WHO Report Finds No Public Health Risks Or Abuse Potential For CBD
By Janet Burns , Women @ Forbes
A World Health Organization ( WHO ) report has found no adverse health outcomes but rather several medical applications for cannabidiol , a . k . a . CBD , despite U . S . federal policy on this cannabinoid chemical .
According to a preliminary WHO report published last month , naturally occurring CBD is safe and well tolerated in humans ( and animals ), and is not associated with any negative public health effects [ PDF ].
Experts further stated that CBD , a nonpsychoactive chemical found in cannabis , does not induce physical dependence and is " not associated with abuse potential ."
" To date , there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD ," they wrote . In fact , evidence suggests that CBD mitigates the effects of THC ( whether joyous or panicky ), according to this and other reports . The authors pointed out that research has officially confirmed some positive effects of the chemical , however . The WHO 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 .
In acknowledgement of these kinds of discoveries in recent years , the report continued , " Several countries have modified their national controls to accommodate CBD as a medicinal product ."
But the U . S ., the report noted , isn ' t one of them . As a cannabis component , CBD remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance , meaning it has a " high potential for abuse " in the federal government ' s view .
Nevertheless , the " unsanctioned medical use " of CBD is fairly common , experts found .
For many CBD users in the U . S ., the substance ' s mostly unsanctioned and illegal state creates problems , especially as a wave of online ( mostly hemp ) and store-bought CBD oils and extracts have allowed patients to take the treatment process--and the risks involved in buying unregulated medicine--into their own hands and homes . And while reports of negative reactions to pure CBD are very few and far between , researchers are able to say that the cannabinoid wouldn ' t be to blame alone . " Reported adverse effects may be as a result of drug-drug interactions between CBD and patients ’ existing medications ," they noted .
As the cannabis reform non-profit NORML reported , the WHO is currently considering changing CBD ' s place in its own drug scheduling code . In September , NORML submitted written testimony to the U . S . Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) opposing the enactment of international restrictions on access to CBD .
The FDA , which has repeatedly declined to update its position on cannabis products despite a large and ever-growing body of evidence on the subject , is one of a number of agencies that will be advising the WHO in its final review of CBD . Perhaps this time around the FDA will listen , and learn something . The report was presented by the WHO ' s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence , and drafted under the responsibility of the WHO Secretariat , Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products , Teams of Innovation , Access and Use and Policy , Governance and Knowledge .
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