Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid studied for its potential role in easing symptoms of several health issues, like anxiety, depression, acne, and heart diseases. However, very little is known about the use of cannabidiol as a pharmacological treatment of cannabis use disorder. This study aims to identify the effective dose for cannabidiol as a treatment of cannabis use disorder.
This phase 2a, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial included a total of 48 participants meeting the cannabis use disorder criteria from DSM-5. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive three different doses of oral cannabidiol (200 mg, 400 mg, or 800 mg [n=12×3]) or matched placebo (n=12). The primary outcome of the study was the identification of the most efficacious dose of cannabidiol for reducing cannabis use.
Cannabidiol 200 mg was eliminated as an inefficacious dose at the interim analysis. The final analysis suggested that cannabidiol 400 mg and 800 mg successfully achieved both the primary outcomes. The probability ((THC-COOH: creatinine ratio) of being the most efficacious dose compared with the placebo was 0.9995 for cannabidiol 400 mg and 0.0065 for cannabidiol 800 mg.
The research concluded that that cannabidiol 400mg and 800 mg were safe and efficacious in the treatment of cannabis use disorder, as compared with placebo.
Ref: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30290-X/fulltext
