Therefore, although the available information is very limited, it is reasonable to suggest that CBD-mediated regulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission plays a crucial role in the modulation not only of drug reward but also of drug-induced neuroadaptive changes. However, more studies are needed to confirm this notion and to explore the effects of CBD in other targets of the glutamatergic system. In 2017, it was estimated that over 30 million individuals present an SUD leading to more than 31 thousand years lived with disability (YLDs) with a worrying increase (16.7%) over the previous decade (GBD 2017 https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators, 2018). Furthermore, substance use was indirectly and directly responsible for 11.8 million deaths which implies one in five deaths worldwide (GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators, 2018). In humans receiving the drug for the treatment of epilepsies and psychiatric disorders, the most common AEs included tiredness, diarrhea, nausea, and hepatotoxicity. Overall, the incidence of these occurrences is low and, in comparison with other drugs employed for the treatment of these diseases, CBD has a better side effect profile.

Are there any side effects or risks to consider when using CBD?

The results of this study revealed that CBD (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) normalized motor and somatic signs disturbances and completely regulated anxiety-like behaviors induced by spontaneous cocaine withdrawal (progressive increasing doses of cocaine for 12 days, 15–60 mg/kg/day, i.p.). Furthermore, the administration of CBD blocked the increase of dopamine transporter (DAT) and TH gene expressions in the VTA of mice exposed to the cocaine withdrawal (Gasparyan et al., 2020). Epidiolex®, containing 98% CBD, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of intractable epilepsy in patients with Dravet’s or Lennox-Gastaut syndromes, showing that a plant extract containing primarily CBD can provide the reproducibility needed for pharmacotherapies.

Can a person overdose on marijuana?

The eCS is highly active in adolescent brain development, particularly in the PFC, a region that exercises executive function (Dow-Edwards and Silva 2017). Exogenous cannabinoids hyperactivate CB1 receptors which are expressed in pyramidal neurons and GABAergic interneurons, indicative of the regulatory role of the eCS in GABA and glutamate neurotransmission (Caballero and Tseng 2012; Volkow et al. 2017a). Activation of presynaptic CB1 receptors inhibits glutamate transmission onto GABAergic cells in the PFC, reducing the function of inhibitory prefrontal circuits. Therefore, hyperactivation by exogenous cannabinoids during development could disrupt the maturation of GABAergic interneurons in the PFC and desynchronize PFC circuits (Caballero and Tseng 2012). Thus, adolescent cannabis use may affect brain development and result in enduring alterations in the GABA/glutamate balance in the PFC (Renard et al. 2016). Chronic cannabis abuse is modeled in animals with repeated treatments of cannabis (through smoke exposure) or THC and other cannabinoids (typically intravenous injections).

3. Hepatic Effects

• Yes, it is possible to build a tolerance to CBD, as with many other substances.
• Hemp oil has a higher CBD content than marijuana-derived CBD, and many CBD products contain hemp-derived CBD.
• This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.
• Before naloxone administration for the precipitation of acute withdrawal symptoms, rats were pre-treated with either vehicle or CBD (10 mg/kg), accompanied by either THC (2 mg/kg) or vehicle injection.

“Usually when we’re trying to get a drug registered or design a clinical trial, we’re looking at one symptom, one disease, one chemical. Last year, Australia’s drug regulator approved low-dose CBD products to be sold over the counter in pharmacies. AMPH (10 mg/kg) disrupted the PPI test, while CBD (15–60 mg/kg) administration alone had no such effect. CBD pretreatment attenuated the AMPH-disruptive is cannabidiol addictive 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). This law removed hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, effectively legalizing CBD if it comes from hemp.2 However, a few states have not removed hemp from their state’s-controlled substances acts, so legality of CBD products differs across states.

Cannabis Addiction and the Brain: a Review

The World Health Organization also suggests that CBD may be helpful for treating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Treatments for CUD seem to target aspects of the binge-intoxication, withdrawal-negative affect, and preoccupation-anticipation stages described by Koob and Volkow (2016). The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 established NIOSH as a research agency focused on the study of worker safety and health, and empowering employers and workers to create safe and healthy workplaces. In light of rapidly changing laws and public attitudes, NIOSH has developed a framework for addressing workers’ safety, health, and well-being related to cannabis. FN oversaw the organization to distribute the writing tasks among the authors and participated in article writing.

In the off-chance that the product has a high level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), there is a chance that one could become addicted to CBD. That’s why it’s important to purchase CBD from a reputable supplier who lists the contents and THC percentage in the oil you are buying. Hemp contains higher CBD levels and little THC, which is why manufacturers make most CBD from hemp crops. While it no longer considers CBD a drug on its own, CBD can be in the drug Epidiolex, which the FDA approved to treat seizure disorders.

Also, another publication showed that CBD (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) did not attenuate the motivation to self-administer cocaine (breaking point) nor the cue-induced cocaine seeking in rats after a withdrawal period (Mahmud et al., 2017). These apparently contradictory results could be related, at least in part, with differences in the experimental design or in the administered doses of cocaine and CBD. However, the available information suggests that CBD could be a useful tool for the treatment of cocaine use disorder although additional studies are warranted. In clinical trials, thirty-one crack-cocaine-dependent men were treated with CBD (300 mg/day) or placebo for ten days.

• In one study, 57 men took either CBD oil or a sugar pill with no CBD (placebo) before a public-speaking event.
• However, further studies are warranted to shed light on the underlying brain mechanisms involved as well as on pharmacokinetics aspects such as dose, treatment duration, route of administration or pharmaceutical formulation.
• This activity affects intracellular calcium release, which is responsible for processes such as muscle contraction, hormone secretion, and cell growth.
• They called for more research into how CBD could support standard cancer treatments.

Neurobiological Mechanisms Involved in CBD-Mediated Regulation of Addiction

However, in other studies, CBD at different doses blocked priming- and stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine in mice (Calpe-López et al., 2021) and the reconsolidation of propensity for environment-paired cocaine in rats (De Carvalho and Takahashi, 2017). Regarding METH abuse, CBD administration during the extinction period (80 mg/kg; IP) (Hay et al., 2018) or at the time of the reinstatement (10 μg/5 μL; ICV) inhibited reinstatement of METH-induced CPP (Karimi-Haghighi and Haghparast, 2018) (Table 1). Initial evidence from animal and human studies (i.e. a controlled study in the New England Journal of Medicine and other reported individual cases) shows that its use could have some therapeutic value for seizures due to epilepsy and related conditions. CBD gummies and other products containing CBD are generally derived from hemp plants, which have low THC levels (less than 0.3% in the United States) and higher CBD levels.