THC produces psychotomimetic effects, but when CBD is coadministered with THC, those effects are reduced. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with 18 cannabis social club members, participants given THC plus CBD reported lower psychotomimetic scores than those given THC alone. CBD alone and placebo showed no psychotomimetic effects. The findings support CBD's antipsychotomimetic properties in real-world settings and link the endocannabinoid system to psychotic-like symptoms, with implications for medical cannabis practice and schizophrenia.
Chronic cannabis users who consumed an extract containing only THC showed lower cognitive empathy than those who consumed only CBD. Participants who consumed only CBD showed higher cognitive theory of mind (the ability to infer others' mental states) compared with placebo. No differences were found on emotional measures of empathy or theory of mind. The study provides evidence that CBD can improve theory-of-mind abilities in chronic cannabis users, suggesting a role for the endocannabinoid system in social cognition and potential relevance for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism.
Cannabis users show deficient emotional recognition and a dampened reaction to negative stimuli, according to a study validating the Spanish version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET). A group of 116 participants from a Cannabis Social Club completed the MET and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) while under the effects of cannabis and were compared to 86 university students as a control group. The MET cognitive empathy scale showed low internal consistency, while the emotional empathy scale showed high internal consistency. Overall emotional empathy scores were similar between groups, but the cannabis group scored lower with negative stimuli. These results confirm deficient emotional recognition in cannabis users and a dampened reaction to negative stimuli for the first time.