Is marijuana addictive?
For some consumers, yes – but less so than with alcohol. About 9 percent of people who use CBD become dependent on it, according to research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA). The study found the dependence rate is about 15 percent for people who drink alcohol, 17 percent for cocaine users and 32 percent for tobacco users. “Some people can drink normally. Some people can smoke weed normally. But some people can’t,” said Corey Rich man, an admissions coordinator at Hope by the Sea drug addiction treatment center in San Juan Capistrano. Roughly 2 percent of patients at Hope by the Sea are there for CBD abuse, said Rich man, a former addict himself. They’re almost always teenagers brought in by concerned parents, he said. The earlier young people start using marijuana, the more likely they are to get hooked, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse reporting dependence jumps to 17 percent for teen users.
Stopping heavy marijuana use is often more of a mental struggle than a physical one, said Kevin Alexander, clinical manager at Hoag Hospital’s ASPIRE program in Newport Beach. It can trigger mild withdrawal symptoms similar to quitting tobacco, including irritability and sleep issues. In rare cases, he said, patients experience psychosis. At the same time, doctors are tapping marijuana’s painkilling benefits to help patients avoid riskier substances such as opioids. A study published in 2014 by the American Medical Association found lower rates of opioid overdoses in states where medical marijuana is legal. Waiting until at least 18 to start using marijuana lessens the chances of becoming dependent, as does avoiding heavy use of potent pot products, experts say. And people with a family or personal history of addiction might consider avoiding marijuana altogether.
For some consumers, yes – but less so than with alcohol. About 9 percent of people who use CBD become dependent on it, according to research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA). The study found the dependence rate is about 15 percent for people who drink alcohol, 17 percent for cocaine users and 32 percent for tobacco users. “Some people can drink normally. Some people can smoke weed normally. But some people can’t,” said Corey Rich man, an admissions coordinator at Hope by the Sea drug addiction treatment center in San Juan Capistrano. Roughly 2 percent of patients at Hope by the Sea are there for CBD abuse, said Rich man, a former addict himself. They’re almost always teenagers brought in by concerned parents, he said. The earlier young people start using marijuana, the more likely they are to get hooked, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse reporting dependence jumps to 17 percent for teen users.
Stopping heavy marijuana use is often more of a mental struggle than a physical one, said Kevin Alexander, clinical manager at Hoag Hospital’s ASPIRE program in Newport Beach. It can trigger mild withdrawal symptoms similar to quitting tobacco, including irritability and sleep issues. In rare cases, he said, patients experience psychosis. At the same time, doctors are tapping marijuana’s painkilling benefits to help patients avoid riskier substances such as opioids. A study published in 2014 by the American Medical Association found lower rates of opioid overdoses in states where medical marijuana is legal. Waiting until at least 18 to start using marijuana lessens the chances of becoming dependent, as does avoiding heavy use of potent pot products, experts say. And people with a family or personal history of addiction might consider avoiding marijuana altogether.
Recreational marijuana is already legal in California, but for your purchase there are restrictions
The legalization of cannabis in this state, which allows its consumption, cultivation and trade for recreational purposes, is considered a historic change by converting an illegal activity into a regulated industry that is estimated at 7,000 million dollars per year.
LOS ANGELES, California.- Possessing, processing, transporting, buying, obtaining or giving marijuana to people over 21 years of age is legal in California as of this Monday that begins in 2018, but the entry into force of the law that legalizes the Grass for recreational purposes does not imply that it can be acquired immediately or anywhere.
Many cities in the state do not yet have regulations for their commercialization and many of those that already have it have not begun to issue commercial permits, while in some counties they have prohibited its cultivation and sale. This is because the dispensaries must have the commercial license of the state, but also with permission from the city where they are located.
In San Francisco, for example, the cannabis trade for pleasant consumption will be possible only until the weekend, while in San Diego it is already available. However, recreational marijuana will not be allowed in several cities such as Riverside, Fresno, Bakersfield, Pasadena and Anaheim. In some cases, these cities have decided to re-discuss the issue after they see how it works in others where they have already regulated it.
In Los Angeles, where it is expected to be the epicenter of the economic boom of marijuana, will have to wait until the third week of January.
