Scientists have long been working on a way to help people overcome the difficult situation of cocaine addiction. That said, a new study started examining the idea of CBD treating cocaine addiction. Researchers have found that CBD can be as a treatment for the likes of chronic pain and acute anxiety. At the same time, researchers have begun to test its effectiveness for other ailments. The researcher set up a study to see if using CBD would make it less likely for those attempting to quit the dangerous and illegal drug to go back to it.

Study

Researchers running the study had the mice they used as subjects become addicted to cocaine. The second part had those addicted mice go through an abstinence period of three or four weeks. Then they would give the subjects different chemicals to see how they would react when reintroduced to cocaine. The researchers differed these chemicals depending on the group involved in the study. Researchers gave one cocaine alone, another given cocaine mixed with CBD, and another got a vehicle and saline solution. The last group of subjects received CBD alone.

Results

Researchers found that the subjects given either the saline or purely cocaine solutions experienced a relapse. On the other hand, the subjects that received a combination of cocaine and CBD found that they did not reinstate the addictions with cocaine. Additionally, those that were given the pure CBD found that they didn’t just regain the addiction. The researchers also found the CBD actually reversed the chemical effects of addiction.

Discussion

Researchers found that the cocaine priming caused an increase in the expression of the dopamine transporter (DAT). For clarification, the DAT is part of what causes addiction to be established, since the dopamine causes a pleasurable sensation. Additionally, cocaine priming is the amount it takes before addiction reestablishes itself. However, at the same time, CBD actually reversed the effect, thereby diminishing the possibility of addiction reestablishing itself in the subject.

This means that the use of CBD could prevent the establishment of cocaine addiction or at least diminish the effects. Additionally, CBD is a relatively cheap, natural, and readily available method of treatment. Doctors could, hypothetically, also use it to treat other addictions, like with opiods, assuming it will affect the brain in the same way. Hopefully, as cannabis becomes more acceptable, CBD will be accepted as a potential treatment for those suffering from the terrible addiction.

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