Could cannabidiol be the answer for drug addiction? A systematic review of cannabidiol in addictive behaviours

Abstract

Cannabis sativa preparations have been used since antiquity for medicinal purposes. This plant contains more than 60 phytochemicals, being the phytocannabinoids (pCBs) some of them. Despite of the psychoactive properties produced by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), current research is focused on cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive compound. Even though, the mechanism of action of CBD is not clearly understood, it seems to interact with CB1 receptors (CB1R) from the endocannabinoid system (eCB) among many other neurotransmitter systems. Altogether, pre-clinical studies have reported many therapeutic actions of CBD, which improves the treatment of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, inflammatory and carcinogenic diseases. Furthermore, a cannabis whole extract medicine, Sativex®, has just been approved for multiple sclerosis. Besides of this range of effects, the goal of this systematic review is to summarize the therapeutic efficacy of CBD for the treatment of drug addiction. Taken together, the main results of pre-clinical and clinical studies, provide evidence for the therapeutic properties of CBD on opioid, psychostimulants, cannabis and nicotine addiction in humans. Notwithstanding, the efficacy of CBD as a treatment of addictive behaviours has not yet been proved completely and some investigations are still needed.