Evaluating Cannabidiol as a Novel Anticraving Medication for Alcohol Use Disorder

Inclusion Criteria: * Meets DSM-5 criteria for AUD. * Meets drinking criteria of average weekly consumption \> 10 standard drinks for women and \> 15 standard drinks for men over the past 90 days. * Willing to take study medication and participate in laboratory sessions requiring self-administration of alcohol * Agrees not to use cannabis or illicit drugs during the study period. * Able to communicate and provide informed consent in English. * Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST) level should not be more than 2 times the upper normal limit, and bilirubin should not be more than 1.5 times the upper normal limit. * Enrolled in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) * Willing and able to safely abstain from alcohol for at least 12 hours prior to the eligibility and alcohol self-administration visit. * Individuals who are capable of becoming pregnant: agree to the use of highly effective contraception during study participation and for an additional 28 days after the end of cannabidiol administration. Exclusion Criteria: * Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA-Ar) score of 10 or above upon initial assessment * History of severe alcohol withdrawal including withdrawal seizures, alcoholic hallucinosis, or delirium tremens * Any history of seizures * Serious unstable medical condition, including severe hepatic abnormalities * Having any clinical condition, drug sensitivity, or prior therapy which, in the investigator's opinion, makes the participant unsuitable for the study * Current medical conditions, prescriptions, or over the counter medications that interfere with receiving the study drug or alcohol (based on the study physician's assessment) * Severe mental illness (e.g. active psychosis with ongoing delusions and/or hallucinations, active manic or hypomanic episodes, evidence of a major neurocognitive disorder, etc.) and other substance use disorders (moderate or severe; excluding tobacco use disorder) as determined by the qualified investigator * Experiencing active suicidal ideation within the past 1 month and/or suicide attempt within the past 6 months * Recent recreational drug use (assessed via urine toxicology screen) other than alcohol and nicotine products * Current use of CBD products or use of CBD products within the past month. * History of hypersensitivity to CBD * Self-report of significant alcohol-induced flushing after 1-2 drinks (a proxy for aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency) * Currently pregnant or breastfeeding or intending to become pregnant or breastfeed. * Currently institutionalized which refers to a person who lives in an institutional collective dwelling, such as a hospital, nursing home or prison, including a resident under custody (e.g., patient or inmate). * Currently in treatment for AUD (e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous, group therapy, individual therapy, on anticraving medication)