A new study on the use of cannabidiol (CBD) says that more than 1 in 10 Americans reported consuming the non-psychoactive cannabis component within the past month, with prevalence significantly higher among people who also used marijuana itself.
The research, published earlier this month in the journal Preventative Medicine Reports, draws on data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual federal survey backed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that asks Americans 12 and older about substance use, drug treatment, mental health and other related issues.
An analysis of the data by Ji-Yeun Park, a professor at Biola University in California, found that among people who used marijuana within the past 30 days, 40.7 percent also used CBD within that period. Among past-year marijuana users, meanwhile, 32.2 percent had used CBD within the past month. Of people who reported ever having tried marijuana, 19.1 percent were past-month CBD consumers.
Rates among people who did not use marijuana were much lower: “non-current users: 5.09 %, non-past year users: 4.38 %, never users: 5.09 %,” the study says.
“Overall, 10.5 % of the United States population reported using CBD in the past 30 days.”
While marijuana use was a chief predictor of CBD consumption, the analysis also indicates that women, white people, adults and people who reported either fair/poor health were also more likely than their counterparts to use CBD.
The new report raises a number of health concerns around the findings, pointing to past studies suggesting CBD use “could lead to increased marijuana consumption” and that “co-use of marijuana and CBD products can lead to significant drug-drug interactions.”
At the same time, the study suggests people may also use CBD products for therapeutic reasons or as a substitute for marijuana. It calls for further public health initiatives “to address the co-use of CBD and marijuana” and “to raise public awareness about both the benefit and risks of CBD use, especially its potential health effects when used in conjunction with marijuana.”
“It is unknown whether individuals who use marijuana consume CBD to replace marijuana, relieve health conditions, or simply to enhance recreational effects,” the report says. “Further research is warranted to explore and understand the reasons behind the co-use of marijuana and CBD.”
Park described her research as “the first study to date that provide the prevalence of CBD use in the general United States population and shows its associations with marijuana use status and demographic characteristics.”
While CBD is a commonly occurring cannabinoid in cannabis, it’s become much more popular since the legalization of hemp through the federal 2018 Farm Bill. There may also be some policy complications on the horizon as Congress prepares to resume work on the next iteration of the farm bill, with certain members eyeing new restrictions on the crop.
For example, Senate Democrats in November released the long-awaited text of their agriculture bill that contains several proposed changes to federal hemp laws—including provisions to amend how the legal limit of THC is measured and reducing regulatory barriers for farmers who grow the crop for grain or fiber.
Certain stakeholders are concerned that part of the intent of the legislation is to “eliminate a whole range of products” that are now sold in the market.
In May, GOP House leaders released their own draft version of the agriculture legislation, which could also reduce regulatory barriers for certain hemp farmers and scale-back a ban on industry participation by people with prior drug felony convictions.
But under an amendment adopted by the House Agriculture Committee, it would also remove cannabinoids that are “synthesized or manufactured outside of the plant” from the federal definition of legal hemp. The change is backed by prohibitionists as well as some marijuana companies, who’ve described the restriction as a fix to a “loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report in June that hemp provisions included in that spending bill could also “create confusion” for the industry due to a lack of clarity around the type of allowable products.
As the products continue to grow in popularity, last month the delivery service DoorDash announced that it’s expanding its offerings in select states to include hemp-derived THC and CBD products, including gummies and beverages.
As for CBD’s role as a substitute for other drugs, meanwhile, a study published late last year found that a single, 800-milligram dose of CBD could help manage certain alcohol cravings among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), supporting the use of the marijuana component as a potential treatment option for problem drinkers.
Separate study plans backed by a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse intend to test whether hemp-derived CBD might offer an offramp for people with marijuana use disorder, potentially enabling them to reduce their consumption of THC.
Authors of that recently published plan, from the University of Colorado in Boulder and Denver, note that unlike THC, CBD “has no intoxicating effects, and little abuse liability among cannabis users.” They also pointed out that past research has indicated CBD could reduce heroin-seeking behavior, cravings and anxiety in people with opioid dependence.
Research published in the Journal of Dental Research in 2023, meanwhile, found that pure CBD could alleviate acute dental pain about as well as an opioid formula commonly used in dentistry.
A study from the same year found that letting people buy CBD legally significantly reduced opioid prescription rates, leading to 6.6 percent to 8.1 percent fewer opioid prescriptions.
Using Marijuana Helps Most People Reduce Their Alcohol Consumption, New Poll Shows
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