this research. Two groups of rodents received intravenously synthetic CBD doses (either 60 or 30 mg/kg), and another was used to control the group.
The researchers conducted a series tests thirty minutes after administering the cannabinoid to explore how it could possibly attenuate the behavioral and neurological aspects of addiction.
Researchers found CBD effective for this purpose by “modulating neurons excitability and preventing degeneration. This supports its potential therapeutic use for AUD, and provides mechanistic insights to future research.”
The study states that “the present study shows that chronic administration cannabidiol attenuates behavioral and neurobiological symptoms of alcohol dependency in rodents.” CBD decreased alcohol intake, withdrawal symptoms and relapse like behaviors. CBD also normalized neuronal excitation in the BLA and prevented alcohol-induced degeneration of striatal areas associated with habit and reward formation.
CBD also did not enhance alcohol’s sedative effect, which was shown in no difference in righting reflex or locomotor activities during intoxication. However, CBD did increase time spent at the center of an open field, suggesting anxiety-reducing effects. The results demonstrate CBD’s potential therapeutic value for alcohol use disorders (AUD) as well as its mechanisms of action.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded the study, as did the University of California San Diego Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research and its Preclinical Addiction Research Consortium.
The study’s authors noted that CBD reversed the alcohol-induced reductions in neuronal excitation in the BLA, which “is central to alcohol withdrawal-related behavior and that its dysregulation leads to maladaptive behaviors that lead to relapse.”
“In summary, CBD treatment reduces alcohol dependence’s behavioral and neurological features by reducing the withdrawal symptoms and risk of relapse. It also restores BLA neuronal excitation and prevents neurodegeneration. The findings show that CBD can preserve the functional integrity of neural networks underlying emotion regulation, reward processing and habit formation. It is important to conduct further translational and clinical research to test CBD’s efficacy on human populations, and to determine the optimal dosing strategy for those with AUD.”
This study is consistent with an increasing body of evidence that suggests CBD, and possibly other cannabinoids, could reduce alcohol-related harm.
Researchers at the University of Sydney published an animal study that showed CBD reduced binge drinking rates and blood alcohol concentrations.
Results of a separate study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry also indicated that a single, 800-milligram dose of CBD can help manage certain alcohol cravings among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), supporting the use of the marijuana component as a potential treatment option for problem drinkers.
Research funded by the federal government into cannabis’ effects on alcohol consumption found that those who consumed marijuana before alcohol consumed less alcohol and had lower alcohol cravings.
The study follows a separate survey analysis published in March that found that three in four young adults reported substituting cannabis for alcohol at least once per week—a “fast-emerging” trend that reflects the “rapid expansion” of the hemp product marketplace.
The report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) found that, across various demographics, cannabis is increasingly being used as an alternative to alcohol and even non-alcoholic beverages as more companies—including major multi-state marijuana operators (MSOs)—expand their offerings.
The findings were largely consist with a growing body of studies indicating that cannabis—whether federally legal hemp or still-prohibited marijuana—is being utilized as a substitute for many Americans amid the reform movement.
An earlier survey from YouGov, for example, found that a majority of Americans believe regular alcohol consumption is more harmful than regular marijuana use. In spite of the risks, more people said that they prefer alcohol consumption to cannabis.
A separate poll released in January determined that more than half of marijuana consumers say they drink less alcohol, or none at all, after using cannabis.
Yet another survey—which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and released in December—found that young adults are nearly three times more likely to use marijuana than alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis.
That poll provided more granular, age-specific findings than a similar report published last year, finding that more Americans overall smoke marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day—and that alcohol drinkers are more likely to say they would benefit from limiting their use than cannabis consumers are.
A separate study published in the journal Addiction last year similarly found that there are more U.S. adults who use marijuana daily than who drink alcohol every day.
In December, BI also published the results of a survey indicating that substitution of cannabis for alcohol is “soaring” as the state-level legalization movement expands and relative perceptions of harm shift. This poll also revealed that a large portion of Americans substitutes marijuana for tobacco and painkillers.
Another BI analysis from last September projected that the expansion of the marijuana legalization movement will continue to post a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.
Yet another study on the impact of marijuana consumption on people’s use of other drugs that was released in December suggested that, for many, cannabis may act as a less-dangerous substitute, allowing people to reduce their intake of substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids like morphine.
A study out of Canada, where marijuana is federally legal, found that legalization was “associated with a decline in beer sales,” suggesting a substitution effect.
Other recent surveys have also examined American opinions on alcohol and marijuana. For example, a Gallup survey found that respondents view cannabis as less harmful than alcohol, tobacco and nicotine vapes—and more adults now smoke cannabis than smoke cigarettes.
A separate survey released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Morning Consult last June also found that Americans consider marijuana to be significantly less dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol and opioids—and they say cannabis is less addictive than each of those substances, as well as technology.