What is CBD?

5th April 2022

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a compound found in the cannabis plant which potentially holds medicinal benefits. It differs from the THC element of the cannabis plant as it holds no psychoactive effects. It has become a hot topic over the last few years, with plenty of anecdotal evidence showing improvements to general health and wellbeing from using CBD, as well as improvements to pre-existing medical conditions.

Medical studies are still ongoing with regards to the medicinal properties and safety of using CBD, however it is generally regarded as a safe product to use with no reported major side effects.

CBD can be consumed by users through a range of different methods, for example vaping CBD e-liquids, CBD tinctures, edible products, creams and more.

As CBD is derived from the Cannabis plant, is it legal in the UK?

The short answer is yes.

Confusion tends to arise when differentiating between black market Cannabis Oil- a thick, sticky oil like substance derived from cannabis flower resin and containing high levels of THC as well as CBD, and CBD Oil itself derived from hemp and containing less than 0.2% THC.

The level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) can determine whether a cannabis derived product is classed as legal or illegal, as this is what gives users a 'high'. CBD products contain only miniscule trace amounts of THC, so you get the benefits of Cannabidiol but without the psychoactive effects. Always ensure you purchase your CBD products from reputable vendors.

Is CBD addictive? Can products be abused?

The World Health Organisation’s 2018 Critical Review Report on CBD stated that to that date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health-related problems associated with its use.

Furthermore, individuals cannot readily recover any negligible quantity of THC residues present in quality products. This is due to its near absence in the first place and the technical difficulties that it would pose to obtain a yield that constitutes a risk to health and could therefore be misused.

What is CBD for?

While only prescribed medical CBD products are specifically allowed to cite health benefits, many studies carried out over the last decade have evidenced positive results treating a variety of conditions such as:

Anxiety and Depression
Select Epilepsy syndromes
PTSD
Opioid addiction
ALS syndrome
Pain management
Arthritis symptoms

We would encourage those interested in CBD to take a look through some of the many studies listed below

Sources

The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. Nih.gov. Accessed 5/13/2021.

Corroon J, Felice JF. The Endocannabinoid System and its Modulation by Cannabidiol (CBD). Altern Ther Health Med. 2019;25(S2):6-14.

Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t – Harvard Health Blog. Harvard Health Blog. Accessed 5/13/2021.

Linares IM, Zuardi AW, Pereira LC, et al. Cannabidiol presents an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve in a simulated public speaking test. Revista brasileira de psiquiatria. 2019;41(1):9-14.

Zanelati TV, Biojone C, Moreira FA, Guimarães FS, Joca SR. Antidepressant-like effects of cannabidiol in mice: possible involvement of 5-HT1A receptors. Br J Pharmacol. 2010;159(1):122-128.

Office of the Commissioner. FDA approves first drug comprised of an active ingredient derived from marijuana to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 5/13/2021.

Elms L, Shannon S, Hughes S, Lewis N. Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2019;25(4):392-397.

Bitencourt RM, Takahashi RN. Cannabidiol as a Therapeutic Alternative for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: From Bench Research to Confirmation in Human Trials. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2018;12.

Hurd YL, Spriggs S, Alishayev J, et al. Cannabidiol for the Reduction of Cue-Induced Craving and Anxiety in Drug-Abstinent Individuals With Heroin Use Disorder: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2019;176(11):911-922.

Hurd YL, Yoon M, Manini AF, et al. Early Phase in the Development of Cannabidiol as a Treatment for Addiction: Opioid Relapse Takes Initial Center Stage. Neurotherapeutics. 2015;12(4):807-815.

Bilsland LG, Dick JR, Pryce G, et al. Increasing cannabinoid levels by pharmacological and genetic manipulation delay disease progression in SOD1 mice. FASEB J. 2006;20(7):1003-1005.

Meyer T, Funke A, Münch C, et al. Real world experience of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the treatment of spasticity using tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol (THC:CBD). BMC Neurol. 2019;19(1):222.

Russo EB. Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2008;4(1):245-259.

Xu DH, Cullen BD, Tang M, Fang Y. The Effectiveness of Topical Cannabidiol Oil in Symptomatic Relief of Peripheral Neuropathy of the Lower Extremities. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2020;21(5):390-402.

Weiss L, Zeira M, Reich S, et al. Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice. Autoimmunity. 2006;39(2):143-151.

Rajesh M, Mukhopadhyay P, Bátkai S, et al. Cannabidiol attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell inflammatory response and barrier disruption. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2007;293(1):H610-H619.
A Randomised, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Group, Pilot Study of 1:1 and 20:1 Ratio of Formulated GWP42003 : GWP42004 Plus GWP42003 and GWP42004 Alone in the Treatment of Dyslipidaemia in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes. clinicaltrials.gov. Accessed 5/13/2021.

Mannucci C, Navarra M, Calapai F, et al. Neurological Aspects of Medical Use of Cannabidiol. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2017;16(5):541-553.

Malfait AM, Gallily R, Sumariwalla PF, et al. The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000;97(17):9561-9566.

Nagarkatti P, Pandey R, Rieder SA, Hegde VL, Nagarkatti M. Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Future Med Chem. 2009;1(7):1333-1349.

Blake DR, Robson P, Ho M, Jubb RW, McCabe CS. Preliminary assessment of the efficacy, tolerability and safety of a cannabis-based medicine (Sativex) in the treatment of pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology. 2006;45(1):50-52.

Hunter D, Oldfield G, Tich N, Messenheimer J, Sebree T. Synthetic transdermal cannabidiol for the treatment of knee pain due to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2018;26:S26.

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