Functional Epigenetic Profiling of Anti-Relapse Cannabidiol

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder of compulsive drug craving, seeking and use. We have identified a substantial therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) ? a non-psychoactive compound naturally occurring in the cannabis sativa plant ? against drug relapse. A 7-day treatment of CBD via a clinically relevant transdermal route reduced both cue- and stress-triggered reinstatement of cocaine as well as alcohol seeking in rats ? well- established animal models of drug relapse. Taken together with relevant reports on opioids, CBD appears to be effective against two major modes of relapse-promotion across three major classes of drugs of abuse. While the underlying neurobiological mechanism is still unclear, CBD's anti-relapse action (still evident at 138 days post-treatment) greatly outlasted its bioavailability (