Mannheim, Germany: The administration of the non-psychotropic plant constituent cannabidiol (CBD) is associated with a significant reduction in psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

An international team of researchers from Germany and the United States performed a four week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial assessing the clinical relevance of cannabidiol versus amisulpride, a potent antipsychotic agent, in patients with acute schizophrenia.

Researchers reported that the administration of either substance was associated with significant clinical improvement, but they acknowledged, "[C]annabidiol displayed a markedly superior side-effect profile."

Amisulpride is categorized as "one of the most effective drugs currently in use for the treatment of schizophrenia."

Investigators concluded, "Our results provide evidence that the non-cannabimimetic constituent of marijuana, cannabidiol, exerts clinically relevant antipsychotic effects that are associated with marked tolerability and safety, when compared with current medications. … The results … potentially represent a completely new mechanism in the treatment of schizophrenia."

A review of CBD’s safety profile in humans, published online in 2011 in the scientific journal Current Drug Safety, concluded that the cannabinoid is non-toxic, safe, and well tolerated in humans, even in high doses.

Separate investigations of CBD have documented the cannabinoid to possess a variety of therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-cancer, and bone-stimulating properties.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia," is available online here: http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v2/n3/full/tp201215a.html.

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