"After January 3, companies can start applying for the license for the recreational use of cannabis It is important that companies know they can not participate in the sale without having the temporary authorization," explained Andrea Univision, spokeswoman Andrea Garcia from the Los Angeles City Hall.
"Nothing is going to change here in the city of Los Angeles on January first," said Cat Packer, of the Los Angeles Marijuana Regulation Department , saying it will take about three weeks before temporary permits can be approved. . They expect an avalanche of requests, though.
According to some estimates, only a third of the state will initially allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use. "It will be months, maybe up to a year, before the majority of the state has access that is less than half an hour driving," warned Nate Bradley, a representative of the Cannabis Industry Association in California.
Currently only 15 of the 58 counties in California have issued state licenses for the business operation or marijuana cultivation.
The restrictions
In California medical cannabis is legal since 1996, so many of the more than 1,300 dispensaries that offer it are lining up to obtain permits to sell it also for recreational use, as the new law - known as AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act ) - allows consumption and home cultivation for personal use, in addition to legal trade.
However, the regulations establish limits on their consumption in public places, the transfer of certain quantities, the places where the points of sale should be located and the volume of production.
It is also forbidden to drive under the influence of marijuana or to carry in the vehicle (except in the trunk) packages or open packages.
The maximum amount of grass that a person can carry or buy is one ounce or 28 grams, while those who have authorization from a doctor for medicinal use, can acquire up to 8 ounces per day.
The legalization of cannabis also allows the production of edible products, such as cookies, ice cream, candy,kootenay bubble hash and even tacos, but with a limited amount of THC, which is the psychoactive component of marijuana.
On the other hand, a person can cultivate up to 6 marijuana plants on his property, only for personal use, he will not be authorized to sell it.
In addition, it should be remembered that although California has legalized it, federal law still considers it a crime. At the federal level, marijuana is considered an illegal substance such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, although it is known that the effects of these drugs are much more powerful.
Federal agencies have warned that the legalization of the herb for recreational purposes will not modify its tasks at the border with Mexico, airports and checkpoints throughout the state.
"Before and after January 1 things will not change as far as we are concerned," said Ryan Yamasaki, deputy director of the San Diego Border Patrol.
In this 2018 the cannabis industry is estimated at 7,000 million dollars, largely due to the generation of taxes. However, analysts believe that the high tax rate to be paid by consumers, businesses and farmers, means that the black marijuana market will remain in force, at least during the first years of its legalization.
LOS ANGELES, California.- Possessing, processing, transporting, buying, obtaining or giving marijuana to people over 21 years of age is legal in California as of this Monday that begins in 2018, but the entry into force of the law that legalizes the Grass for recreational purposes does not imply that it can be acquired immediately or anywhere.
Many cities in the state do not yet have regulations for their commercialization and many of those that already have it have not begun to issue commercial permits, while in some counties they have prohibited its cultivation and sale. This is because the dispensaries must have the commercial license of the state, but also with permission from the city where they are located.
In San Francisco, for example, the cannabis trade for pleasant consumption will be possible only until the weekend, while in San Diego it is already available. However, recreational marijuana will not be allowed in several cities such as Riverside, Fresno, Bakersfield, Pasadena and Anaheim. In some cases, these cities have decided to re-discuss the issue after they see how it works in others where they have already regulated it.
In Los Angeles, where it is expected to be the epicenter of the economic boom of marijuana, will have to wait until the third week of January.
"After January 3, companies can start applying for the license for the recreational use of cannabis It is important that companies know they can not participate in the sale without having the temporary authorization," explained Andrea Univision, spokeswoman Andrea Garcia from the Los Angeles City Hall.
"Nothing is going to change here in the city of Los Angeles on January first," said Cat Packer, of the Los Angeles Marijuana Regulation Department , saying it will take about three weeks before temporary permits can be approved. . They expect an avalanche of requests, though.
According to some estimates, only a third of the state will initially allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use. "It will be months, maybe up to a year, before the majority of the state has access that is less than half an hour driving," warned Nate Bradley, a representative of the Cannabis Industry Association in California.
Currently only 15 of the 58 counties in California have issued state licenses for the business operation or marijuana cultivation.
The restrictions
In California medical cannabis is legal since 1996, so many of the more than 1,300 dispensaries that offer it are lining up to obtain permits to sell it also for recreational use, as the new law - known as AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act ) - allows consumption and home cultivation for personal use, in addition to legal trade.
