While millions of people are serving time for drug possession (namely MJ), medical marijuana is producing increasingly impressive results in most developed countries. Especially one that doesn't cause psychoactive effects — cannabidiol, or CBD. This drug is positioned to help fight depression, acne, and sociophobia. The BB team talks about the new superstar of medical research.
Six-year-old Charlotte Webb from Colorado was experiencing up to 300 seizures of Dravet syndrome, a deadly form of epilepsy, in a week. Traditional barbiturates and benzodiazepines were of little use, and they could be addictive. So her family decided to try cannabidiol, one of the main active ingredients in marijuana, which has proven to be an effective treatment for seizures.
CBD was easy to obtain because it is fully legal in Colorado, unlike in many other states where cannabidiol is listed along with heroin.
The CBD oil worked — Charlotte's seizures became much less frequent. And after a CNN story in 2020, hundreds of families with the same problem moved to Colorado — not all of them, but many were helped by the new drug.
Six-year-old Charlotte Webb from Colorado was experiencing up to 300 seizures of Dravet syndrome, a deadly form of epilepsy, in a week. Traditional barbiturates and benzodiazepines were of little use, and they could be addictive. So her family decided to try cannabidiol, one of the main active ingredients in marijuana, which has proven to be an effective treatment for seizures.
CBD was easy to obtain because it is fully legal in Colorado, unlike in many other states where cannabidiol is listed along with heroin.
The CBD oil worked — Charlotte's seizures became much less frequent. And after a CNN story in 2020, hundreds of families with the same problem moved to Colorado — not all of them, but many were helped by the new drug.
Three years later, cannabidiol has become one of the most popular dietary supplements (this is how it is classified in regions where the substance is not criminalized) in the United States and Europe. However, to this day, CBDs are still hardly sold in many countries, although the Brightfield Group estimates that the industry has already reached more than $1 billion and continues to grow. And it's not just epilepsy. Cannabidiol is sold as oil, pills, tea. It is added to creams, lubricants, bath salts, mascara, chocolate, given to dogs and even poured into lattes instead of caramel syrup.
In the 1990s, scientists made an important discovery (but the Rastamanians were decades ahead of them): marijuana has therapeutic properties!
The researchers divided the joint into its components, and the part responsible for psychoactive effects was called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and the part that treats but does not give a euphoric effect was called CBD (cannabidiol). At that time it was also found out that every person's body has CB1 and CB2 receptors and an endocannabinoid system that produces its own neurotransmitters — endocannabinoids.
They transmit impulses from one cell to another - serotonin and dopamine work in a similar way.
In the 1990s, scientists made an important discovery (but the Rastamanians were decades ahead of them): marijuana has therapeutic properties!
The researchers divided the joint into its components, and the part responsible for psychoactive effects was called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and the part that treats but does not give a euphoric effect was called CBD (cannabidiol). At that time it was also found out that every person's body has CB1 and CB2 receptors and an endocannabinoid system that produces its own neurotransmitters — endocannabinoids.
They transmit impulses from one cell to another - serotonin and dopamine work in a similar way.
The endocannabinoid system is an auxiliary mechanism. It is not directly responsible for anything, but rather supports the general state of the nervous system and can indirectly affect, for example, appetite. That's why you feel hungry after taking marijuana.
Endocannabinoids are also activated after running or exercise, reducing anxiety and stress levels, which is the same effect we go to yoga for when we've had a hard day at work.
The components of marijuana that cause the euphoric high displace our own neurotransmitters — the same way addiction to opiates is formed. Over the long haul, this leads to clinical addiction because the natural receptor fields are depleted.
Of course, there is no such strong addiction to THC (and severe narcological consequences from its use). But the very principle of action of this substance is similar to that of opiates. CBD, in its turn, does not squeeze out native receptors, but works with them as a team. It unwinds and strengthens endocannabinoids without disturbing the mechanics in the body.
CBD sellers describe it as a potential cure for a wide variety of ailments, but scientists are more cautious in their assessments. Cannabidiol is reliably known to cure two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Dravet and Lennox-Gasto syndromes.
Endocannabinoids are also activated after running or exercise, reducing anxiety and stress levels, which is the same effect we go to yoga for when we've had a hard day at work.
The components of marijuana that cause the euphoric high displace our own neurotransmitters — the same way addiction to opiates is formed. Over the long haul, this leads to clinical addiction because the natural receptor fields are depleted.
Of course, there is no such strong addiction to THC (and severe narcological consequences from its use). But the very principle of action of this substance is similar to that of opiates. CBD, in its turn, does not squeeze out native receptors, but works with them as a team. It unwinds and strengthens endocannabinoids without disturbing the mechanics in the body.
