Is It Possible To Use CBD Oil To Stop Smoking?

Studies suggest that CBD oil helps tackle smoking addiction in various ways, such as by reducing tobacco consumption. This article discussed CBD oil and smoking, factors to consider before purchasing CBD oil.

Tobacco smoking is one of the major causes of death globally. Millions of individuals die from smoking and its associated illnesses yearly. Around thirty million people in the UK struggle with smoking addiction. What’s worse is the available conventional treatments are unreliable. However, most novel therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have shown promising results when boosted with other natural remedies to help mitigate nicotine withdrawal symptoms. One of the natural remedies is CBD. Recently, cannabidiol oil has been creating significant headlines in journals as a potential remedy to address nicotine addiction.

CBD Oil and Smoking

CBD possesses various therapeutic qualities. CBD consumers use it for conditions such as muscle spasms, seizures,epilepsy,dementia and tremors. Recently, CBD oil has got the attention of addiction experts since it shows promising results when it comes to tackling smoking addiction:

Below are ways how CBD oil can help individuals to stop smoking:

CBD Oil Reduces Withdrawal Symptoms After Smoking

Nicotine addiction is similar to hard drugs such as cocaine, making it difficult to quit smoking. Most individuals who cease smoking have experienced multiple withdrawal symptoms that are impossible to overcome. Mendelsohn et al. (2022) noted that some of them include; anxiety, sleeping problems, depression and irritability. These symptoms last for some weeks.

Upon consumption, CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system(ECS), which is responsible for maintaining body homeostasis. This complex system also regulates key primary body functions such as sleep, stress., pain, mood and appetite.Bilge et al. (2021) suggested that cannabidiol inhibits FAAH-the enzyme responsible for metabolising natural endocannabinoids. The body's endocannabinoids bind to the CB1 receptors, which are available in the brain, affecting mood and sleep. CBD oil helps maintain the endocannabinoids' adequate level, thus reducing brain dysfunction.

CBD Alleviates Anxiety After Ceasing Smoking

 Besides maintaining the ECS, cannabidiol interacts with over sixty other molecular targets hence its therapeutic and health qualities. One of them is GABA receptor modulation. Its interaction with the GABA receptor regulates neurotransmitter levels, specifically the gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate. An increase in the production of glutamate leads to brain hyperactivity and anxiety development. CBD’s interaction with the GABA receptors helps maintain equilibrium in the nervous system, improves stress response and boosts focus and mental clarity.

CBD also targets the serotonin receptor. Serotonin is responsible for various functions, such as regulating moods and emotions. Low levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety and stress. On the other hand, excessive production of serotonin induces tremors, shivering and muscle spasms. CBD does not directly increase serotonin levels. However, it prevents its uptake since it binds with the 5-1HTA receptor making the brainutilise it. As a result, it causes proper working of the brain, thus relieving tremors and also lowering occurrences of anxiety and stress.

CBD Minimises Cigarette Consumption

According to Lawn et al. (2016), individualswho used CBD inhalers reported a forty per cent reduction in smoking, while the other group who used placebodid not do well.

The study concluded that CBD indirectly binds to the CB1 receptors hence a significant improvement was noticed. Not only did it boost the anandamide (bliss molecule) level, but it also reduced nicotine's boosting qualities.

Factors to Consider While Purchasing CBD Oil

CBD oil has shown promising results in curbing tobacco smoking. However, to get the best results, it is important to consider various factors such as:

The Product’s Quality

Where your CBD originates from plays a big part in your quitting journey, it either breaks or makes an individual's experience. Since the CBD industry is unregulated, purchasing products from trusted and reputable brands is a rule of thumb.

Ensure that the brand features the following tobe on the safer side:

• The hemp source: only purchase from brands that cultivate their hemp organically. The hempplant absorbs everything in the soil, the bad and the good. As a result, when cultivated wrongly, it greatly affects the final products. Organically cultivated hemp plantdoes not contain any toxic materials such as heavy metals and pesticides. Try and ensure that it was alsolocallycultivated. Avoid mass-produced hemp from overseas since it contains pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.
• THC content: Ensure that THC in your CBD oil does not exceed 0.2 per cent.
• Lab reports: It is safer to choose a company that provides proof of third-partylab test reports and a certificate of analysis. These reports confirmtheproduct's safety and quality. Apart from that, they provide you withan insight into theproduct's cannabinoid content level and whether it containspesticides or any other toxic substances.

Type of CBD Oil

There are three types of CBD oil; full spectrum, broad spectrum and isolate. Full spectrum CBD oil features all the chemicalcompounds such as terpenes, flavonoids and insignificant amounts of THC. Broad-spectrum CBD oil contains all theother cannabinoids, excluding THC. CBD isolate features CBD solely.

The full spectrum CBD oil is the most desired due to the entourage effect. Finlay et al. (2020) stated that it is a phenomenon whereby all the other compounds work synergistically with CBD to boost itstherapeuticbenefits. As a result, it is considered to be the most potent. If you want to avoid any THC effects, go for the broad-spectrum CBD oil.

Dosing Guide

There is nostraightforward answer on how much CBD an individual should consume to help with smoking. Everyone has a unique body chemistry, so what may workfor you maynot work for another consumer. Variousfactorsaffect the amount of CBD oil an individualshould consume, such as bodymetabolism, body weight and age.

The rule of thumb is to begin low and slow. It is best to start with around ten to fifteen milligrams daily and notice how the body reacts to it. If it doesn’t work for you, gradually work your way upuntilyou find the desired results.

Summary

Smoking addiction is one of the most common problems affecting many individuals globally. The available conventional treatments are unreliable. However, natural remedies such as CBD oil show promising results. CBD oil helps tackle smoking by reducing anxiety, minimising cigarette consumption and reducing withdrawal symptoms after smoking. Before purchasing CBD oil, there are various factors to consider, such as; hemp source, extraction method and type. A point worth noting is before taking CBD oil, it is important to seek medical guidance.

References

Bilge, S., &Ekici, B. (2021). CBD-enriched cannabis for autism spectrum disorder: an experience of a single center in Turkey and reviews of the literature. Journal of cannabis research, 3(1), 1-11.

Finlay, D. B., Sircombe, K. J., Nimick, M., Jones, C., & Glass, M. (2020). Terpenoids from cannabis do not mediate an entourage effect by acting at cannabinoid receptors. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11, 359.

Lawn, W., Freeman, T. P., Pope, R. A., Joye, A., Harvey, L., Hindocha, C., ... & Curran, H. V. (2016). Acute and chronic effects of cannabinoids on effort-related decision-making and reward learning: an evaluation of the cannabis ‘amotivational’hypotheses. Psychopharmacology, 233(19), 3537-3552.

Mendelsohn, C. P., & Beaumont, C. (2022). What doctors should consider before prescribing e-liquids for e-cigarettes. The Medical Journal of Australia, 217(10), 547-547.