However, the regulations establish limits on their consumption in public places, the transfer of certain quantities, the places where the points of sale should be located and the volume of production.
It is also forbidden to drive under the influence of marijuana or to carry in the vehicle (except in the trunk) packages or open packages.
The maximum amount of grass that a person can carry or buy is one ounce or 28 grams, while those who have authorization from a doctor for medicinal use, can acquire up to 8 ounces per day.
The legalization of cannabis also allows the production of edible products, such as cookies, ice cream, candy,kootenay bubble hash and even tacos, but with a limited amount of THC, which is the psychoactive component of marijuana.
On the other hand, a person can cultivate up to 6 marijuana plants on his property, only for personal use, he will not be authorized to sell it.
In addition, it should be remembered that although California has legalized it, federal law still considers it a crime. At the federal level, marijuana is considered an illegal substance such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, although it is known that the effects of these drugs are much more powerful.
Federal agencies have warned that the legalization of the herb for recreational purposes will not modify its tasks at the border with Mexico, airports and checkpoints throughout the state.
"Before and after January 1 things will not change as far as we are concerned," said Ryan Yamasaki, deputy director of the San Diego Border Patrol.
In this 2018 the cannabis industry is estimated at 7,000 million dollars, largely due to the generation of taxes. However, analysts believe that the high tax rate to be paid by consumers, businesses and farmers, means that the black marijuana market will remain in force, at least during the first years of its legalization.
Tips to buy marijuana in California: bring cash, be careful, patient and find out
Recreational marijuana can be purchased at authorized stores in California from January 1, or soon after, depending on the location.
This is what you need to know about how to buy and use the so-called cannabis for "adult use".
How much marijuana can be bought ?
You can buy one (1) ounce of cannabis for adults per day. If you are a medical patient and have the proper authorization of a physician, you can acquire up to eight ounces daily.
There are many varieties of marijuana. Can I try them in stores?
Smoking is not allowed on the premises or in most public places, especially those located near schools and day care centers.
Can I order home delivery of marijuana for recreational use?
Some stores plan to deliver recreational Medical marijuana at home, but they are still reviewing the rules.
Is it legal to transport recreational marijuana in my vehicle ?
Yes, as long as the container remains sealed. The cannabis should be stored in the trunk while it is being transported. Also, remember that cannabis can not be transported across state boundaries, even to places like Nevada, where recreational use is allowed. It is also illegal to transport marijuana to Canada and Mexico.
Can you buy marijuana with a credit card?
No. The sale of cannabis is not allowed under federal law. That means that banks generally will not do business with marijuana companies. Therefore, stores will be forced to operate mostly in cash. There is usually an ATM in stores, so it should not be a problem.
Will the stores sell something else besides marijuana flowers ?
Yes. Medical Marijuana is present in many products, from creams and topical dyes, to liquids and concentrates. You can also buy edible marijuana. Cannabis has been infused into candy, popcorn, ice cream, cookies, sushi, drinks and pretty much anything you can think of.
It is advisable to be careful with groceries. Some people feel a strong effect only with a small amount of marijuana in food, while others do not perceive changes unless there is a significantly higher concentration.
We must also know that the effect of marijuana is not activated until 30, 60 or even 90 minutes after consumption. Users should be calm and give it time to take effect.
It is also suggested not to leave edibles at home. Most of them come in containers that look like any product that is not marijuana. It would be easy for a person to ingest them by mistake.
It sounds a bit overwhelming. Where do I turn if I have more questions?
Usually, stores have " budders, " or specialists, to sell medical marijuana. These people are supposed to have an advanced understanding of cannabis. In many cases it is true, in others it is not. It can be difficult to realize, since bud tenders are not required to go through a certification process. Those with many doubts should perhaps talk to more than one of these specialists.
Finally, if you feel that you do not understand what you are buying, do not buy it.
Customers wait in line at various outlets to buy products such as prearmed cigarettes, topical creams and foods infused with marijuana.
This is what you need to know about how to buy and use the so-called cannabis for "adult use".
How much marijuana can be bought ?
You can buy one (1) ounce of cannabis for adults per day. If you are a medical patient and have the proper authorization of a physician, you can acquire up to eight ounces daily.
There are many varieties of marijuana. Can I try them in stores?
