I do a lot of cannabis research as part of my job. So I am always on the lookout for new studies taking a look at cannabis from new angles. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of a new proposed study with a unique angle that includes a surprising and rarely heard admission about cannabis: people can get addicted to it.
This is important due to the fact that cannabis proponents have tried to undermine cannabis addiction to the point of completely sweeping it under the rug. It is almost as if some proponents have tried to convince people that cannabis addiction isn’t real. But it is. It is real enough that a group of researchers from the University of Colorado are planning to study CBD as a means of treating cannabis use disorder.
New Name, Same Condition
If you are unfamiliar with cannabis use disorder, the first thing you should know is that it isn’t new or unique. ‘Cannabis use disorder’ is just a new name for the condition we used to call marijuana addiction. If you need proof, check out the following text from the CDC website:
“Some people who use cannabis will develop cannabis use disorder, meaning that they are unable to stop using cannabis even though it’s causing health and social problems in their lives.”
The textbook definition of addiction is being unable to stop using a harmful substance even though you know it is causing problems in your personal life, at work, and within your family. So yes, cannabis use disorder is really just marijuana addiction.
What the Researchers Want to Know
Dictionary definitions aside, I am intrigued by what the University of Colorado researchers want to know. Funded by a National Institute of Drug Abuse grant, the researchers plan to conduct a double-blind randomized trial looking into whether hemp-arrived CBD could help marijuana users moderate their consumption. And if so, they want to know if CBD can be an off ramp from marijuana addiction.
The study makes sense given what we know about both THC and CBD. THC is the intoxicating cannabinoid found in marijuana. CBD is the primary cannabinoid in hemp. It has no intoxicating properties. However, it is believed that CBD can moderate THC’s effects. That could be what the researchers are looking into.
Back to the Admission
Getting back to the admission, the very fact that this study is being conducted is an acknowledgment of the realities of cannabis use disorder. For as long as I have been researching cannabis, I have read and heard from experts trying to sound the alarm about addiction in relation to more potent marijuana strains.
The potential for developing cannabis use disorder is very real. We know that just from the principle of tolerance. According to the experts at Utahmarijuana.org, medical cannabis providers typically recommend that patients take 2-3 days off every month in order to combat tolerance. The fact that tolerance exists demonstrates that addiction is possible.
Addiction is not a significant risk for medical cannabis users under the supervision of qualified doctors and pharmacists. But it is a significant risk for recreational users.
The Cat Is Out of the Bag
University of Colorado researchers have all but let the cat out of the bag with their proposed study. Now, can we put that behind us and start dealing with the realities of cannabis use disorder? It is very real and something we cannot continue to sweep under the rug in the push to legalize marijuana nationwide. Pretending otherwise is to repeat many of the same mistakes we made with alcohol.