According to a recent study conducted by Washington State University (WSU) and originally published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, CBD could reduce cigarette consumption.
The research found that “CBD inhibits a key enzyme of nicotine metabolism.” A slowdown which, in people addicted to nicotine, could delay the need for intake in the short term.
“The mission is to reduce the harms of smoking, which do not come from nicotine itself, but from all the carcinogens and other chemicals present in tobacco smoke,” he said Philip Lazarus, senior author and professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at WSU. “If we could minimize this damage, it would be great news for human health.”
Same thing for cannabis, which if taken via vaporization all would be avoided damage resulting from combustion. In addition to being able to benefit to the maximum from its properties, without ruining its flavor.
How CBD works on nicotine
Cigarette consumption is still a major health problem: every year in the United States one in five people dies for smoking-related causes.
In this study, researchers tested CBD and its main metabolite, 7-iroxycannabidiol, on microsomes of human liver tissue and on microsomes of specialized cell lines which allowed us to focus on individual enzymes linked to nicotine metabolism.
They found that CBD inhibits several of these enzymes, including the CYP2A6 enzyme, which it metabolizes over 70% of nicotine in tobacco smokers. Noting that even very low concentrations of CBD inhibited its activity by 50%. “In other words, it appears that you don't need a lot of CBD to see the effect,” Lazarus said.
Prefer cannabis to tobacco
Fortunately, however, many smokers are switching from cigarettes to cannabis. This is what emerges from a recent report survey conducted by Gallup, which investigates annual consumer preferences, which shows that Americans prefer marijuana to tobacco.
The survey results mark a records unprecedented. In fact, the 16% of those interviewed confirm that they have consumed recently marijuana, while only the11%, in a previous survey, said he had smoked a cigarette tobacco.
Since 2013, the year in which Gallup began regularly investigating the percentage of marijuana users it never was so high. On the other hand, however, the average number of cigarette smokers is the lowest ever recorded since 1944.
“Cigarette smoking is clearly on the decline and will most likely become even rarer in the years to come,” he said Frank Newport, Gallup author, about the new findings.
This awareness perfectly reflects the negative outcomes of cigarette consumption which, together with alcohol and drugs, they claim rivers of victims every year.
A completely different story for cannabis, a substance non-toxic as condemned, with infinite uses and properties but nevertheless made illegal, which, contrary to the legal substances mentioned above, you have never caused a death and never will.
CBD and alcohol: an antidote to minimize consumption
As with nicotine, CBD is useful for curbing alcohol addiction. Not only by filling the irrepressible desire to drink, but also by limiting its consequences damage to the liver and brain of those who use it excessively and uncontrolledly.
In fact, as demonstrated by a federally funded US study, in countries where cannabis is legal alcohol use disorders decrease (AUD) compared to states where it remains illegal.