Smoking is not allowed on the premises or in most public places, especially those located near schools and day care centers.
Can I order home delivery of marijuana for recreational use?
Some stores plan to deliver recreational Medical marijuana at home, but they are still reviewing the rules.
Is it legal to transport recreational marijuana in my vehicle ?
Yes, as long as the container remains sealed. The cannabis should be stored in the trunk while it is being transported. Also, remember that cannabis can not be transported across state boundaries, even to places like Nevada, where recreational use is allowed. It is also illegal to transport marijuana to Canada and Mexico.
Can you buy marijuana with a credit card?
No. The sale of cannabis is not allowed under federal law. That means that banks generally will not do business with marijuana companies. Therefore, stores will be forced to operate mostly in cash. There is usually an ATM in stores, so it should not be a problem.
Will the stores sell something else besides marijuana flowers ?
Yes. Medical Marijuana is present in many products, from creams and topical dyes, to liquids and concentrates. You can also buy edible marijuana. Cannabis has been infused into candy, popcorn, ice cream, cookies, sushi, drinks and pretty much anything you can think of.
It is advisable to be careful with groceries. Some people feel a strong effect only with a small amount of marijuana in food, while others do not perceive changes unless there is a significantly higher concentration.
We must also know that the effect of marijuana is not activated until 30, 60 or even 90 minutes after consumption. Users should be calm and give it time to take effect.
It is also suggested not to leave edibles at home. Most of them come in containers that look like any product that is not marijuana. It would be easy for a person to ingest them by mistake.
It sounds a bit overwhelming. Where do I turn if I have more questions?
Usually, stores have " budders, " or specialists, to sell medical marijuana. These people are supposed to have an advanced understanding of cannabis. In many cases it is true, in others it is not. It can be difficult to realize, since bud tenders are not required to go through a certification process. Those with many doubts should perhaps talk to more than one of these specialists.
Finally, if you feel that you do not understand what you are buying, do not buy it.
Customers wait in line at various outlets to buy products such as prearmed cigarettes, topical creams and foods infused with marijuana.
CBD for the treatment of tobacco addiction?
Despite the fact that cannabis or CBD is considered a “drug of abuse”, from time to time, more and more works are being published in the biomedical literature, which shows that either the plant or some of its compounds, can be useful for the treatment of addictions. For example, a recent review shows the current evidence on the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in modulating addictive behavior and includes animal research regarding the possible role of some cannabinoids in the treatment of addiction to psychostimulants. More specifically, there is evidence indicating that CB2 receptor agonist drugs may be useful for the treatment of cocaine addiction.
Some observational studies have also been published showing how cannabis can be a substitute alternative to more dangerous drugs, including alcohol. Finally, another recent review has compiled current studies focused on the possible anti-addictive properties of CBD (cannabidiol). This article will review the evidence that currently exists to consider cannabis in general, and CBD in particular, as possible aids to quit smoking.
Tobacco in figuresAccording to a 2014 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical substances, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful to health and at least 69 of them are known to cause cancer. According to this same report, among the spectrum of diseases that smoking can cause are the following medical problems: difficulty breathing, exacerbated asthma, respiratory infections, cancer (larynx, oropharynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, lung, acute myeloid leukemia, stomach, pancreas, kidney, urethra, colon, cervix, and bladder), coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, blindness, cataracts, periodontitis, aortic aneurysm, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, fractures of hip, infertility, and impotence.
According to another WHO study, tobacco remains the world’s leading cause of preventable death, killing approximately 6 million people each year and causing economic losses valued at more than half a trillion dollars. The latest report from the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, which collects data from 22 countries representing about 60% of the world population, reflected that there are approximately 1.3 billion smokers in that proportion of the world studied, of which 205 million had made some attempt to quit smoking in the last 12 months.
According to the American Cancer Society, only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking in any given attempt with any non-drug method, and about 25% of smokers using drugs can stay smoke-free. for more than 6 months. Counseling and other types of emotional support can increase success rates more than medications alone.
Nicotine addiction or smoking?Although it seems that the accepted theory about drug addiction is that it is a chronic and recurrent disease of the brain, characterized by the compulsive desire to search for and use drugs, producing a deterioration in the control over its consumption despite the negative consequences it produces on the individual and those around him, the truth is that this vision of addiction as a brain disease is increasingly questioned by numerous experts. In fact, at least two studies have found that the percentage of people who recover from their addiction throughout life exceeds, in almost all cases, 80%. From the results of these studies, it is also found that tobacco addiction has the lowest quitting rates.
