This observational study validated some well-established facts about CBD – namely that it has a strong safety profile and is extraordinarily effective at ameliorating pain and anxiety.
Participants reported significant improvements in pain and mood regardless of the underlying medical condition.
That said, the study also showed that CBD is not a panacea – as some would claim – for all that ails us. Some symptoms were decidedly less responsive to CBD products. For example, CBD was not particularly useful in helping people with gastrointestinal diseases maintain a healthy weight. Nor did it have much of an impact on PMS– related bloating, cancer-related diarrhea and constipation, or low sex drive during menopause.
Nonetheless, it was astonishingly effective at simply making people feel better – most likely because of its impact on pain, mood, and sleep.
The survey also found that there were few adverse effects, which is consistent with studies showing that CBD is safe and well-tolerated even at high doses.
WHO IS USING CBD?
The first question we set out to answer was who is using CBD? Based on this survey, it appears that the typical CBD user is white, well-educated, over 45, female, and living in the US.
To some extent, this skewing towards females may reflect their greater utilization of healthcare services in general, and alternative medicines in particular. It may also reflect the fact that the two most prevalent conditions for which participants reported using CBD – pain and anxiety – affect women disproportionately.
Regarding ethnicity, as mentioned, the vast majority of survey participants were white. In the US, which is where the majority of participants were located, this may be due to the high costs of CBD therapeutics, the greater utilization of alternative therapies by Caucasians and/or a wariness of cannabis on the part of communities of color that have borne the brunt of the US drug war.
CBD users in this survey also skewed older. Almost two-thirds were over the age of 44, and almost 20% were seniors over the age of 64. This finding may be explained by CBD’s popularity for treating pain and sleep problems, ailments that are common among the elderly, particularly in the US where half of older adults report suffering from chronic “bothersome” pain and half report regular sleep disturbances.
WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS ARE PEOPLE USING?
Participants were more likely to be using CBD from hemp rather than cannabis. (This is unsurprising given that the latter is still illegal in most of the world.) They tended to favor CBD tinctures and topicals over traditional modes of taking cannabis, i.e. smoking and edibles. They typically used CBD products multiple times per day and used more than one type of product (most often a tincture with a topical).
Few participants were able to say how much CBD (or THC) they were taking, suggesting an urgent need for both better product labeling and consumer education. Almost half of participants had been using CBD for under six months.
About Wellness BioSciences Rx (WBRx)
Wellness BioSciences Rx (WBRx) is a global innovator in the delivery of science-based wellness consumables in partnership with health care providers directly to their respective patient base. Our products specialize in the development of the highest grade 100% USA-grown hemp oil rich in CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, CBC, and terpenes. WBRx was founded by Barry Cocheu and Sean Baker.