CBD reduced nicotine withdrawal symptoms and anxiety during a 4-hour e-cigarette abstinence period | Research

The takeaway

In an open-label crossover study of 20 daily e-cigarette users, 320 mg oral CBD significantly reduced nicotine withdrawal severity and state anxiety during a 4-hour abstinence period compared to abstinence without CBD.

Tobacco cessation researchers exploring novel pharmacological aids; clinicians treating nicotine dependence in e-cigarette users.

CBD reduced both withdrawal and anxiety during e-cigarette abstinence

What the researchers found

After controlling for positive CBD expectancies, 320 mg oral CBD reduced both nicotine withdrawal symptom severity and state anxiety during a 4-hour e-cigarette abstinence period compared to abstinence alone. Effects were consistent with hypotheses despite the open-label design.

Why it matters

With 8.1 million US adults using e-cigarettes and most wanting to quit, effective cessation aids are urgently needed. CBD's ability to reduce withdrawal and anxiety during abstinence could facilitate quit attempts if confirmed in larger trials.

The numbers in context

20 daily e-cigarette users. 320 mg oral CBD. 4-hour abstinence period. Significant reductions in both withdrawal severity and state anxiety after controlling for CBD expectancies.

How the study worked

Open-label crossover design with 20 daily nicotine e-cigarette users. Participants experienced 4-hour abstinence with and without 320 mg oral CBD on separate visits. Withdrawal severity and state anxiety measured. Analysis controlled for positive CBD expectancies.

What this study cannot tell us

Open-label design. Very small sample (n=20). Single 4-hour abstinence period does not represent a real quit attempt. Cannot distinguish pharmacological effects from residual expectancy effects even after statistical control. No long-term follow-up.

How to read the evidence

Open-label pilot with small sample. Suggestive but requires placebo-controlled replication.

When this study was published

2024 study

The bigger picture

If CBD can reduce the discomfort of nicotine withdrawal, it could complement existing cessation approaches. The anxiolytic effect may be particularly relevant since anxiety is a major driver of relapse in nicotine cessation attempts.

Questions still open

Would these effects persist during a multi-day quit attempt? Is 320 mg the optimal CBD dose? Would a placebo-controlled trial confirm these findings?

Common questions

Can CBD help people quit vaping?

These preliminary findings suggest CBD may ease withdrawal symptoms and anxiety during short-term abstinence from nicotine e-cigarettes. Whether this translates to successful long-term quitting requires much larger controlled studies.

Why might CBD help with nicotine withdrawal?

CBD has anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties and interacts with serotonin and endocannabinoid systems that are involved in withdrawal and stress responses. The specific mechanisms in nicotine withdrawal are not yet fully understood.

Read the original research

Cannabidiol Reduces Nicotine Withdrawal Severity and State Anxiety During an Acute E-cigarette Abstinence Period: A Novel, Open-Label Study.

Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 9(4), 996-1005

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Gournay, L Riley; Petry, Jordan; Bilsky, Sarah; Hill, Morgan A; Feldner, Matthew; Peters, Erica; Bonn-Miller, Marcel; Leen-Feldner, Ellen. (2024). Cannabidiol Reduces Nicotine Withdrawal Severity and State Anxiety During an Acute E-cigarette Abstinence Period: A Novel, Open-Label Study.. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 9(4), 996-1005. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2022.0317