It has been hard to miss the buzz around CBD over the last few years. Since 2018, August 8 has been designated as National CBD Day. We thought we’d take this opportunity to do a dive into this tremendously popular substance. What is CBD? How does it work? And is it safe and legal?
What is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol and is one of the many compounds found in the cannabis plant. CBD is available in many different forms including oils, edibles such as gummies, drinks, pills and capsules, vapes, skincare products, bath products, and even sexual wellness products.
Many people believe CBD provides certain health and wellness benefits, and we will look at these in more detail below.
CBD is non-psychoactive, which means it cannot get you “high.” The high feeling associated with recreational marijuana use is caused by a compound called Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
What Are the Benefits of CBD?
CBD is an increasingly popular remedy for numerous ailments and is often touted as a miracle substance. However, not all these claims are proven or even well understood.
CBD is thought to interact with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 in the nervous system. These receptors are part of the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which play a role in regulating various bodily functions including sleep, mood, appetite, memory, and more.
According to Harvard Health, some of the benefits of CBD may include:
- Reducing anxiety
- Treating insomnia
- Managing chronic pain
- Reducing inflammation
- Lessening cravings for addictive substances
Some have also suggested that it may have neuroprotective properties and benefit heart health.
Does it Actually Work?
Clinical research into the effectiveness of CBD is still in its early stages, which means that not all claims about its benefits have been proven.
Only one medication containing CBD has been approved by the FDA at the time of writing: Epidiolex, which is used to treat seizures caused by a number of conditions, primarily in children. In all other formats CBD is considered a supplement, not a medication.
Some of the limited available research shows promising results for certain use-cases for CBD. One review found that it “has a promising role as alternative therapy in the management of anxiety disorders.” Another concluded that it “has several therapeutic properties on its own that could indirectly be useful in the treatment of addiction disorders, such as its protective effect on stress vulnerability and neurotoxicity.”
However, many studies that examine the benefits of CBD actually used combination CBD/THC treatments, meaning that it is difficult or impossible to attribute therapeutic benefits to CBD alone.
Other research has indicated that CBD products are ineffective or no better than a placebo. One 2020 review of the available literature on CBD for pain relief concluded that “it is difficult to make a recommendation for the use of CBD in chronic pain management.” And, according to researchers at the UK’s University of Bath, 15 out of 16 randomized controlled trials had “no positive results, with CBD being no better than placebo at relieving pain.”
Is CBD Legal?
The short answer to this question is that it depends where you live.
In the USA, CBD extracted from hemp and containing no more than 0.3% THC has been legal at a federal level since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. However, some states have more stringent laws so always check the local laws where you live.
Outside of the US, laws surrounding CBD vary significantly. For example, CBD is legal in the European Union providing it contains no more than 0.2% THC, and legal in the UK providing it contains less than 1 mg of THC.
Is CBD Safe?
CBD is generally well tolerated by many people. However, some people may experience side effects ranging from mild to severe. Possible side effects include nausea, irritability, fatigue, diarrhea, dry mouth, reduced appetite, dizziness, and mood changes.
CBD can also interact in harmful ways with various medications including (but not limited to) blood thinners, heart rhythm medication, thyroid medication, and various seizure medications. Drug interactions can be serious or even fatal. CBD’s long-term effects are also not yet well understood. This means that we cannot give you a definitive answer on whether or not CBD is safe for you to use.
If you do decide to try CBD, purchase it from a reputable source. Start with a small dose and wait to see how it affects you before you take any more. If you experience any negative side effects, stop taking it immediately. And if you are taking any medications or have any existing health conditions, always ask your doctor if CBD is safe for you before you try it.