Does CBD cause addiction? What science says and why myths circulate on the internet
Does CBD cause addiction? We check what WHO wrote in 2018, what studies showed about the potential for abuse in humans, and what has yet to be investigated.
The question of addiction arises with CBD more often than any other, and answers circulate online along with numbers that no one verifies. A reasonable starting point is different: what exactly was measured, in whom, and by what method. The World Health Organization wrote in a 2018 review that in humans, cannabidiol does not show effects indicating potential for abuse or addiction. In the same document, there is a sentence quoted much less frequently: controlled studies on humans regarding physical dependence, that is, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, have not been conducted. These two sentences are not contradictory, but mean different things. This text separates four concepts that blend together in casual conversation, shows research results in humans along with the number of participants and dosage, and also explains what cannot be inferred from these studies.
KEY INFORMATION
• WHO in the 2018 review: in humans, cannabidiol does not show effects indicating potential for abuse or addiction.
• The same document states that controlled studies on humans regarding tolerance and withdrawal symptoms after CBD have not been conducted.
• In the study by Babalonis, 31 individuals who regularly smoked cannabis received 200, 400, or 800 mg of CBD orally. The result was indistinguishable from placebo.
• Cannabis withdrawal syndrome is a separate entity in the DSM-5 classification. In a meta-analysis of 47 studies involving 23,518 participants, symptoms occurred in 47% of regular users.
• EFSA provides a provisional safe dose of CBD at 0.0275 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, which is about 2 mg for a person weighing 70 kg.
What exactly did the WHO state about CBD addiction?
The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence wrote in a critical review from June 2018 that in humans, cannabidiol does not show effects indicating any potential for abuse or addiction and that no public health problems related to its pure form have been reported so far (WHO, Cannabidiol Critical Review Report, 2018). This sentence is the most frequently repeated in the corpus of Polish texts about cannabis and is true.
Two other excerpts from the same document are cited less frequently. The first concerns physical dependence: controlled studies on humans regarding tolerance and withdrawal symptoms after cannabidiol have not been conducted. The second states that no studies on animals regarding the potential for physical dependence have been found either. The absence of reports on symptoms is not the same as a studied absence of symptoms.
The only result regarding the absence of tolerance mentioned in the report comes from an experiment on mice. The animals received either CBD in doses of 0.1, 1, or 3 mg/kg, or THC in doses of 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally for fourteen days. Tolerance developed to THC, but not to CBD. This is a rodent result and should not be transferred to humans as a measurement. In consumer texts, it is often transferred nonetheless, along with the name of the organization that never described it that way.
What is the difference between tolerance, dependence, and addiction?
These are four distinct phenomena that can coexist but are not identical, and in casual conversation, they blend into one word. The distinction determines what a given study actually measured, so without it, no result can be read fairly.
| Concept | Czym jest | How is this measured? |
|---|---|---|
| Tolerance | A decrease in the body's response to a repeated dose, necessitating an increase in dosage. | Repeated administration of the same dose and measurement of the effect over time |
| Physical dependence. | Adaptation of the body that only reveals itself after cessation. | Planned cessation of administration and observation of symptoms. |
| Withdrawal syndrome | A set of symptoms after stopping intense use. | Diagnostic criteria with a specified time window. |
| Addiction | A pattern of compulsive use despite harm. | DSM-5 criteria, at least two of eleven within a year. |
Studies on abuse potential, on which the WHO assessment is based, measure only one fragment of this picture: subjective liking for the substance after a single dose and the desire to take it again. They do not answer the question about the course of multi-month use in the general population. We elaborate on these concepts in the post about why the topic of addiction and intoxication raises controversies. why the topic of addiction and intoxication raises controversies..
What have studies shown about the abuse potential of CBD in humans?
There are two studies, and both have a clear methodology. In Babalonis' study, 31 healthy individuals who regularly smoked cannabis received cannabidiol orally in doses of 0, 200, 400, or 800 mg, separately and together with smoked cannabis. The design was within-subject, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled, with sessions occurring once a week for eight weeks. Active cannabis produced predictable effects typical of abuse, while cannabidiol in all doses was indistinguishable from placebo (Babalonis i wsp., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017).
The second study involved 43 recreational poly-drug users, of which 35 were included in the pharmacodynamic analysis. Single doses of cannabidiol 750, 1500, and 4500 mg were compared with alprazolam 2 mg, dronabinol 10 and 30 mg, and placebo. The 750 mg dose did not differ from placebo in terms of drug liking, while the 1500 and 4500 mg doses did differ, although the average difference was less than 10 points compared to over 18 points for positive controls. Unlike alprazolam, cannabidiol did not affect cognitive or psychomotor tests (Schoedel i wsp., Epilepsy & Behavior, 2018).
The boundary of both studies is the same. They measure a single dose in a population selected to be sensitive to psychoactive substances. They answer the question of whether the substance produces an effect that someone would want to experience again. They do not answer the question of what happens after a year of daily use.
Where does the myth of CBD addiction come from?
The strongest source is a shorthand that connects the plant with one of its components. Cannabidiol comes from Cannabis sativa, just like tetrahydrocannabinol, but these are two pharmacologically distinct substances. THC stimulates CB1 receptors in the reward system, while cannabidiol does not bind to them in this way and does not induce euphoria. In press headlines, this distinction usually disappears, as the term 'compound from marijuana' does not require clarification.
The second layer is institutional. Decades of drug messaging have built an association that a single article cannot break, and some doctors in Poland lack up-to-date information about cannabidiol or avoid the topic. A patient who does not receive a reliable answer in the office seeks it online, where facts are mixed with advertising.
