If you have used or know of people who use cannabis, you’ve likely heard about one of the most highly prized—but often over-hyped—compounds found within the plant. No, not THC, which gives cannabis its distinctive high, but Cannabidiol (CBD).
There’s a good reason why the global CBD market is expected to skyrocket from $9 billion US in 2021 to $59 billion US by 2030. CBD is known as a cannabinoid brimming with health benefits, for both humans and pets, and its lack of psychoactive properties makes it appealing to those who want therapeutic effects from cannabis but are uncomfortable with being high.
What is CBD exactly?
Cannabidiol is a vital component of cannabis, and it is derived directly from the hemp plant or created in a laboratory. CBD can be manufactured as either a pure compound or a complex blend of molecules from hemp that constitute CBD oil. CBD can also be formulated as a topical cream or lotion, or within a gummy, capsule or tincture.
As one paper puts it, CBD contains analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and chemopreventive activities, which gives the compound a step up over other cannabinoids, such as THC, in how it benefits the human body.
What has been growing in popularity is the theory that CBD works in concert with THC in what is known as the entourage effect. But this idea extends beyond the CBD-THC pairing; all the compounds of the cannabis plant, when taken together, show more profound effects than isolating, say, CBD alone.
Which ailments can CBD help alleviate?
There is mounting evidence that CBD may relieve certain conditions.
One of the more promising therapeutic effects is related to pain management. Several studies have pointed out how CBD could be helpful for treating people suffering from inflammatory pain, like arthritis, or from headaches and body aches.
CBD-dominant extract oils or a combination therapy containing both CBD and THC may also be useful in combatting seizure frequency, which is often a symptom of conditions such as epilepsy.
Some research has found evidence CBD can help fight cancer due to its “anti-tumour efficacy,” as one study concluded. Also, a separate 2019 study noted how CBD could instigate cell death and make glioblastoma cells more sensitive to radiation, but with minimal effect on healthy cells.
People suffering from insomnia or disturbed sleep often herald CBD as a life-saver. In a 2022 study, researchers found that CBD oil “improved sleep in adults with insomnia,” which dovetails with anecdotal evidence from cannabis users on how ingesting it can assist with sleeping and insomnia.
Pets may also find relief in CBD, although those studies are not as conclusive as those conducted on humans. A report found that cannabis could reduce aggressive behaviour in dogs, while another study from 2018 revealed how CBD can reduce a dog’s pain scores compared to a placebo.
What also made headlines in the past few years is a report on dogs with cancer that concluded that “CBD oil caused a significant decrease in cancer cell reproduction in all cell lines studied.”
A word of caution is warranted, though: many researchers of these studies and other reports note how larger studies are required to better analyze CBD’s effects. Also, researchers want to glean more insight into how CBD may increase or decrease the effects of other medications.
Will CBD go mainstream, moving beyond cannabis stores?
In Canada, you can find dozens of products marketing CBD-dominant strains or oils or edibles as more consumers clamour to find relief from their symptoms with this promising cannabinoid.
Since it doesn’t give off a high, CBD has the potential to find favour in mainstream retail in Canada. In mid-2022, a panel of scientists recommended to Health Canada that CBD is “safe and tolerable” in healthy adults and should be available without a prescription. But it should be noted Health Canada isn’t bound to act on this recommendation.
This opens the door to an exciting era for CBD producers and users. If products containing CBD would be made available at groceries and convenience store, its market size could balloon well beyond expectations.