Is CBD Addictive: All You Need to Know

Those who haven’t tried using CBD oil and don’t know much about it might perceive CBD as something mysterious. What is this hemp or cannabis-derived cannabinoid? What properties does cannabidiol have? Is CBD addictive?

Not knowing much about it, you might be curious about all its possible uses, as well as can you get addicted to CBD. It might be hard to gather all the information by yourself. We’re here to do it for you, dissipate any rumors, help you learn more about CBD, and find out is CBD addictive. 

Keep on reading to have your questions answered!

What is CBD?

Before we start talking about is CBD addictive, we should first learn what CBD is and how it affects you. CBD is a compound derived from a hemp or cannabis plant. Its full name is cannabidiol and it’s one of more than a hundred cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. 

CBD works by targeting your endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a biological system in your body that is responsible for regulating various bodily functions. These functions include appetite, coordination, moods, sleep cycles and a few more. 

The endocannabinoid system is full of cannabinoid receptors. These receptors are responsible for assimilating the CBD that you consume. The receptors that CBD interacts with are CB1 and CB2 receptors. 

While the endocannabinoid system can usually function by itself, it can sometimes become imbalanced. This results in various ailments and overall worse wellbeing. That’s the problem that CBD can fix. Consuming CBD products you’re able to alleviate the symptoms you might be feeling. 

When it comes to CBD products, there’s a lot to choose from. Thinking about CBD, most people usually imagine CBD oil. There’s a reason for that as CBD oil is the most widely-used CBD product. However, your choices aren’t limited to CBD oil only. 

There are countless CBD products to choose from. These include the basic CBD oils, CBD vape oil for those who prefer to ingest it, CBD patches, lotions and creams, for those who prefer to apply it topically, CBD edibles such as CBD gummies, and some other variations.

Many people choose to use CBD for various health benefits it’s said to provide. Easing ailments and illnesses such as anxiety, nausea, and insomnia are among the top reasons why people opt to try out CBD.

If you’re dealing with any of these, you might consider checking out some of the top providers to choose the best CBD oil from you. We’d advise you to check out Charlotte’s Web, cbdMD, or CBDistillery to find the product that suits you best. 

What is THC?

Not only is it important to know about CBD, but also about THC, if you want to fully understand the topic is CBD addictive. THC, just like CBD, is one of the many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The main difference it has from CBD is that unlike CBD, THC is psychoactive. 

Due to THC being a compound of the cannabis plant, cannabis is illegal in many places. THC provides a high effect that many cannabis users strive to get. While it has many medical uses, it remains illegal and is considered a dangerous drug by a few states and countries.

The effects THC has on you are plenty. THC works by affecting your brain making it release dopamine, resulting in euphoria.  It’s one of the four happiness hormones that make you feel good. That’s why the high is often sought since it makes a person feel euphoric.

Other feelings a person gets are elation, sedation, and relaxation, although the high can also result in not so positive emotions such as anxiety or paranoia. Despite the possible negative effects, cannabis remains as one of the most widely recreationally used drugs. 

On average, the effects of THC can usually be felt for two hours. It takes 10 to 30 minutes to kick in. The effects of THC are being researched, however, it often seems that the effects felt are rather individual and depend on many factors. 

Using THC comes with risks, the main one being the impairment of motor skills. Those who take medical marijuana are instructed not to drive until they don’t feel their motor skills being impaired since it can cause danger while driving. 

Also, some studies suggest that using marijuana may result in memory loss, and a decrease in IQ. While these statements may lack proof, it is definitely worth mentioning as a possible consequence of using CBD oil. 

Also, while the answer to the question of “Can you get addicted to CBD?” is no, THC can be addictive. Even though some users state that they’re not dependent on marijuana and can use it occasionally or could easily drop it, it’s been proven that the THC high can be addictive.

Its withdrawal effects are irritability, anxiety, negative moods, loss of appetite, and impaired social functions. Due to that people are often advised to avoid using and THC and stick to CBD oils for the benefits they provide. 

Is CBD addictive?

The short answer to the question “is CBD addictive?” is no, CBD is not addictive and CBD addiction is non-existent. So, if you want to know, can you get addicted to CBD, the answer is that you can’t. CBD is one of the many non-psychoactive cannabinoids that don’t produce a high effect. Because of that CBD is considered to be a supplement and not a drug. 

A study conducted in 2017 suggests that consumption of CBD isn’t addictive^[1]. It shows no signs of any withdrawal felt after stopping to use CBD, nor any other negative effects of your health. You will not get strong cravings for CBD if you stop using it. 

However, the answer to the question of “Is CBD oil addictive?” might be a little harder to answer. The reason for that is that CBD oils sometimes don’t only have CBD, but also other cannabinoids or additives. 

There are three types of CBD oil. One of them is full-spectrum. If you encounter CBD that says that it is of full-spectrum, that means that all the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant can be found in the oil. It’s often said to be one of the best since it provides the entourage effect, that is beneficial when it comes to treating illnesses.

Another option when the answer to the question of “Is CBD oil addictive?” is yes, is the broad-spectrum CBD oil. It might not have as many cannabinoids, but it still isn’t pure CBD oil. The last choice is pure CBD isolates. It differs from other types because it only contains CBD and no other additives. 

