A benchmark clinical trial published on 28/07/2020 shows that cannabidiol (CBD) could be a safe and effective treatment for problematic cannabis use.
Results from the first-ever randomised clinical trial of CBD for cannabis use disorder suggests that prescribed doses of the non-intoxicating constituent part of the cannabis plant could help people kick the habit.
In the MRC-funded trial, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, researchers administered doses of CBD or placebo to 82 volunteers who were motivated to quit using cannabis but had previously failed to do so. They measured the effects of the drug on levels of cannabis use both during a four-week treatment period and up to six months follow-up.
As this was the first clinical trial to assess CBD for reducing cannabis use, they tested three different doses of CBD in an adaptive design to find out which doses might be most effective.
- In the first stage of the trial, 48 volunteers received either placebo or CBD at doses of 200mg, 400mg or 800mg. The researchers found that the lowest dose of 200mg CBD was ineffective and so they dropped it from the trial.
- In the second stage of the trial, the researchers recruited an additional 34 volunteers to receive either placebo, 400mg or 800mg CBD. At the end of the trial, they found consistent evidence that CBD at 400mg or 800mg was more effective than placebo at reducing cannabis use.