One of these reasons may be how internalized it is in our society to attribute tobacco addiction to the pharmacological effects of nicotine. If attributing addiction to the substance used is a problem for understanding drug addiction in general, in the case of tobacco addiction it becomes paradigmatic. Buy CBD cigarettes online.
The problem of drug addiction in general, and tobacco addiction in particular, is, as just explained, attributing the problem to a brain disease caused by a pharmacological agent, when at the base of all addictive behaviors what is established is a habit. A habit that is established, not so much by the effects of the substance itself, but by the behaviors that are carried out around its search and consumption. And habits, because they are behaviors, it is what they are difficult to correct. In the specific case of nicotine, in fact, in animal models, it is very difficult to train them to become addicted to the substance. And the rates of tobacco cessation by pharmacological means (including patches, gum, or any other nicotine-based pharmaceutical preparation), as we have seen above, are bleakly low.
Then, of all the reasons that tobacco is addictive for so many people, the fact that it contains nicotine is probably the weakest. It is precisely the fact that it is a habit, which is generally established for a long time, lasting in most cases for years, which is why it is so difficult to correct. Human beings establish our daily behaviors through habits and the more established a habit is, the more difficult it is to change. And all the more so as the habit, as it happens in the case of tobacco, is so versatile for an individual who serves it both when he is in a lively conversation, as when he is in a depressed state, or waiting for the bus, and, in short, generalized to almost every aspect of your life, except sleeping.
Vaporizing cannabis as an alternative to smoking tobaccoAs cannabis users become aware of the health hazards of smoking, some of them try to move from the smoked path (where combustion occurs) to the vaporized path (where it does not). In fact, as is known, the risks of smoking stem precisely from the combustion of what is smoked, not from the products contained in what is smoked. Even so, if the studies based on surveys on the preferred ways of consuming cannabis are consulted, the vast majority (more than 90%) of the users continue to use the smoked route, despite the fact that they also consider vaporization the most effective harm reduction. Even in states such as California, which is reputed to have special worship of its citizens, the preferred route to consume cannabis in medical marijuana dispensaries is the smoked route (used by 86.1% of those interviewed), very above vaporized (used by 21.8%).
It is possible that these results are partly biased because many of the interviewees were previously tobacco users who, later, when they start using cannabis, also do so by smoking it. It is also known that many smoked cannabis users manage to quit not only “joints” but also tobacco when they start vaporizing cannabis. In a recent letter published in the journal Addiction, Hindocha et al. Show a number of examples where cannabis “vaping” is accompanied by a reduction in tobacco use. According to these researchers: “There could be reasons to be optimistic about the potential of vaping. If vaping can reduce the co-administration of cannabis and tobacco, the result could be a reduction in tobacco use/dependence among cannabis users and a resulting reduction in the harm associated with cannabis. Indeed, if cannabis vaping becomes a common practice in the future, the next generation of cannabis users may never be previously exposed to either nicotine or tobacco. ”. Buy Hemp cigarettes online.
CBD in the treatment of smokingCBD is in fashion. If in the 90s seed companies competed for the variety that produced the most THC, now they compete for more narcotic varieties, that is, with high CBD content. We do not know if the reason is that cannabis users have grown tired of so much high (THC concentrations in Dutch marijuana have been decreasing since 2005 to the present at the rate of 0.22% per year), to the marketing campaigns of the industry attributing the medicinal effects of cannabis to CBD, to a simple reflection of the market in which the consumer wants a varied product that provides them with different experiences depending on what they are looking for. each specific moment, a mixture of all this, or even any other reason. One of those other reasons is also the fad of CBD oils, most of which, although they do not put it on the labels, also contain amounts of THC that could make, for example, a consumer test positive for a traffic saliva test. Oils, on the other hand, whose legality is more than doubtful for reasons that we will not enter here.
