More and more studies have come out linking heavy marijuana use to increased likelihood of psychosis. There simply aren’t enough to be conclusive, but the general direction is headed that way.
So it comes with slight relief that CBD may dampen any unusual brain activity caused by high levels of THC.
A study in 2018 researched exactly this, giving one group of psychotic patients CBD and another group a placebo. The results were that those given actual CBD had less extreme abnormalities than the patients given the placebo.
Before this, it was thought that CBD had no actual pharmacological effects in the brain, so this was a rather large breakthrough.
From Sagnik Bhattacharyya, the senior author of the study:
“Our study provides important insight into which areas of the brain CBD targets. It is the first time research has scanned the brains of people with a diagnosis of psychosis who have taken CBD and, although the sample is small, the results are compelling in that they demonstrate that CBD influences those very areas of the brain that have been shown to have unusual activity in people with psychosis.”
Dr. Bhattacharyya is launching a large-scale study backed by a 1.85 million Euro grant, so much more conclusive data should be coming soon on this topic.
If validated at a larger scale, it seems CBD could be used as balance for anyone concerned about risks of psychosis from higher doses of THC.
In the end of the day, it’s the same message as always: more studies need to be performed before we have enough information to take any action. Nonetheless, this is some much needed good news.
