SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) —
„C-B-D.” Three letters that conjure up different images depending on your knowledge of a product that has only been legal in Utah since 2014.
Five years after its legalization, you can find a wide variety of products claiming they contain cannabidiol (CBD) at smoke shops, grocery stores, gas stations, and even on Facebook.
Despite the proliferation of CBD products, there has been little done as far as regulating CBD products.
CBD home parties are gaining popularity in Utah, and in May, 2News reporter Ginna Roe did an investigation to see if those products are safe. You can watch her report here:
Some CBD manufacturers make outrageous, and unsubstantiated claims like their CBD products cure cancer, which they don’t, according to Harvard Medical School.
Before you try any CBD product, it’s important to do some research to see if the CBD product you’re using isn’t just snake oil.
2News is taking a closer look at CBD; what it is, and the diseases and conditions it may help treat.
CBD vs. MARIJUANA
You may have heard that CBD oil does not contain THC. And that’s true for pure CBD oil, but many CBD products do not contain pure CBD and may actually contain low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive element in marijuana that gives users a high.
Pure CBD does not give users a high, and that’s for a couple of reasons.
Dr. Peter Grinspoon, MD with Harvard Medical School explains:
While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant. While CBD is a component of marijuana (one of hundreds), by itself it does not cause a 'high.’
Both CBD and THC have the same chemical formula: 21 carbon atoms, 30 hydrogen atoms, and two oxygen atoms. However, they differ in the way those atoms are arranged, giving THC and CBD different chemical properties which affect your body differently.
The human body has cannabinoid receptors in the body and the brain. These receptors interact differently with THC versus CBD.
THC binds mostly binds with receptors in the brain that control mood, pain, and other feelings. By binding to those receptors, THC provides that „high” people feel after using marijuana.
But CBD doesn’t cause a high… so why?
CBD mostly interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the body that are linked to feelings of well-being.
What about the possibility of addiction or abuse of CBD?
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report which states:
In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential. To date, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.
USING CBD TO TREAT DISEASES/MEDICAL CONDITIONS
That report from the World Health Organization lists diseases that CBD may help treat, along with the effects noticed in those who used CBD.
Below is that list, as written by the WHO:
- Alzheimer’s disease – Antinflammatory, antioxidant, antiapoptotic in in vitro and in vivo models of A?-evoked neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative responses.
- Parkinson’s disease – Attenuation of the dopaminergic impairment in vivo; neuroprotection; improvement of psychiatric rating and reduction of agitation, nightmare and aggressive behavior in patients.
- Multiple sclerosis – Improved signs of EAE in mice, antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory properties.
- Huntington’s disease – Neuroprotective and antioxidant in mice transgenic models; no significant clinically important differences in patients.
- Hypoxia-ischemia injury – Short term neuroprotective effects; inhibition of excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro and in rodent models.
- Pain – Analgesic effect in patients with neuropathic pain resistant to other treatments.
- Psychosis – Attenuation of the behavioral and glial changes in animal models of schizophrenia; anti-psychotic properties on ketamine-induced symptoms.
- Anxiety – Reduction of muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue, problems in concentration, improvement of social interactions in rodent models of anxiety and stress; reduced social anxiety in patients.
- Depression – Anti-depressant effect in genetic rodent model of depression.
- Cancer – Antiproliferative and anti-invasive actions in a large range of cancer types; induction of autophagy-mediated cancer cell death; chemopreventive effects.
- Nausea – Suppression of nausea and conditioned gaping in rats.
- Inflammatory diseases – Antiinflammatory properties in several in vitro and in vivo models; inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and pathways.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – Inhibition of TNF-? in an animal model.
- Infection – Activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Inflammatory bowel and Crohn’s diseases – Inhibition of macrophage recruitment and TNF-? secretion in vivo and ex vivo; reduction in disease activity index in Crohn’s patients.
- Cardiovascular diseases – Reduced infarct size through anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in vivo.
- Diabetic complications – Attenuation of fibrosis and myocardial dysfunction
While CBD may help with numerous conditions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that CBD products may overpromise and underdeliver.
Despite that, CBD is still going through the scientific and public comment stage through the FDA and currently sits in a regulatory gray area.
The FDA has warned certain CBD manufacturers about extreme and unsubstantiated claims, like those made by Curaleaf, Inc.
Curaleaf pushed CBD products claiming they could cure Alzheimer’s Disease or kill breast cancer cells. CBD does neither.
In a statement, acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said:
Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims — such as claims that CBD products can treat serious diseases and conditions — can put patients and consumers at risk by leading them to put off important medical care. Additionally, there are many unanswered questions about the science, safety, effectiveness, and quality of unapproved products containing CBD. The agency stands firm in its commitment to continue monitoring the marketplace and protecting the public health by taking action as needed against companies that deceive consumers and put them at risk by illegally selling products marketed for therapeutic uses for which they are not approved, such as those claiming to treat cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Consumers should beware of purchasing or using any such products.