CBD has an as yet not entirely known action on the endocannabinoid system. So much so that, depending on where you read, you find different mechanisms of action in which some articles address mechanisms of action that other articles do not include, and vice versa. So I leave it to the reader to find out for himself what the mechanism of action of CBD is. A recent review cited above, on the possible role of CBD as an anti-addiction drug, after reviewing this mechanism of action, concludes that “CBD has been associated with many neural circuits involved in the acquisition of addiction and subsequent search behaviors. the drug, making it an interesting pharmacological candidate for the treatment of substance use disorders. ”
There is only one study in which the role of CBD as a treatment for addiction to tobacco smoking has been investigated. In a pilot clinical study (a pilot study is a study with a small number of subjects to test a working hypothesis before moving on to a larger and therefore more cost-effective sample), double-blind (neither researchers nor patients know who receives what treatment), randomized (patients are randomized to one type of treatment), placebo-controlled (the active drug is compared to an inactive drug), the efficacy of CBD was compared with a placebo in the treatment of tobacco addiction . 24 smokers consuming more than 10 cigarettes daily were recruited and provided with an inhaler to use whenever they felt the need to smoke. For 12 (6 women) of the participants, the inhaler contained CBD and for the other 12 (6 women) of them a placebo.
The treatment lasted a week. During that week, craving and anxiety scores were evaluated every day, as well as in a follow-up interview 21 days after treatment. After the week of treatment, the CBD group reduced their cigarette consumption by 40%, a difference that was significant compared to the placebo group, but these differences were not maintained at 21 days. Both groups reduced their craving and anxiety scores by the same magnitude during the 7 days that the treatment lasted, but, again, on day 21 they returned to the initial conditions. The authors conclude.
The authors of this study offer in their article a series of explanations, based on the effects of CBD on the Endocannabinoid System, that could be explaining the results found. Among them, the action of CBD on CB1 receptors (as a weak inverse agonist) or its properties as an inhibitor of the enzyme that degrades anandamide (FAAH), which may be actions related to the decrease of the reinforcing properties of nicotine. They also offer psychological speculation, such as the possible action of CBD to reduce attention to contextual “clues” that may be involved in maintaining nicotine use.
However, questions remain to be clarified. As explained above, in this study tobacco craving was reduced equally in the CBD group and in the placebo group, as well as anxiety scores. These scores were collected once a day, but not after each inhalation given the desire to smoke a cigarette. In general terms, the placebo may be able to reduce the desire for consumption and anxiety, since in the follow-up evaluation, after 21 days, when no group was using the device anymore, the scores were normalized. Perhaps CBD, working as an anxiolytic, maybe a substitute treatment to gradually leave tobacco, because the person is not so anxious. Buy CBD cigarettes online.
The possible anxiolytic effect after inhalations was not evaluated in this study. In any case, this pilot study provides more evidence that tobacco addiction is more of a habit than a pharmacological effect of nicotine. If tobacco addiction were a matter of nicotine addiction, after a week, where the desire for consumption has already disappeared and where the number of cigarettes and therefore of nicotine has been considerably reduced, the symptoms would not have to reappear. abstinence inducing subjects to return to smoking tobacco. Finally, as seen in the previous section, many people stop smoking when they start vaporizing.
It is, therefore, possible that cannabis and CBD inhaled by a different route than smoked may be useful for people who want to quit smoking. As Morgan et al. Conclude, further studies are necessary in this regard. What seems clear is that smoking, more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety. In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed. more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), it is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety.
In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed. more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), it is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety. In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and / or vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed.
Some observational studies have also been published showing how cannabis can be a substitute alternative to more dangerous drugs, including alcohol. Finally, another recent review has compiled current studies focused on the possible anti-addictive properties of CBD (cannabidiol). This article will review the evidence that currently exists to consider cannabis in general, and CBD in particular, as possible aids to quit smoking.
Tobacco in figuresAccording to a 2014 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical substances, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful to health and at least 69 of them are known to cause cancer. According to this same report, among the spectrum of diseases that smoking can cause are the following medical problems: difficulty breathing, exacerbated asthma, respiratory infections, cancer (larynx, oropharynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, lung, acute myeloid leukemia, stomach, pancreas, kidney, urethra, colon, cervix, and bladder), coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, blindness, cataracts, periodontitis, aortic aneurysm, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, fractures of hip, infertility, and impotence.