The third layer is on our side of the table. Sales texts routinely attribute statements to WHO that the organization did not write, including ready-made quotes in quotation marks and graphs showing the percentages of addictive potential for heroin, nicotine, or caffeine. Such a graph was also present in the previous version of this article and was removed because it was attributed to a work that, upon checking the identifier, turned out to be an article on glass chemistry. A numerical claim without support is a fabrication regardless of how credible it appears.
Is CBD being studied as an aid in overcoming addictions?
Yes, and this is the most interesting direction in this matter. The review by Navarrete and colleagues gathered preclinical and clinical data on how cannabidiol alters the reinforcing, motivational, and withdrawal effects of addictive substances. It included alcohol and opioids, nicotine, cannabinoids, as well as psychostimulants. The authors emphasize the lack of reinforcing properties of cannabidiol itself (Navarrete i wsp., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021).
The strongest single result comes from the study by Hurd and colleagues. It was an exploratory, randomized, double-blind design with placebo in individuals with heroin addiction who were abstinent. Participants received 400 or 800 mg of cannabidiol once daily for three consecutive days. Cravings and anxiety triggered by exposure to drug-related cues decreased both immediately after administration and seven days after the last dose, along with a drop in heart rate and cortisol levels in saliva. No serious adverse effects were reported (Hurd i wsp., American Journal of Psychiatry, 2019).
These are studies, not therapy. The standard of care for opioid addiction is based on agonist pharmacotherapy and psychotherapeutic interventions, and cannabidiol does not have registration for this indication. We break down the mechanisms separately in the entry about the neurobiology of addiction and the reward pathway.
How can one recognize withdrawal syndrome from THC and when should one seek help?
This part is often omitted in texts about cannabidiol, yet it concerns a substance from the same plant. The DSM-5 classification recognized cannabis withdrawal syndrome as a separate diagnostic entity in 2013. Diagnosis requires at least three of seven symptoms within about a week of cessation, which must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning. Among the seven items on this list are irritability, sleep disturbances with restless dreams, decreased appetite, and depressive mood.
The scale is measured. A meta-analysis of 47 studies involving 23,518 participants found an overall withdrawal syndrome prevalence of 47% among regular users, with a wide range: 17% in population trials, 54% in outpatient settings, and 87% among inpatients (Bahji i wsp., JAMA Network Open, 2020). A separate review of 21 epidemiological studies indicates that cannabis use disorder affects 22% of those who have used it, and among young people using it weekly or daily, the risk of developing dependence rises to 33% (Leung i wsp., Addictive Behaviors, 2020).
The practical conclusion is simple. If symptoms hinder work, sleep, or relationships for more than a few days after stopping cannabis, or if returning to use serves solely to alleviate them, it is time to contact a doctor or addiction treatment center, not to seek another supplement. We have detailed the withdrawal process in the entry about how long the effects of marijuana withdrawal last.
What is known about the safety of CBD with long-term use?
The longest data comes from an open-label extension study on Dravet syndrome. It involved 264 patients, with a median treatment duration of 274 days ranging from 1 to 512 days, and a modal average dose of 21 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Adverse effects occurred in 93.2% of participants and were mostly mild or moderate; the most common were diarrhea in 34.5%, fever in 27.3%, decreased appetite in 25.4%, and drowsiness in 24.6%. Due to adverse effects, 6.4% of patients discontinued treatment, and an increase in transaminase activity at least three times above the upper limit of normal was noted in 22 out of 128 individuals, all of whom were taking valproic acid simultaneously (Devinsky i wsp., Epilepsia, 2019).
These are not supplemental doses, and this is not the population of the readers of this text, but it shows where the real risk lies: in the liver and in combination with medications, not in addiction. This is supported by the European assessment. EFSA provides a provisional safe dose of 0.0275 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, which is about 2 mg for a person weighing 70 kg, derived using the benchmark dose method with an uncertainty factor of 400. The safety of cannabidiol cannot be established today for individuals under 25 years of age, for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and for those taking medications simultaneously (EFSA, EFSA Journal, 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CBD cause addiction?
WHO stated in 2018 that cannabidiol does not exhibit effects indicating potential for abuse or dependence in humans. However, the same document notes that controlled studies in humans on tolerance and withdrawal symptoms after CBD have not been conducted. Therefore, the evidence pertains to the potential for abuse, not long-term use.
Will withdrawal symptoms occur after stopping CBD?
There is no study that has verified this. The WHO explicitly states that there are no controlled studies on humans regarding physical dependence on cannabidiol, and no studies on animals in this area have been found. The absence of reports on symptoms is not the same as a studied absence of symptoms, so the honest answer is: it is unknown.
Can one become accustomed to CBD and increase the dosage?
This has not been measured in humans. The only result regarding the absence of tolerance mentioned in the WHO report comes from a fourteen-day experiment on mice, where tolerance developed to THC but not to CBD. The popular phenomenon of reverse tolerance found online is not supported by peer-reviewed literature.
What is the difference between CBD and THC in terms of addiction?
THC stimulates CB1 receptors in the reward system and has documented addictive potential: cannabis use disorder affects 22% of those who have used it. Cannabidiol does not bind to CB1 in this way, does not induce euphoria, and in studies of abuse potential, it performed like a placebo.
Can CBD help in treating addictions?
It is being studied in this role. In a randomized placebo-controlled trial involving individuals with heroin addiction, doses of 400 and 800 mg over three days reduced cravings and anxiety triggered by drug-related cues. This is an exploratory result, not a registered indication, and does not replace standard treatment.
Kannabidiol w postaci olejku znajdziesz w kategorii hemp oils.
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Before starting to use hemp or CBD for therapeutic purposes, consult your doctor, especially if you are taking other medications, are pregnant, or breastfeeding.
Author: Michał Waluk · Opublikowano: 2026-05-29 · Aktualizacja: 2026-08-16