CBD sellers describe it as a potential cure for a wide variety of ailments, but scientists are more cautious in their assessments. Cannabidiol is reliably known to cure two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Dravet and Lennox-Gasto syndromes.
Just recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the market entry of Epidiolex. It has passed all the necessary clinical trials and is so far the only drug with cannabidiol in its composition.
«CBD shows itself quite well in psychosomatic conditions as an anti-anxiety agent. It often helps with pain symptoms and various types of neurology, for example, with unreasonable headaches» — experts say.
The authors of a review of preliminary studies published in the journal Neurotherapeutics in 2015 conclude that CBD has potential in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic and anxiety disorders. However, the experiments were mostly conducted on animals or small groups of people.
Cannabidiol performed well in an experiment with public speaking by speakers with diagnosed sociophobia. The CBD group worried markedly less than those who tried to manage their fear without the medication or after taking a placebo. Another study involving humans found that cannabidiol has antipsychotic properties and has potential in the treatment of schizophrenia.
«CBD can be used as a painkiller, but it is certainly not a substitute for analgesics or all anticonvulsant drugs» — experts said. In experiments on rats, cannabidiol has already proven itself as a pain reliever for arthritis. There is reason to believe that CBD has the same effect in neuropathic health problems, often occurring on the background of other diseases such as oncology or diabetes, also because cannabidiol does not develop tolerance to it, as many classical drugs do.
In the United States, which is facing an opioid epidemic, researchers are looking at CBD as one possible solution to the problem — both as an effective new type of painkiller and as a means to combat it directly.
Capsules are just one type of CBD product. Oils and vaporizers are often used for medicinal purposes: when they enter the body, they start working faster. And cannabidiol is also actively used in cosmetics. So far, along with CBD oil for dogs and souvenir chocolates with this savory ingredient, such products seem more like a part of lifestyle than truly revolutionary products, if only because their production and packaging are not controlled.
A 2017 study showed that 70% of the labels of products with cannabidiol sold online do not correspond to their content. But it is possible to drink a latte with a CBD shot at breakfast without any health risks: cannabidiol has almost no dangerous side effects: it requires extreme concentrations — in practice, such an overdose is unrealistic.
Diarrhea, nausea, drowsiness, decreased energy — these are the side effects researchers find when experimenting with CBD.
In the United States, which is facing an opioid epidemic, researchers are looking at CBD as one possible solution to the problem — both as an effective new type of painkiller and as a means to combat it directly.
Capsules are just one type of CBD product. Oils and vaporizers are often used for medicinal purposes: when they enter the body, they start working faster. And cannabidiol is also actively used in cosmetics. So far, along with CBD oil for dogs and souvenir chocolates with this savory ingredient, such products seem more like a part of lifestyle than truly revolutionary products, if only because their production and packaging are not controlled.
A 2017 study showed that 70% of the labels of products with cannabidiol sold online do not correspond to their content. But it is possible to drink a latte with a CBD shot at breakfast without any health risks: cannabidiol has almost no dangerous side effects: it requires extreme concentrations — in practice, such an overdose is unrealistic.
Diarrhea, nausea, drowsiness, decreased energy — these are the side effects researchers find when experimenting with CBD.
Cannabidiol is popular largely because it has no psychoactive component. «Weed that doesn't cause a high» is how it is usually described in the media. While CBD can act on its own, in many cases THC is simply required for it to manifest its therapeutic properties.
There are capsules that have a THC concentration of 0.02% — this is a good option for children with epilepsy when you want to minimize side effects, but you just need the psychoactive component to work with some medical conditions.
There are capsules that have a THC concentration of 0.02% — this is a good option for children with epilepsy when you want to minimize side effects, but you just need the psychoactive component to work with some medical conditions.
Preliminary studies have shown that even to combat psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema, medical marijuana must contain tetrahydrocannabinol. At the end of 2017, WHO officially recommended that CBD be removed from the list of controlled substances because cannabidiol is not addictive or harmful to health.
On 2nd December 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the drug policy making body of the UN re-classified cannabis and cannabis resin under an international listing that recognizes its medical value. The CND voted on recommendations made by the WHO’s 41st Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), which suggested that cannabis and cannabis resin should be reclassified from its current listing alongside heroin, fentanyl analogues and other opioids considered to be exceptionally harmful to public health.
On 2nd December 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the drug policy making body of the UN re-classified cannabis and cannabis resin under an international listing that recognizes its medical value. The CND voted on recommendations made by the WHO’s 41st Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), which suggested that cannabis and cannabis resin should be reclassified from its current listing alongside heroin, fentanyl analogues and other opioids considered to be exceptionally harmful to public health.