What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: CBD, Addiction, Pain.

Where was this research published?

Published in Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology on January 12, 2026.

CBD alone shows no benefit for easing opioid withdrawal symptoms

Q: What did this research study find?

**Oral CBD at 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg showed no effect on any opioid withdrawal symptoms** in morphine-dependent rats, including weight loss, reduced food intake, physical signs, pain sensitivity, or anxiety-like behaviors

Effects of oral cannabidiol (CBD) on spontaneous opioid withdrawal in male and female rats.

Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology • January 12, 2026 • Highly Relevant

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AI Summary

This preclinical study investigated whether cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound in cannabis, could alleviate opioid withdrawal symptoms in rats. Researchers made 100 rats dependent on morphine over 10 days, then abruptly stopped the drug and treated them with either 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg of oral CBD or a placebo oil. They measured classic withdrawal symptoms including weight loss, reduced food intake, physical signs like body shakes and diarrhea, increased pain sensitivity, and anxiety-like behaviors during both acute (38 hours) and extended (up to 7 days) withdrawal periods. The morphine-dependent rats showed all the expected severe withdrawal symptoms, with effects peaking during the acute phase.

The results were unequivocal: CBD at either dose did not reduce any opioid withdrawal symptoms compared to placebo. This negative finding challenges the clinical promise of CBD as a standalone treatment for opioid use disorder, despite observational reports from patients suggesting cannabis helps with withdrawal. The researchers suggest that if cannabis does help some people through opioid withdrawal, the benefits likely come from other compounds in the plant—potentially THC, other cannabinoids, or terpenes—rather than CBD alone. This study highlights the critical difference between whole-plant cannabis and isolated cannabinoids, and underscores the need for more research into which specific cannabis compounds, or combinations thereof, might actually help people struggling with opioid dependence.

💡 Key Findings

Oral CBD at 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg showed no effect on any opioid withdrawal symptoms in morphine-dependent rats, including weight loss, reduced food intake, physical signs, pain sensitivity, or anxiety-like behaviors

High

85%

Morphine-dependent rats experienced severe withdrawal symptoms that peaked at 38 hours post-discontinuation, including decreased body weight, reduced food intake, increased somatic signs (body shakes, diarrhea), and heightened pain sensitivity

High

90%

Results suggest that anecdotal reports of cannabis helping opioid withdrawal may be due to other compounds in the plant besides CBD, such as THC, other cannabinoids, or terpenes

Good

70%

CBD as a standalone treatment may have limited effectiveness for treating opioid use disorder, despite being investigated as a potential non-intoxicating therapeutic option

High

80%

📄 Original Abstract

Opioid use disorder remains a public health crisis in the United States. A key factor in continued use, relapse risk, and overdose is the severe withdrawal syndrome that accompanies abstinence. Observational studies suggest cannabis may improve outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder and cannabidiol (CBD), a nonintoxicating compound found in cannabis, is being investigated as a potential treatment. This study investigated whether CBD alleviated withdrawal symptoms in a rat model of opioid dependence. Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 100, 50% female) were administered escalating doses of morphine across 10 days (10-50 mg/kg, twice daily). Following abrupt discontinuation, withdrawal outcomes were evaluated across acute (38-hr) and protracted (up to Day 7) timepoints. Rats were treated daily with oral CBD (10 or 30 mg/kg, p.o.) or sesame oil vehicle, beginning 14-hr after their final morphine or saline injection. Withdrawal severity was assessed through physical measurements of body weight, food intake, and somatic signs (e.g., body shakes, diarrhea), pain sensitivity, and measurements of anxiety-like behaviors in the protracted phase. Compared to nondependent controls, morphine-dependent rats had decreased body weight and food intake, showed greater somatic signs, and had increased pain sensitivity that peaked in acute withdrawal (38-hr). In the protracted phase, limited withdrawal signs and no anxiety-like behaviors were detected. Oral CBD did not affect symptoms of opioid withdrawal. These data indicate that CBD alone may have limited effectiveness for treating opioid withdrawal. Reports of improved withdrawal symptoms after cannabis use may be attributed to other compounds in cannabis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology
Published: January 12, 2026
PMID: 41525358
DOI: 10.1037/pha0000826

Authors (5)

Bryan W Jenkins Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Cerina Pang Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Robbie Y Kuang Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Elise M Weerts Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Catherine F Moore Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.