CBD may hold the key to long-term treatment of coke addiction
Cannabidiol, a wildly popular cannabis compound touted as a panacea for general well-being, may be effective in treating cocaine addiction, according to recent research.
What is cocaine?
Unlike opiate or alcohol addiction, there is no pharmaceutical treatment for cocaine. Click here for more details http://www.extraordinary-facts.com/. Building on other preclinical studies that suggest cannabidiol may be useful in treating cocaine addiction, Spanish scientists found that CBD-treated laboratory mice were less likely to return to cocaine use after a period of non-use, even after exposure to reuse triggers. Perhaps most remarkably, CBD appeared to reverse changes in dopamine neurons in mice associated with cocaine initiation. Drug abuse is known to alter brain chemistry, contributing to increased use. Can CBD reverse the brain reprogramming that causes addiction in the user?
Cannabidiol as a cure for attraction and relapse
Maybe, but maybe not. (That's how the preliminary studies work. In any case, researchers continue to claim that CBD still holds promise in treating addiction. The mouse study is a good positive indicator that CBD may be useful in reducing some of the aspects that lead to relapse. The study does not mean that smoking marijuana or taking a CBD blend available online or at your local health food shop is a viable addiction treatment option. There are large differences between CBD-rich cannabis flower varieties, as well as CBD oils, none of which are regulated by the FDA. However, for clinicians who treat addictions and do not perform chemical interventions, CBD holds promise. And as interest in this cannabis compound continues to grow, more research will follow.