Can Cannabis Help You Quit Smoking?

Nicotine is widely recognized as one of the most addictive substances on the planet, and it is certainly the most addictive legal drug in America. According to that CDC, tobacco causes about one in five deaths in America. Although there have been some positive results from anti-smoking campaigns that have helped reduce the number of new smokers in recent years, there is nothing remotely close to a cure for nicotine addiction today.

There are all kinds of products on the market designed to help nicotine addicts quit tobacco including patches, gum, lozenges, pills and everything in between. In recent years, some have even started turning to cannabis in the form of CBD gummies and even THC. But can these cannabis-derived edibles really help you quit smoking?

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RELATED: Can CBD Help You Quit Smoking?

Recent studies have shown that CBD is effective in assisting with cigarette cessation and reducing cravings for smoking. A University College London study found that using CBD helped reduce nicotine cravings almost immediately. “The study found that heavy daily smokers found smoke-related cues less visually attention-grabbing after a single dose of CBD treatment,” UCL said.

CBD and its connection to smoking cessation has led many brands to market their gummies to those trying to quit. However, much less research has been done on THC in general. With marijuana still illegal and untrustworthy at the federal level, it’s much easier to promote CBD, which has been widely recognized as having very few negative side effects. But when you look at some of the benefits of medical marijuana and reference the main side effects of nicotine withdrawal, you can begin to see the reason some are turning to marijuana to quit smoking.

According to that National Cancer InstituteSome of the most common nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and others. Each of these symptoms can be difficult to overcome alone, but combining them all at once can leave you feeling debilitated. Coincidentally some of the benefits of marijuana include relieving depression and anxiety.

IRegarding insomnia, Americans have used a little weed to help them fall asleep on restless nights for generations. Many of the perceived benefits of marijuana appear to benefit those experiencing severe nicotine withdrawal directly. But with limited research and a federal ban, it’s still difficult to say if THC can definitely help you quit smoking.

If you decide to try THC on your nicotine cessation journey, edibles would be the logical choice as smoking a joint instead of a cigarette doesn’t exactly convey the whole idea of ​​”quitting smoking”. But marijuana edibles may not have been very effective at treating nicotine withdrawal, it turns out, since they often take an hour or two to kick in and produce the symptom-relieving effects. However, that may no longer be the case as several manufacturers have launched fast-acting edibles.

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The newly popular fast-acting edibles use various scientific techniques, such as emulsification, to get the THC into your system much faster, and mirror the high of smoking rather than the delayed and prolonged high of traditional edibles. This new formula allows edibles to bypass the stomach and reach the small intestine more quickly, making the effects more similar to smoking.

As with almost all aspects of marijuana research, more analysis needs to be done as to whether marijuana can help those addicted to nicotine and other dangerous and addictive substances. However, if you live in a state where marijuana is legal and are ready to quit smoking, it might be a good idea to have some fast-acting edibles on hand if you really want to go to the store and buy a pack of smokes .