Some claim that pure CBD isolates are not as effective as the full-spectrum CBD oils, but it has its benefits such as being safe for kids or those who really want to avoid any other cannabinoids such as THC. 

The reason why it was important to mention it in this “Is CBD Addictive?” guide, is that some CBD oils may have traces or even higher contents of THC. While CBD addiction isn’t really possible, THC addiction might occur. THC is the psychoactive cannabinoid. It’s the reason why cannabis is considered to be a drug and is illegal in many places. 

The content of THC usually depends on the plant that CBD derives from. It can either derive from hemp or marijuana plants. Hemp is the legal plant that comes with 0,3% of THC content or less. Whereas CBD derived from marijuana plants may have a higher THC content.

However, there are legal issues with marijuana plants. Not so many places have legalized recreational or even medical marijuana use. Because of that, major producers tend to steer clear off making CBD oil that has a higher than the legally limited 0,3% of THC.

The reason why it’s worth mentioning is that THC, unlike CBD, may be addictive. While it’s definitely not as bad as some other serious drug addictions, THC has these effects. Some people may indulge in consuming THC occasionally, and may not develop an addiction at all, others may easily get addicted to marijuana. 

That’s usually because the high that THC produces is often favored by many users. However, it may come with physiological dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and addiction.

Some signs of cannabis addiction are using more than intended, neglecting responsibilities in favor of marijuana use, feeling withdrawal symptoms while not using, such as irritability, or even physical ailments, and building tolerance to marijuana, resulting in using more and more of it.

Now that we answered the “is CBD addictive?” question, we can get to talking about other CBD properties. 

CBD Could Help Fight Addiction

Having learned that CBD addiction is non-existent, we should also note that it might be the other way around, CBD can help fight addiction. It is suggested that CBD can help with dealing with withdrawal symptoms as well as lessen the need to use a drug. 

One study shows that CBD can help with dealing with THC withdrawal effects^[2]. During this study, a 19-year-old woman with THC withdrawal effects was taking some CBD oil in hopes to ease the negative symptoms. 

The results showed that CBD can actually help with combating these negative withdrawal symptoms. Judging by these results we might speculate that using CBD could possibly help with dealing with other drugs’ withdrawal effects just as it does with THC. 

Another study shows that CBD could help with tobacco consumption.^[3] During the study, the effects of CBD were evaluated on 24 smokers. Half of them were given CBD inhaler, while the other half got a placebo. They were instructed to use whenever the need to smoke arose.

Over a week, those who were using CBD were said to have reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by 40%. Those who were given a placebo noticed no significant difference. 

Another study was conducted on heroin users. The study was conducted on 42 adults who have been using heroin for an average of 13 years. They were divided into three groups, one group was given 800 milligrams of CBD, the second one was given 400 milligrams of CBD, while the third one was given a placebo. 

Those who were using CBD showed much better results in combating the addiction. Both the cravings for heroin and the anxiety as a withdrawal symptom were reduced by taking CBD^[4]. Those who were taking placebo didn’t notice such effects. That leads us to believe that CBD could be helpful when it comes to reducing drug withdrawal effects.  

These studies conducted let us believe that not only is the answer to the question of “is CBD addictive?” is no, but also that CBD can be helpful when it comes to tackling addictions. Hopefully, more research will be conducted in the future to prove this point. 

Conclusions

With the increasing popularity of CBD, people keep getting more and more questions concerning it. One of them is “Can you get addicted to CBD?”. To understand is CBD addictive and learn the reasons behind it, it’s important to learn about both CBD and THC, the two most active cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. 

If asked is CBD addictive, it’s easy to answer that it is not, however, when it comes to the question of is CBD oil addictive, it might be a little harder to answer. That’s because CBD oils often contain some THC that might cause addictions. However, the content of THC is usually a little too low to cause an addiction. 

On the other hand, not only is CBD addictive can be answered negatively, but it can also be said that it can be used to fight addiction. Studies show positive effects of using CBD to treat THC, nicotine, and heroin addictions. These results are quite promising for those who struggle with substance addiction.

Having learned that the answer to the question of “Is CBD addictive?” is no, you might be more eager to try it out. There are various CBD products available. If you’d like to get some CBD oil, you should check out some of the top providers, to choose the best product.

Scientific References

Contributed by Tsao-Lin E. Moy, Certified Chinese Herbalist & Licensed Acupuncturist

1. Babalonis S., Haney M., Malcolm RJ. 'Oral cannabidiol does not produce a signal for abuse liability in frequent marijuana smokers'

2. Crippa J., Hallak J., Machado-de-Sousa J. et al. 'Cannabidiol for the treatment of cannabis withdrawal syndrome: a case report.'

3. Morgan C., Ravi K., Joye A. et al. 'Cannabidiol reduces cigarette consumption in tobacco smokers: Preliminary findings'

4. Hurd Y., Spriggs S, Alishayev J. et al 'Cannabidiol for the Reduction of Cue-Induced Craving and Anxiety in Drug-Abstinent Individuals With Heroin Use Disorder: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial'