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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Cannabidiol for Reducing Cigarette Use

Evaluating the Efficacy of Cannabidiol for Reducing Cigarette Use

Cannabidiol for Reducing Cigarette Use (NCT06218056) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Tobacco Use Disorder and Tobacco Smoking, sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

The goal of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing cigarette smoking. Although there are safe and effective treatments for smoking cessation, not everyone who attempts smoking cessation is successful, even with these treatments. Relapse rates are high, leaving a need for new approaches. Despite justification to evaluate CBD for this indication, human research on the topic is scant. Larger, more extended studies are warranted and essential. The investigators will recruit participants from CRI-Help, Inc., a substance abuse treatment program in North Hollywood, where residents who indicate the desire to stop smoking are prohibited from using other cannabis products which would affect recruitment. The aims of this study are: 1. Evaluate the effects of CBD on changes in cigarette use throughout and following the trial. 2. Exploratory Aims. Measure plasma concentrations of CBD, N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) throughout the trial. Participants who meet eligibility criteria will take part in a 56-day treatment phase during which they receive the study medication under supervision (CBD or placebo twice daily) and complete questionnaires on side effects, withdrawal, craving and mood symptoms. Blood, breath, and urine tests will also be performed throughout the study. Participants who complete the treatment will also be assessed at 1-month and 3-month follow up visits.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Tobacco Use Disorder and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

Target enrollment of 120 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Tobacco Use Disorder subpopulation. At this scale, the study has enough statistical power to detect a clear treatment effect but is not the largest cohort in the field.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: The investigators will study equal numbers of males and females betweeen 18 - 65 years of age who have Tobacco Use Disorder and express a desire for smoking cessation. Participants will be recruited from the clientele base at Cri-Help Treatment Center in North Hollywood, CA, where the investigators have a long-standing relationship and where the investigators have conducted other research protocols. This study will be conducted at Cri-Help Treatment Center. Participants will not be recruited from the general population for this study because common use of cannabis in the greater Los Angeles area would confound measurements of CBD, interfering with evaluation of the association of plasma level from treatment with efficacy. This problem is avoided in studying participants who are receiving treatment at a facility where cannabis use is not allowed. The investigators will include all racial and ethnic groups. Based on the population of the surrounding communities in the Los Angeles region, the investigators anticipate a racial and ethnic makeup of approximately 26% White, 9% Black/African American, 49% Hispanic/Latino, 14% Asian American, and 2% multi-racial/unknown. These percentages align with our recent studies. Smoking cigarettes and at least moderate nicotine dependence, as indicated by smoking 5 or more cigarettes per day and/or a score of at least 4 on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence are inclusion criteria. Although vaping is popular and a high proportion of participants who vape also report cigarette smoking (58%), the investigators will exclude participants who vape nicotine. Vaping is not allowed at Cri-Help, Inc. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - Physiological dependence on alcohol or any drug, requiring medical detoxification and/or showing signs of acute withdrawal symptoms from opioids, alcohol or benzodiazepines. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: The investigators will study equal numbers of males and females betweeen 18 - 65 years of age who have Tobacco Use Disorder and express a desire for smoking cessation. Participants will be recruited from the clientele base at Cri-Help Treatment Center in North Hollywood, CA, where the investigators have a long-standing relationship and where the investigators have conducted other research protocols. This study will be conducted at Cri-Help Treatment Center. Participants will not be recruited from the general population for this study because common use of cannabis in the greater Los Angeles area would confound measurements of CBD, interfering with evaluation of the association of plasma level from treatment with efficacy. This problem is avoided in studying participants who are receiving treatment at a facility where cannabis use is not allowed. The investigators will include all racial and ethnic groups. Based on the population of the surrounding communities in the Los Angeles region, the investigators anticipate a racial and ethnic makeup of approximately 26% White, 9% Black/African American, 49% Hispanic/Latino, 14% Asian American, and 2% multi-racial/unknown. These percentages align with our recent studies. Smoking cigarettes and at least moderate nicotine dependence, as indicated by smoking 5 or more cigarettes per day and/or a score of at least 4 on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence are inclusion criteria. Although vaping is popular and a high proportion of participants who vape also report cigarette smoking (58%), the investigators will exclude participants who vape nicotine. Vaping is not allowed at Cri-Help, Inc. Exclusion Criteria: * Physiological dependence on alcohol or any drug, requiring medical detoxification and/or showing signs of acute withdrawal symptoms from opioids, alcohol or benzodiazepines. * Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder with buprenorphine or methadone to avoid potential drug-drug interactions. CBD interacts with CYP3A. Opioid drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP450), and cytochrome P450 isoenzyme CYP3A4 (CYP3A4) in particular, include fentanyl, methadone, oxycodone, and buprenorphine. * Meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia, Bipolar I disorder, psychotic disorder, having active suicidal ideation, or suicide attempt in the past 12 months. NOTE: Participants with other psychiatric conditions, such as major depression, generalized anxiety, dysthymia, social phobia or specific phobia can enroll if they are clinically stable. * AIDS or current HIV medication treatment with antiviral and/or non-antiviral therapy (due to the interaction of CBD with antiviral therapy). * Clinically significant abnormalities on EKG (such as evidence of arrhythmia or MI). * Clinically significant cardiovascular, hematologic, hepatic, renal, neurological, or endocrine abnormalities \[specific exclusion criteria: AST greater than or equal to 3Xs ULN, Bilirubin greater or equal to 1.5 X ULN, Prothrombin time/International Normalized Ratio (INR) \> 1.5. * Pregnancy and/or lactation. Contraception methods required at time of enrollment, and throughout the duration of the study medication period include abstinence, oral contraceptives, depot contraceptives, condom with spermicide, cervical cap with spermicide, diaphragm with spermicide, intrauterine device, surgical sterilization (e.g. tubal ligation, vasectomy). * Because of evidence that CBD affects ovarian function in rats, women with values outside the reference ranges on a hormonal battery \[estradiol, follicle- stimulating hormone, free thyroxine index, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, total T3 and total T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone\], followed by an abnormal ovarian ultrasound finding will be excluded. * Based on data obtained using Epidiolex® (CBD) oral solution label section 7, "Drug Interactions", the investigators will exclude participants who are taking the following medications: a) strong inducers of CYP3A4 or CYP2C19, which may decrease CBD plasma levels; and b) substrates of UGT1A9, UGT2B7, CYP2B6, CYP2C19 due to the potential of CBD to inhibit enzyme activity.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Cannabidiol (CBD) 800 mg

