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According to a study by scientists at Washington State University, low amounts of CBD may inhibit nicotine metabolism in smokers, helping them quit smoking. The point of view of Dr Olivier Galera, tobacco specialist at the Saint-Orens clinic in Haute-Garonne.
Starting a smoking cessation can be complicated. To help dependent people. nicotine, scientists are constantly looking for the right molecule that could help smokers who want to quit. It would seem that CBD could be a lead.
In this work, the researchers tested CBD on human liver tissue microsomes and specialized cell lines to see how the substance influenced nicotine metabolism.
The team found that several enzymes, including one called CYP2A6, involved in nicotine metabolism were inhibited. For them, taking CBD could therefore limit the craving for a cigarette, in addition to its effects on anxiety.
Nicotine, a more addictive substance than cocaine or heroin
Asked about the subject, Dr. Olivier Galera, tobacco specialist at the Saint-Orens clinic in Haute-Garonne, believes for his part that this is not the right therapeutic path to follow. “Nicotine is twice as addictive as cocaine and 1.5 times more addictive than heroin. It is the “perfect” drug because it is very addictive, but in addition, there is no risk of overdose. On the other hand, it plays on the mood during withdrawal, which is why people who quit smoking compensate by snacking and often find it difficult to manage their emotions, which leads to relapse.“explains the doctor first.
Tobacco: willpower alone is not enough to quit
For Olivier Galera, medical monitoring is not done enough in France to quit smoking. “Faced with such an addictive drug, it is difficult to quit smoking on your own. Yet this is what 86% of smokers do: they embark on the path to withdrawal without any help, because very often they are told that it’s only a matter of will“.
But according to the doctor, the will alone is not enough. “A follow-up is strongly recommended, to obtain the necessary nicotine substitutes, which will allow the person to cross the course. But far too often, the recommendations of the HAS are not sufficiently followed by doctors and people have the impression that it does not work. Result: we are looking for other substances, such as CBD in this study. But that’s not the solution” adds the specialist, who recognizes that it may seem to work, at least on the mood, because of the relaxing virtues of this cannabis derivative.
For Olivier Galera, the key to successful weaning is professional follow-up. “If we follow the recommendations of the HAS, patients will be able to quit smoking. For those of me, 71% have not touched a cigarette after a year of properly conducted smoking cessation” he concludes.