Using cannabis and tobacco together appears to disrupt the brain’s mood-regulating chemistry, making quitting harder and anxiety more likely.
People who use both cannabis and tobacco show measurable differences in brain activity compared to those who rely solely on cannabis, according to new findings from a McGill University team at the Douglas Research Centre.
These results may help clarify why people who combine the two substances more often experience symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and why attempts to quit cannabis tend to be more difficult for them than for people who avoid tobacco.
“This is the first evidence in humans of a molecular mechanism that may underlie why people who use both cannabis and tobacco experience worse outcomes,” said lead author Rachel Rabin, Associate Professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and researcher at the Douglas.
“Identifying this mechanism is an important step toward finding targets for future medications to treat cannabis use disorder, especially among those that co-use tobacco. Right now, the only available treatments are behavioral therapies such as counseling,” she said.
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