According to another WHO study, tobacco remains the world’s leading cause of preventable death, killing approximately 6 million people each year and causing economic losses valued at more than half a trillion dollars. The latest report from the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, which collects data from 22 countries representing about 60% of the world population, reflected that there are approximately 1.3 billion smokers in that proportion of the world studied, of which 205 million had made some attempt to quit smoking in the last 12 months.
According to the American Cancer Society, only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking in any given attempt with any non-drug method, and about 25% of smokers using drugs can stay smoke-free. for more than 6 months. Counseling and other types of emotional support can increase success rates more than medications alone.
Nicotine addiction or smoking?Although it seems that the accepted theory about drug addiction is that it is a chronic and recurrent disease of the brain, characterized by the compulsive desire to search for and use drugs, producing a deterioration in the control over its consumption despite the negative consequences it produces on the individual and those around him, the truth is that this vision of addiction as a brain disease is increasingly questioned by numerous experts. In fact, at least two studies have found that the percentage of people who recover from their addiction throughout life exceeds, in almost all cases, 80%. From the results of these studies, it is also found that tobacco addiction has the lowest quitting rates.
One of these reasons may be how internalized it is in our society to attribute tobacco addiction to the pharmacological effects of nicotine. If attributing addiction to the substance used is a problem for understanding drug addiction in general, in the case of tobacco addiction it becomes paradigmatic. Buy CBD cigarettes online.
The problem of drug addiction in general, and tobacco addiction in particular, is, as just explained, attributing the problem to a brain disease caused by a pharmacological agent, when at the base of all addictive behaviors what is established is a habit. A habit that is established, not so much by the effects of the substance itself, but by the behaviors that are carried out around its search and consumption. And habits, because they are behaviors, it is what they are difficult to correct. In the specific case of nicotine, in fact, in animal models, it is very difficult to train them to become addicted to the substance. And the rates of tobacco cessation by pharmacological means (including patches, gum, or any other nicotine-based pharmaceutical preparation), as we have seen above, are bleakly low.
Then, of all the reasons that tobacco is addictive for so many people, the fact that it contains nicotine is probably the weakest. It is precisely the fact that it is a habit, which is generally established for a long time, lasting in most cases for years, which is why it is so difficult to correct. Human beings establish our daily behaviors through habits and the more established a habit is, the more difficult it is to change. And all the more so as the habit, as it happens in the case of tobacco, is so versatile for an individual who serves it both when he is in a lively conversation, as when he is in a depressed state, or waiting for the bus, and, in short, generalized to almost every aspect of your life, except sleeping.
Vaporizing cannabis as an alternative to smoking tobaccoAs cannabis users become aware of the health hazards of smoking, some of them try to move from the smoked path (where combustion occurs) to the vaporized path (where it does not). In fact, as is known, the risks of smoking stem precisely from the combustion of what is smoked, not from the products contained in what is smoked. Even so, if the studies based on surveys on the preferred ways of consuming cannabis are consulted, the vast majority (more than 90%) of the users continue to use the smoked route, despite the fact that they also consider vaporization the most effective harm reduction. Even in states such as California, which is reputed to have special worship of its citizens, the preferred route to consume cannabis in medical marijuana dispensaries is the smoked route (used by 86.1% of those interviewed), very above vaporized (used by 21.8%).
It is possible that these results are partly biased because many of the interviewees were previously tobacco users who, later, when they start using cannabis, also do so by smoking it. It is also known that many smoked cannabis users manage to quit not only “joints” but also tobacco when they start vaporizing cannabis. In a recent letter published in the journal Addiction, Hindocha et al. Show a number of examples where cannabis “vaping” is accompanied by a reduction in tobacco use. According to these researchers: “There could be reasons to be optimistic about the potential of vaping. If vaping can reduce the co-administration of cannabis and tobacco, the result could be a reduction in tobacco use/dependence among cannabis users and a resulting reduction in the harm associated with cannabis. Indeed, if cannabis vaping becomes a common practice in the future, the next generation of cannabis users may never be previously exposed to either nicotine or tobacco. ”. Buy Hemp cigarettes online.
