A commonly held belief among cannabis users is that CBD can counteract the effects of THC. However, a recent study found that this was not the case. In fact, the researchers have found that it has the opposite effect. The study found that the CBD could, instead, enhance the effects of THC.
Study
For the study, Australian researchers gathered 36 individuals. Some were regular users of cannabis and others only used it infrequently. The researchers then administered vaporized marijuana in various doses. Among the subjects, five doses were administered. The doses made up a placebo, THC (8mg), high-CBD (400mg), THC and low-CBD (8mg and 4mg respectively), and THC and high-CBD (12mg and 400mg respectively).
The researchers took blood pressure and blood samples. Throughout the experiment, the researchers assessed the subjects’ level of intoxication.
Results
The results that the researchers found most interesting was in regards to the high-CBD group. The researchers, though it was hard to accurately measure intoxication, found that there was an increased feeling of subjective intoxication, or the reported feeling of intoxication, among the subjects. Additionally, with those that took low-CBD and THC, the researchers found that there was more intoxication than when they vaporized THC alone. Additionally, those that had the mix found that there was a higher THC concentration in blood plasma, which was especially prominent in those that used it infrequently.
Discussion
These results could disprove the common belief that CBD counteracts the effects of THC. At the very least, it could be used to correct the premise. This is because while low doses of CBD have shown to increase the feelings of intoxication of THC, higher levels have shown to counteract the effects.
Because CBD is normally non-intoxicating, many people tend to think that it will offset the effects of THC. However, other studies looking into this idea have been inconsistent in terms of the overall results. This is why researchers need to further examine the effects of CBD.
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