Can Marijuana Gummies Help You Quit Cigarettes?

In the US and Canada about 32 million people smoking – roughly 11%.  This is significantly down from the early 60s when it seemed everyone smoked (think Madmen).  Over 40% would light up. A huge market for an expensive habit.  Smoker who can through a pack a day are spending an average $8.00 a pack.  In the US prices range from $6.11 (Missouri) to $11.96 (New York).  It is clear via data, science and tobaccos huge lawsuit loss smoking is deadly.  But what to do?  Can marijuana gummies help you quit cigarettes?

The global smoking and nicotine cessation product market is roughly $26 billion. Study after study shows how difficult it is to quit.  Currently 49% of cannabis users report using gummies.  They are cost effective, you can manage dosing and you can use them almost anywhere.  A solution when you are trying to quit and you have an craving attack.

According to the National Cancer Institute, some of the most common nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, insomnia, anxiety, depression and others. Any one of these symptoms can be difficult to overcome on your own, but combine them all at once and one can be left feeling debilitated. Coincidently, some of the benefits of marijuana include alleviating depression, anxiety, and help with sleeping.

Studies have shown CBD has been effective in helping with cigarette withdrawals, and decreasing the desire to smoke. One study, by University College London, found that using CBD helped reduce nicotine desire almost instantly. “The study found that after a single dose of CBD treatment, heavy daily smokers find smoking-related cues less visually attention-grabbing,” UCL said. 

When it comes to THC in marijuana, there has been far less research done in general. While marijuana is recreational legal in 24 and medically in 40 states, it isn’t in all 50. This makeCBD easier to access. But when you look at the benefits of medical marijuana and reference the main side effects of nicotine withdrawal, you can start to see reasons to consider marijuana gummies to help quit smoking.

RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

THC or marijuana gummies used to quit a nicotine addiction help with the physical exactly quitting smoking concept. Some marijuana edibles may have not been highly effective at treating nicotine withdrawal because they often take upwards of one to two hours to kick in to produce the symptom-relieving effects. But now that several manufacturers have released fast acting edibles.

The newly-popular fast acting edibles use different scientific techniques, like emulsification, to get the THC into your system much quicker, mirroring the high of smoking rather than the delayed and elongated high of traditional edibles. This new formula allows edibles to bypass the stomach and get into the small intestine faster, so the effect is more similar to smoking. 

RELATED: How Many Edibles Should You Eat? Your Guide To Edible Dosing

There needs to be more research to better understand what marijuana can do. But it is clear there are benefits. Approximately 30% to 50% of US smokers make an attempt to in any given year, success rates are low, with only 7.5% managing to succeed. Recent data show younger smokers are more likely to report quit attempts than older smokers, but they appear to have the same low success rate. Anything which can help, including gummy’s, should be encouraged.