CBD products don’t ease pain and are potentially harmful, study finds

A recent study led by the University of Bath in the UK says there is no evidence that CBD products reduce chronic pain and that taking CBD products is a waste of money and could be harmful to your health.

CBD (short for cannabidiol) is one of the many chemicals naturally found in the cannabis plant. This is a popular alternative medication for treating pain and is readily available in stores and online in the form of oils, tinctures, vapes, topical creams, edibles (such as gummy bears), and soft drinks.

However, research suggests that consumers are better off avoiding these products.

“CBD is causing a huge problem for consumers,” said Professor Chris Ecclestone, who led the study at the Pain Research Center in Bath. “Although it is touted as a treatment for all kinds of pain, there is no high-quality evidence that it has any positive effects.”

He added: “It’s as if chronic pain patients don’t matter and we’re happy that people can trade hope for despair.”

for their study, published in pain journalThe team, which included researchers from Canada’s University of Bath, University of Oxford, and University of Alberta, examined research published in scientific journals related to using CBD to treat pain through late 2023.

they found:

• CBD products sold directly to consumers contain varying amounts of CBD, ranging from no CBD at all to much more than advertised.
• CBD products sold directly to consumers may contain chemicals other than CBD, some of which may be harmful and illegal in some jurisdictions. Such chemicals include THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive component of the cannabis plant.
• Of the 16 randomized controlled trials that investigated the association between pain and pharmaceutical-grade CBD, 15 showed no positive results and CBD was comparable to a placebo in reducing pain.
• Meta-analyses (which combine data from multiple studies and play a fundamental role in evidence-based medicine) link CBD to increased rates of serious adverse events, including hepatotoxicity.

Medical CBD and Non-Medical CBD

In the UK, medical cannabis is the only CBD product subject to regulatory approval. It may also be prescribed to people with severe epilepsy, adults with chemotherapy-related nausea, and people with multiple sclerosis.

Non-medical CBD is freely available in the UK (as well as the US and many European countries) as long as it contains very little or no THC. However, CBD products sold on the retail market are not subject to trade standards and do not have to be consistent in content or quality.

Most CBD products purchased online, including the popular CBD oil, are known to contain very small amounts of CBD. Additionally, certain products are likely to contain prohibited amounts of THC, making them illegal to possess or supply.

chronic pain

Estimation 20% of the adult population Those living with and suffering from chronic pain are often desperate for help to alleviate their symptoms. So it’s no wonder so many people reach for CBD products, despite their high price and lack of evidence of their effectiveness or safety.

Dr Andrew Moore, co-author of the study and former senior pain researcher at the Nuffield Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Oxford, said: ‘For too many people with chronic pain, there are no medications to manage the pain. The pain can be severe.” That makes people vulnerable to wild promises about CBD because they are so motivated to try to relieve their pain by any means. ”

He said medical regulators appear reluctant to act on false claims made by some CBD product manufacturers, perhaps because they are in a fast-growing market (the global CBD product market is He added that this was because he did not want to interfere with the company’s investment (estimated at US$3 billion in 2021). 2.4 billion pounds, which by 2030 is expected to reach 60 billion US dollars or 48 billion pounds, especially if the products being sold are widely considered to be harmless.

“What this means is there is no consumer protection,” Dr. Moore said. “And without countervailing institutions to keep CBD sellers in check, the false promises being made about CBD’s pain-relieving effects are unlikely to slow down in the coming years.”

The study’s authors call for consumer protection to become a priority and for chronic pain to be taken more seriously.

“Untreated chronic pain is known to have a serious negative impact on quality of life, with many people living with pain every day and throughout their lives,” Professor Ecclestone said. “Pain is worth investing in serious science to find serious solutions.”