CBD (400 mg) will be administered orally twice daily in the morning and again in the evening in 4 capsules each containing 100 mg of the active ingredient in the Ananda investigational new drug, ATL5. ATL5 is cannabidiol (CBD), extracted from hemp, at a 10% strength (softgel capsules with 100 mg/ml of CBD per capsule). The novel formulation is based on the principle that a water-free mixture of some concentrated inactive ingredients (excipients) self-assemble spontaneously into liquid nanodomains that contain the active component CBD. ATL5 Softgel Capsules will be manufactured by Baxco Pharmaceutical Inc., (California, USA) under cGMP conditions.

DRUG

Placebo

The placebo softgel capsule formulation will have a composition with the same relative proportions as the CBD ATL5 Softgel Capsules. This formulation will be manufactured by Baxco Pharmaceutical Inc under cGMP conditions. 4 softgel capsules of placebo will be administered to match the capsule number of the active compound, daily in the morning and evening for each of 56 days.

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

CRI-Help, Inc.
North Hollywood, California, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06218056), the sponsor (University of California, Los Angeles), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06218056 clinical trial studying?

The goal of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing cigarette smoking. Although there are safe and effective treatments for smoking cessation, not everyone who attempts smoking cessation is successful, even with these treatments. Relapse rates are high, leaving a need for new approaches. Despite justification to evaluate CBD for this indication, human research on the topic is scant. Larger, more extended studies are warranted and essential. The investigators will recruit participants from CRI-Help, Inc., a substance abuse treatment program in North Hollywood… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06218056?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06218056?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06218056. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06218056. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.