How CBD blocks the paranoia and fear of marijuana THC

A common abstinence from those who give up marijuana is that smoking weed makes them paranoid. The green stuff stains their brains red and bursts their synapses with fear and panic. Neil Young has some pretty good advice if this happens to you. “Try black pepper balls if you get paranoid. Just chew two or three pieces, “Young told Howard Stern in 2014.” I just found that out for myself. “

However, a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that you can consume something even more helpful – cannabidiol, or CBD. Using rat models, the researchers discovered the paranoid thoughts that can arise when smoking marijuana. THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana, stimulates a molecule in the brain’s hippocampus that is often used to store memory, learning, and emotional associations.

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When triggered, this molecule can cause side effects of anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior, according to the study.

The scientists then tried giving rats both CBD and THC at the same time and discovered lower levels of anxiety and paranoia. In addition, the molecule in the hippocampus called extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) maintained normal levels of activity. To put it more clearly, CBD blocked the negative side effects that marijuana THC can normally cause.

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“Our results have important implications for the prescription of cannabis and long-term cannabis use. For example, for people who are more prone to cannabis-related side effects, it is important to limit their use to high-CBD and low-THC strains, ”said researcher and professor Steven Laviolette.

However, these scientists did not find any lower levels of ERK and anxiety when given CBD alone. As the Western University researchers told Global News, CBD and THC are a combination that works best in concert.

RELATED: What Is THC? A beginner’s guide to marijuana’s psychoactive cannabinoid

“However, by administering both CBD and THC at the same time, we completely reversed the direction of the change at the molecular level,” said lead study author Roger Hudson, adding that “CBD could also reverse anxiety-like and addictive behaviors. like behavior caused by the THC. “