Is CBD Hemp Flower Helpful in Curing Nicotine Addiction?

Nicotine addiction is the most common addiction in America, affecting some 50 million adults. But despite its addictive nature, governments are doing very little to make nicotine unavailable to those who use it. In large part, that’s because nicotine doesn’t cause the feeling of a high, despite being addictive and habit forming.

However even without the high, nicotine imposes various dangers on a person’s health. And with the growing understanding of nicotine’s risks, more and more people are looking for ways to kick the habit for good. According to some sources, CBD hemp flower might just be one of the elements of the holistic solution.

What Is Nicotine And How Does It Work?

Tobacco is any product prepared from the cured leaves of a tobacco plant. Most of these plants are grown in areas with mild and sunny climates, like Brazil, Indonesia, and even China. The leaves of the tobacco plant contain a chemical compound called nicotine, and this is what drives people to addiction. All products that use tobacco – like cigarettes, cigars, and even snuff – contain nicotine and are thus addictive.

When lit and burnt, the tobacco leaves release up to 7,000 different chemicals, including nicotine. This then enters the bloodstream, where it satiates the blood and reaches the brain. Once there, the nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands which are then triggered to release adrenaline.

This activates various reward pathways in the brain, making the individual feel a spike in feelings of pleasure. The tendency then is to keep taking nicotine in order to experience the same pseudo-high. Soon enough, the body becomes accustomed to the presence of nicotine, causing feelings of withdrawal if the system is left without it for too long.

Unfortunately, nicotine has been identified as the precursor for a wide array of diseases and conditions. But because of the difficulty of overcoming addiction, millions of individuals attempt to quit but ultimately fail.

Image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

How Can CBD Hemp Flower Help?

Although there is substantial evidence to support the idea that nicotine is addictive in and of itself, there are emerging studies that assert that cigarette addiction is a multidimensional experience. That is, nicotine isn’t the only reason why people develop an addiction.

There are various pharmacological means that aim to divert a person’s addiction from cigarettes to something of a lesser evil, like nicotine patches and gum. But these alternatives have been found to produce disappointing results, which points to the idea that it might not be the nicotine in the first place.

Some experts suggest that people develop an addiction not to the nicotine, but to the habit of smoking. Established over a long period of time, individuals develop an affinity to the act of smoking, making the ingrained habit particularly difficult to stop.

Having said that, in an attempt to get rid of nicotine addiction, many individuals have switched to CBD hemp flower as a substitute. The outcome of this step is worth the struggle. Yet, the working phenomenon of CBD hemp flower is not entirely known. However, according to some studies, it plays a significant role in stimulating neural circuits accounting for addiction.

One pilot study explored specifically how CBD hemp flower affects cigarette use, and found that individuals who used hemp flower as a substitute for cigarettes experience a 40% decrease in cigarette smoking. Of course, studies are still lacking, but early evidence suggests that CBD hemp flower might be a step in the right direction.

Image by 12222786 via Pixabay

Benefits Of CBD Hemp Flower Over Cigarettes

While a lot of people tend to associate CBD hemp flower with illicit substances like marijuana, it’s actually far less dangerous than cigarettes. Today, studies have discovered that transitioning to CBD hemp flower from cigarette use can be particularly beneficial for a person’s health.

1. Better Anxiety Handling – Among various causes of smoking, the urge to deal with stress and anxiety plays a considerable part. Whereas, according to researchers the CBD hemp flower can prove to be more subtle in easing anxiety as compared to smoking.

Millions of individuals suffering from mental health disorders like depression, general anxiety disorder, PTSD, panic disorder, and even your average everyday stress turn to hemp flower for its calming benefits. The tranquilizing, sedative effects of the herb work to calm the body and relieve anxiety much faster and more effectively than tobacco.

2. No Known Link to Disease – Tobacco smoke has often been linked with various diseases – from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, to heart disease and stroke, and even cancer. These health risks are what drive individuals addicted to nicotine to seek help in order to kick the habit.

Interestingly however, CBD hemp flower has been found to be a beneficial ancillary treatment for a number of the conditions that cigarette smoking can cause. In fact, even marijuana – a close relative of hemp – has been proven effective in the management of cancer, despite being a controlled substance.

That said, switching to Plain Jane’s CBD hemp flower from cigarette use can help improve a person’s health and reduce the risk for a variety of health conditions. And while some argue that smoking hemp can impose the same effects on the lungs as cigarette smoke, there are yet to be any conclusive studies that illustrate any negative effects of hemp flower smoke on the respiratory system.

3. Non-Addictive – Perhaps the best thing about CBD hemp flower when pitched against tobacco is that it can’t cause an addiction. Hemp — no matter how it’s taken — is non-habit forming. Which means that individuals are unlikely to develop an addiction or a dependence even after extended use.

This means that you can stop smoking hemp all at once without having to worry about the symptoms of withdrawal. This also means that you don’t have to think about developing cravings or urges, putting you in control of when you use the herb.

Kicking the Habit with Hemp Flower

With all of the wonderful news about hemp flower, it’s not hard to believe that it’s also fast becoming an acceptable alternative for those who want to kick their cigarette smoking habit. Showing promise as a potential treatment for nicotine addiction, CBD hemp flower is slowly but surely paving the way for cigarette smokers to kick the tobacco habit with something a lot less dangerous and a lot more beneficial.

Featured Image by Herbal Himp via Pixabay

*collaborative post