
“This could apply to any kind of tobacco use, snuff or to stop vaping. “The idea is if they’re not taking other drugs, that with CBD, they might be able to limit smoking and they won’t feel that need for nicotine,” he said. Otherwise healthy people would likely benefit from CBD. It could be a concern for people who regularly take certain drugs, Lazarus said. The earlier research looked at cannabinoids – along with their major metabolites in users’ blood – and found that they interfered with two families of enzymes in the body that help metabolize a wide range of prescribed medications. That’s because his earlier WSU studies indicate that use of CBD and other cannabis could inhibit how certain prescription drugs metabolize in the body – perhaps negatively. If CBD’s benefit proves out, it’s likely a better cessation tool for smokers who are otherwise healthy, Lazarus said. While often seen as less harmful, other nicotine delivery methods including vaping, snuff and chew also contain chemicals that can cause cancer and illnesses. Lazarus said the next step – planned by year’s end – is to start testing CBD’s effects among a group of people who smoke and whether it reduces nicotine dependency, against other smokers who receive only a placebo.Ĭigarette smoking remains a major health issue, with one in five deaths in the U.S. This allowed them to focus on individual enzymes related to nicotine metabolism. In the study, the researchers tested CBD and its major metabolite, meaning what it converts to in the body, on microsomes from human liver tissue and from specialized cell lines. “The whole mission is to decrease harm from smoking, which is not from the nicotine per se, but all the carcinogens and other chemicals that are in tobacco smoke.” “The study definitely shows that CBD affects the major enzymes for nicotine metabolism,” Lazarus said.

If further research proves this, smokers wanting to reduce tobacco use or quit might use CBD as a tool. Washington State University researchers steered a study team testing the effects of CBD on human liver tissue and cell samples, showing that it inhibited a key enzyme for nicotine metabolism.įor nicotine-addicted smokers, slowing that metabolism could curb the urge for the next cigarette, said Phil Lazarus, WSU department of pharmaceutical sciences professor. A new Spokane-led study shows promise that CBD – a non-intoxicating cannabis compound – reduces a desire for cigarettes.
