Study shows that CBD can enhance the psychoactive effects of cannabis

You've had too much THC and need to reduce the effects? Scientists and cannabis experts generally recommend taking some CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid, to balance out the effects. But new research suggests that this may not be a good idea.

A recent study in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics has found that CBD can actually enhance the psychoactive effects of cannabis. This news may come as a surprise to many, as CBD has been touted as a substance that can block or reduce the psychoactive aspects of too much THC. The theory is that due to its unique binding to endocannabinoid receptors, CBD can block the activity of THC, the most abundant cannabinoid and the main driver of cannabis' psychoactive effects.

Can CBD reverse your high?

The idea that CBD can block the effects of THC originates from a 2006 study by cannabis researcher Dr. Ethan Russo. Russo's theory made sense at the time based on the available data; the study discusses the benefits of the entourage effect and noted that in clinical trials, “CBD has been shown to inhibit some adverse effects of THC, including intoxication.”

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However, subsequent research has found mixed results regarding the effectiveness of CBD in permanently reducing the psychoactive effects of THC. Some studies have found benefits from adding CBD to THC, such as reduced anxiety, paranoia, and cognitive impairment, while others have found that CBD had no effect.

This latest study adds new impetus to the debate by providing the first evidence that CBD may actually enhance, rather than block, the psychoactive effects of THC.

Can CBD enhance the pain relief of THC?

The aim of this study was to determine whether adding CBD to THC would reduce the psychoactive effects while complementing the drug's pain-relieving properties. The authors were interested in how to make cannabis more accessible as a pain reliever, as many medical patients and recreational users use cannabis for pain management but do not want psychoactive effects in their daily lives.

To investigate the effects of supplemental CBD intake, researchers designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The study included 37 healthy adult participants aged 18 to 45 years. All were former cannabis users, but had not used cannabis more than once a month in the 6 months prior to the experiment or at all in the previous 3 weeks.

During each test session, participants received tablets containing 9 mg of THC and either a placebo or various concentrations of CBD ranging from 10 mg to 450 mg. Standardized tests were then performed to determine the psychoactive and pain-relieving effects of the various treatments. This also measured subjective effects such as alertness, mood, depression, paranoia, anxiety and simply the “high” feeling.

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In addition, effects on cognitive and motor functions such as attention, stability, alertness and coordination were recorded.

High doses of CBD can enhance the effects of THC

Surprisingly, the results show no reduction in psychoactive effects at higher CBD concentrations. Instead, the highest CBD dose (450 mg) seemed to enhance psychoactive effects, with significantly higher levels in most measurements. This enhanced psychoactive high was accompanied by increased concentrations of THC and its metabolites in the participants' blood.

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This suggests that the increased psychoactivity may be due to CBD's ability to alter the metabolism of certain drugs by inhibiting enzymes involved in the metabolism of chemicals such as THC.

Interestingly, the lower doses of CBD (10 mg and 30 mg) had no significant effect at all.

Unfortunately, none of the CBD doses increased pain relief. However, researchers point out that this does not invalidate previous studies showing CBD's pain-relieving effects. The fact that the participants were healthy volunteers and not patients with chronic pain may explain why CBD did not increase pain relief. In patient populations, we may see different results.

Will adding CBD enhance your high?

Although these results do not support the theory that adding CBD to THC can reduce a psychoactive high or increase pain relief, the study should be taken with caution. Despite the double-blind and randomized study design, the sample size was still relatively small, thus limiting the generalizability of the results.

But before you drop CBD from your cannabis routine (or add it to make your high even stronger), it's important to note that the study only found an increase in psychoactive effects at very high doses of CBD. These doses are much higher than what most users typically use. The study doesn't suggest that low doses are likely to significantly enhance your high—but the authors say it's possible.

To make matters worse, CBD can have biphasic effects, meaning it can have one effect at low doses but another at high doses. Given this and previous research suggesting that CBD has no effect or even diminishes psychedelic effects, we still don't have much evidence that typical CBD doses could enhance a psychoactive high.

Based on the totality of the research, it is clear that CBD and THC can interact in countless ways when it comes to psychoactivity. This study expands the possibilities and suggests that the interaction is even more complex than we originally thought.