New Study: CBD Is Intoxicating And Low Doses Enhance THC High!

A new cannabis study has shed some light on the effects of CBD and THC when used separately and together.

It found that high doses of CBD can, in fact, have slight intoxicating effects.

It also found that low doses of CBD can actually enhance the high caused by THC rather than diminish it, as is commonly thought.

CBD is psychoactive and intoxicating

Contrary to popular belief and how it’s often marketed, CBD is actually psychoactive – it very clearly has an effect on the mind. However, this new study done in Australia has found that it can also cause subjective intoxication.

Subjects in the study vaporised five different preparations spaced one week apart, with the following planned contrasts: placebo vs CBD alone (400 mg); THC alone (8 mg) vs THC combined with low (4 mg) or high (400 mg) doses of CBD; a placebo, THC alone (8mg), high-CBD alone (400mg), THC and low-CBD (8mg and 4mg, respectively); and THC and high-CBD (12mg and 400mg, respectively).

They discovered that “CBD [alone] showed some intoxicating properties relative to placebo.”

“[Subjects] felt intoxicated due to distinct feelings of depersonalization, derealization and altered internal and external perceptions,” the reseacrhers said.

Edit: [It has been pointed out to me that participants in the study used Volcano Vapourisers to inhale the high doses of CBD, with many having difficulty inhaling the vapour without coughing.

This almost certainly would contribute to feelings of slight intoxication.]

Low dose CBD enhances THC high

The study, published this month in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, also found that low doses of CBD can actually increase the intoxicating effects of THC.

The researchers noted that “the enhancement of intoxication by low-dose CBD was particularly prominent in infrequent cannabis users and was consistent across objective and subjective measures.

“While precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated, the finding that low doses of CBD may potentiate effects of THC has significant implications for consideration of proportions of THC and CBD that may be recommended within plant matter.”

High dose CBD reduces THC high

One widely held notion was confirmed by the study, however: high doses of CBD reduced the intoxicating effects of THC. 

This is an important because, as the authors of the study point out, “With cannabis increasingly being used for medicinal purposes, it is important to ensure that harms are minimized in favor of boosting therapeutic properties.

“While intoxication per se is not necessarily harmful overall, it is not welcome by many clinical patients, and it may be harmful in situations such as driving under the influence of cannabis.”

8 Comments on “New Study: CBD Is Intoxicating And Low Doses Enhance THC High!”

  1. WOW. Very interesting article

    I can actually relate to this article because I noticed yesterday when smoking Bruce Banner that I was feeling rather anxious and having a mild panic attack… The only flower I can truly say that has relaxed me and given me no anxious feelings whatsoever is Strawberry Kush…. But these hemp flowers are so addictive arent they LOL

    I think from now on though I will smoke less and use more CBD oil as I dont get the same effects with the oil. I will also try not to smoke recreationally/so often. When Im feeling low and I smoke, my moods uplifted: its just when Im feeling good and I smoke I sometimes feel like I start to panic a bit. I still do feel the benefits but I cant take the risk with the amount Im smoking these days when ive been a PTSD sufferer for over 10 years and Im trying to overcome my mental health problems 🙁

    1. So just a small update but I think I exaggerated a bit when I said that Strawberry Kush is the ONLY strain that has not given me any feelings of anxiety/paranoia lol. I smoked BlackBerry from HempHash last night and it make me really relaxed but I do find that flowers with higher CBD % does give me THC like symptoms, Im just wondering what it the article means by “intoxicating” @CBDJack?

      1. I know, not the best word. I used the terminology that the authors of the study used. They said “[Subjects] felt intoxicated due to distinct feelings of depersonalization, derealization and altered internal and external perceptions,”

        1. And if you read the actual study for the ‘subjective test’ the wording of the question was on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being not stoned at all and 10 being the most stoned you have ever been how stoned are you right now?

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