CBD in the treatment of smokingCBD is in fashion. If in the 90s seed companies competed for the variety that produced the most THC, now they compete for more narcotic varieties, that is, with high CBD content. We do not know if the reason is that cannabis users have grown tired of so much high (THC concentrations in Dutch marijuana have been decreasing since 2005 to the present at the rate of 0.22% per year), to the marketing campaigns of the industry attributing the medicinal effects of cannabis to CBD, to a simple reflection of the market in which the consumer wants a varied product that provides them with different experiences depending on what they are looking for. each specific moment, a mixture of all this, or even any other reason. One of those other reasons is also the fad of CBD oils, most of which, although they do not put it on the labels, also contain amounts of THC that could make, for example, a consumer test positive for a traffic saliva test. Oils, on the other hand, whose legality is more than doubtful for reasons that we will not enter here.
CBD has an as yet not entirely known action on the endocannabinoid system. So much so that, depending on where you read, you find different mechanisms of action in which some articles address mechanisms of action that other articles do not include, and vice versa. So I leave it to the reader to find out for himself what the mechanism of action of CBD is. A recent review cited above, on the possible role of CBD as an anti-addiction drug, after reviewing this mechanism of action, concludes that “CBD has been associated with many neural circuits involved in the acquisition of addiction and subsequent search behaviors. the drug, making it an interesting pharmacological candidate for the treatment of substance use disorders. ”
There is only one study in which the role of CBD as a treatment for addiction to tobacco smoking has been investigated. In a pilot clinical study (a pilot study is a study with a small number of subjects to test a working hypothesis before moving on to a larger and therefore more cost-effective sample), double-blind (neither researchers nor patients know who receives what treatment), randomized (patients are randomized to one type of treatment), placebo-controlled (the active drug is compared to an inactive drug), the efficacy of CBD was compared with a placebo in the treatment of tobacco addiction . 24 smokers consuming more than 10 cigarettes daily were recruited and provided with an inhaler to use whenever they felt the need to smoke. For 12 (6 women) of the participants, the inhaler contained CBD and for the other 12 (6 women) of them a placebo.
The treatment lasted a week. During that week, craving and anxiety scores were evaluated every day, as well as in a follow-up interview 21 days after treatment. After the week of treatment, the CBD group reduced their cigarette consumption by 40%, a difference that was significant compared to the placebo group, but these differences were not maintained at 21 days. Both groups reduced their craving and anxiety scores by the same magnitude during the 7 days that the treatment lasted, but, again, on day 21 they returned to the initial conditions. The authors conclude.
The authors of this study offer in their article a series of explanations, based on the effects of CBD on the Endocannabinoid System, that could be explaining the results found. Among them, the action of CBD on CB1 receptors (as a weak inverse agonist) or its properties as an inhibitor of the enzyme that degrades anandamide (FAAH), which may be actions related to the decrease of the reinforcing properties of nicotine. They also offer psychological speculation, such as the possible action of CBD to reduce attention to contextual “clues” that may be involved in maintaining nicotine use.
However, questions remain to be clarified. As explained above, in this study tobacco craving was reduced equally in the CBD group and in the placebo group, as well as anxiety scores. These scores were collected once a day, but not after each inhalation given the desire to smoke a cigarette. In general terms, the placebo may be able to reduce the desire for consumption and anxiety, since in the follow-up evaluation, after 21 days, when no group was using the device anymore, the scores were normalized. Perhaps CBD, working as an anxiolytic, maybe a substitute treatment to gradually leave tobacco, because the person is not so anxious. Buy CBD cigarettes online.
The possible anxiolytic effect after inhalations was not evaluated in this study. In any case, this pilot study provides more evidence that tobacco addiction is more of a habit than a pharmacological effect of nicotine. If tobacco addiction were a matter of nicotine addiction, after a week, where the desire for consumption has already disappeared and where the number of cigarettes and therefore of nicotine has been considerably reduced, the symptoms would not have to reappear. abstinence inducing subjects to return to smoking tobacco. Finally, as seen in the previous section, many people stop smoking when they start vaporizing.
It is, therefore, possible that cannabis and CBD inhaled by a different route than smoked may be useful for people who want to quit smoking. As Morgan et al. Conclude, further studies are necessary in this regard. What seems clear is that smoking, more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety. In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed. more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), it is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety.
In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed. more than an addiction to a drug (nicotine), it is a habit, and like any habit, its interruption produces anxiety. In this sense, substituting tobacco for cannabis and / or vaporized CBD can be an interesting substitute measure that needs more evidence before being confirmed.
