The World Health Organization published an article in Forbes magazine in November 2017 regarding the low risk nature of CBD.  Despite growing global research, which demonstrates promising medical applications for CBD, there continues to be confusion or lack of education surrounding cannabidiol.  The general public still views CBD in the same light as THC due to the fact that they both come from the cannabis plant, though the cannabinoids have significantly different effects. While CBD and THC are both components of cannabis, CBD does not possess any of the psychoactive qualities of THC.  CBD has even been said to mitigate the effects of THC.  While there are currently no reports of abuse or dependency on CBD, there have been many clinical studies that demonstrate the benefits it may provide.

The article in Forbes states that “the WHO [World Health Organization] team determined that CBD has “been demonstrated as an effective treatment for epilepsy” in adults, children, and even animals, and that there’s “preliminary evidence” that CBD could be useful in treating Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, psychosis, Parkinson’s disease and other serious conditions.” The report by WHO also clarifies that “to date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”

While this is great news to those interested in trying CBD therapy, or to those already taking CBD, the article does touch on some of the gray areas of cannabidiol.  Due to the fact that CBD is not currently regulated for medicinal purposes there is little to no oversight in regards to quality or purity standards.  The WHO is currently considering changing CBD’s place in its own drug scheduling code which may inspire the FDA to follow suit to better regulatory guidelines.

You can see the article on Forbes here.