This largely unregulated and highly lauded ‘product’ continues to not only fail to fulfil its promised panacea credentials, but the growing harms of these non-clinically trialled, non-pharmaceutical grade substances are causing increasing short and long-term harms.
Earlier research that flagged warnings, and even some research two years ago that gave some measure of cautious pause on potential harms of CBD are now being eclipsed by new research. It’s important to watch out for the Placebo effect too, as one may be ‘feeling’ better, but only getting worse on other health metrics.
Cannabidiol (CBD) Products for Pain: Ineffective, Expensive, and With Potential Harms
Abstract A 2021 International Association for the Study of Pain task force examined the evidence for cannabinoids and pain but found no trials of CBD. Sixteen CBD randomized trials using pharmaceutical-supplied CBD or making preparations from such a source and with pain as an outcome have been published subsequently. The trials were conducted in 12 different pain states, using 3 oral, topical, and buccal/sublingual administration, with CBD doses between 6 and 1,600 mg, and durations of treatment between a single dose and 12 weeks. Fifteen of the 16 showed no benefit of CBD over placebo. Small clinical trials using verified CBD suggest the drug to be largely benign; while large-scale evidence of safety is lacking, there is growing evidence linking CBD to increased rates of serious adverse events and hepatotoxicity. In January 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a new regulatory pathway for CBD was needed. Consumers and health care providers should rely on evidence-based sources of information on CBD, not just advertisements. Current evidence is that CBD for pain is expensive, ineffective, and possibly harmful.
There is no good reason for thinking that CBD relieves pain, but there are good reasons for doubting the contents of CBD products in terms of CBD content and purity.
(Source: The Journal of Pain 2023)
CANNABIDIOL (CBD) – POTENTIAL HARMS, SIDE EFFECTS, AND UNKNOWNS
The use of non-Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cannabidiol, or CBD, has gained attention in recent years, as CBD is becoming increasingly popular and is being marketed for various health conditions.1 A poll of American adults aged 18 years and older found that 14 percent reported using CBD products in 2019, and a similar poll conducted in 2020 found that as many as 1 in 3 adults reported using CBD products.2-3 However, non-FDA-approved, commercial CBD products marketed to the public and available over the counter differ significantly in composition from those used in clinical studies,4 and there is limited evidence to support their safety.5 The public should be aware of the misconceptions surrounding CBD products, as well as the potential harms and risks associated with their use. (Source: SAMHSA 2023)
Review of the oral toxicity of cannabidiol (CBD)
A B S T R A C T: Information in the published literature indicates that consumption of CBD can result in developmental and reproductive toxicity and hepatotoxicity outcomes in animal models. The trend of CBD-induced male reproductive toxicity has been observed in phylogenetically disparate organisms, from invertebrates to non-human primates. CBD has also been shown to inhibit various cytochrome P450 enzymes and certain efflux transporters, resulting in the potential for drug-drug interactions and cellular accumulation of xenobiotics that are normally transported out of the cell. The mechanisms of CBD-mediated toxicity are not fully understood, but they may involve disruption of critical metabolic pathways and liver enzyme functions, receptor-specific binding activity, disruption of testosterone steroidogenesis, inhibition of reuptake and degradation of endocannabinoids, and the triggering of oxidative stress. The toxicological profile of CBD raises safety concerns, especially for long term consumption by the general population. (Source: Food & Chemical Toxicology 2023)
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