HEALTH

CBD to Quit Smoking: Can It Help You Ditch Cigarettes?

Small studies suggest CBD may cut cravings and soften nicotine withdrawal. Here's what the research shows, and what else actually works.

BY CosechaLibre Editorial5 MIN READ

Can CBD help you quit smoking? Early research is promising: in a small 2013 study, smokers who used a CBD inhaler cut their cigarettes by about 40% in a week, and CBD may ease some withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and poor sleep. It's not a proven quit-smoking treatment, though. Cigarettes are one of the world's leading causes of preventable death, and still one of the hardest habits to kick.

Nicotine is addictive. So when you quit, you start feeling a bunch of unpleasant things known as withdrawal symptoms. These can include intense nicotine cravings, nausea, insomnia, anxiety and irritability, depression, weight gain and headaches, among others.

Withdrawal symptoms kick in within the first 24 hours after your last cigarette. They usually peak around day three and then gradually ease up. Withdrawal doesn't last forever, but it can be brutal and stick around for 3 or 4 weeks.

Before getting into how CBD might help with drug addiction, a quick word on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system plays a key role in regulating the body's processes and keeping everything in balance (homeostasis). The ECS helps regulate the rewarding effects of addictive drugs, and CBD interacts with the ECS in several ways, one of which may be helping to reduce addiction. Put another way, CBD may interrupt or change how the body processes those addictive substances so they don't feel as rewarding.

What is CBD?

CBD is short for cannabidiol, the second most abundant cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. It's also the most common cannabinoid in hemp, which is why so many CBD products are hemp-derived. Even though it comes from cannabis, CBD doesn't get you high, and a growing number of studies are exploring its potential as a wellness supplement for a range of mental and physical health conditions.

So it may not come as a shock that CBD might help with some of the challenges of quitting tobacco.

A 2013 study from University College London showed CBD's potential to help smokers cut back. Twenty-four smokers were given either a CBD inhaler or a placebo inhaler and told to use it whenever they felt like smoking. By the end of the one-week study, the CBD group was smoking about 40% fewer cigarettes.

Another study looked at how CBD affects the brain chemistry side of tobacco addiction. Participants who took 800 mg of CBD orally showed less "attentional bias" (in other words, paid less attention) to images of cigarettes and tobacco than those who got a placebo. The CBD group also rated tobacco-related images as less pleasant than the placebo group did.

These results suggest that CBD may have a real effect on the brain pathways involved in addiction.

Back to nicotine withdrawal: CBD might help take the edge off those rough symptoms. Research suggests CBD may help lower anxiety, improve sleep, ease pain and reduce nausea, among other things.

The more CBD gets studied, the more we learn about the different body functions it helps regulate. And with that comes a better understanding of how CBD might help would-be quitters actually become ex-smokers.

If you're thinking about trying CBD to quit smoking, your best bet is a hemp-derived product. CBD itself isn't addictive, but high levels of THC can be habit-forming. That's why it's smart to choose hemp-derived CBD, which contains less than 0.3% THC.

Is CBD healthier than tobacco?

CBD is generally considered healthier than tobacco because it contains no nicotine, which is highly addictive and can make users dependent. Smoking is also a recognized addiction with serious health consequences, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease and cancer. Quitting tobacco can cause physical and emotional changes, including irritability, anxiety, fatigue and increased appetite. CBD, on the other hand, has no known addictive effects and is often used for a range of health issues like chronic pain, anxiety and sleep problems.

What treatments are there to quit smoking?

There are several treatments that can help you quit smoking. Some of them are:

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): patches, gum, inhalers and lozenges that can help reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Prescription medications: like bupropion and varenicline, which can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): helps smokers identify and change the thought and behavior patterns that may be feeding their addiction.
Social support: support groups, online programs and couples therapy, which give the smoker a support system to lean on while quitting.

It's also worth remembering that tobacco addiction is a chronic condition and quitting for good may take several attempts. The best way to quit is usually a combination of methods and strategies tailored to the person, tackling both the physical and emotional sides of tobacco addiction.

Beyond the obvious health benefits, quitting can also improve your quality of life, mood and relationships. Physically, you may notice better breathing, more stamina for exercise and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, among other things.

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