CBD Remedies Gaining Acceptance
Research Still Needed into CBD Remedies, but Facts So Far Are Encouraging – LPC
When it comes to CBD remedies, it’s difficult to decide who is right and who is wrong. You hear all these “miracle” stories about how cannabis cured this disease and relieved those symptoms. But then you hear from doctors who say there is no proof it works.
The truth about CBD remedies is somewhere in the middle. This New York Time report (please see link below) explores anecdotal evidence of CBD remedies and why research is challenging.
The story starts with Dr. Catherine Jacobson, a neuroscientist who switched her specialty to epilepsy. Her son Ben has epilepsy, and she wanted to find help for him. Among other things, she researched CBD remedies for epileptic seizures. The research was slim. But one study from Brazil had amazing results. CBD remedies reduced or eliminated seizures in seven of eight patients. In the placebo group, only one improved. Sixteen patients is an extremely small sample size, but the results were amazing nonetheless.
Dr. Jacobson’s own research helped her son Ben get relief from his symptoms. But the real success story was a girl in Colorado who also has epilepsy. She went from 50 seizures per day to almost zero after taking CBD remedies.
CBD has also been found to relieve nausea, pain, and other neurological disorders. Some research suggests that CBD remedies can perhaps prevent symptoms of schizophrenia before they appear. Other researchers hope CBD can replace opioids for pain relief including one cannabis research project underway in Toronto.
Cannabis as Medicine Has a Long History – LPC
CBD remedies are not new. Portuguese physician Garcia Da Orta wrote about cannabis as medicine in the 1500s after travelling to India. But when the US Drug Enforcement Agency classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug in 1970, it effectively stopped all modern research there.
However, there has been a shift in recent years. More states in the US are legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. Federally, cannabis is still illegal but hemp was legalized in the US in December 2018. CBD products are also popping up around the United States with big names such as Martha Stewart and her line of hemp-derived CBD products with partner Canopy Growth. and Neiman Marcus recently launched its cannabis-based beauty products as well.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not yet convinced of CBD remedies. The FDA and scientists alike also have concerns about quality control. The agency itself tested CBD products and found many did not have the amount of CBD advertised. An independent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) research study found that over two-thirds of products had either less than or more than the CBD advertised. One person using CBD for his illness died of a fungal infection contracted from black market cannabis.
This is why the Gold Standard that Canada is creating is so important. Safety regulations — including those that protect our children – are crucial. But the most useful CBD remedies are those that have consistent quality control.
This editorial content from the LPC News Editor is meant to provide analysis, insight, and perspective on current news articles. To read the source article this LPC commentary is based upon, please click on the link below.
