Is CBD the new snake oil?

Is CBD the new snake oil? from Hybrid Performance Method on Vimeo.

Is CBD the new snake oil?

In the 19th century it was the gold rush, in the 20th century we had the oil boom, in the 21st century cannabis is king. Instead of searching for rocks in the riverbanks of California  or drilling holes in search of black oil across the Texas plane, entrepreneurs now grow seeds of green in pursuit of their millions. It’s as if cannabis is worth its weight as $100 bill.

Following the policy changes cultivation and sale of cannabis products, the CBD industry has exploded. Companies now sell CBD infused topical creams, tinctures, and vaporizers or whatever else they can think of.

Like many hot products, it seems to be good for pretty much everything.  You have joint pain slather on some CBD oil. If you have anxiety, knock back some CBD before bed and say goodbye to troubling thoughts.Are you blind? Wash your eyes with CBD and then you can see.

They say it is natural, safe, and effective. But who is they? How effective is it really and effective for what exactly? Is CBD a magic pill the world has been waiting for or is it the latest snake oil scheme? What even is CBD anyway?

CBD is a compound in cannabis that doesn't produce a high. It's safe and it's not explicitly restricted. It  acts on the endocannabinoid system in the nervous system, where it has a number of complex effects.

To what extent does cbd produce outcomes that require a scientific study? To this point that kinda research has been scarce. Every now and then the media highlights a new study that proves remarkable results of CBD for insert whatever condition here.

These stories rarely produce anything useful. The result of one small level poorly conducted study does not give us as much valuable information.

Studies are prone to false positives, so we looked at a large pool of data across many studies also called systematic reviews and meta-analysis for more confidence.

Changes in regulation have only recently been allowed to research on CBD to move forward at a reasonable pace. Over the past few years several high impact journals have been published.

Papers published in the British medical journal, JAMA, and the land said, have all concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommence CBD for medicinal use for pain or any psychological condition.

They all caution that the CBD Market lacks regulation and quality centers. Ao you have truly no way of knowing what you're getting when you purchase CBD products. 

In fact the amounts that the declare on label are often wildly inaccurate as much as 60 times lower than doses used in clinical trials.

So how are CBD companies allowed to make bold unsubstantiated claims about their products?

While the FDA does regulate health claims made by supplement manufacturers, legal troubles can be easily avoided with a fine print disclaimer that the “FDA has not evaluated the claims”.

Also puffery or gross exaggeration about a product is legally protected speech as long as it is clear to the customer that it is an exaggeration. “World best CBD formula” is not a statement about the effects of CBD. It is just an opinion about how amazing the product is. 

The takeaway here is we are in the middle of a CBD frenzy.  Many businesses are trying to capitalize on shifting attitudes towards cannabis by marketing CBD as a Natural solution to big pharma that the government has been hiding from us this whole time.

Many people will tell you tales of its healing properties to many loyal customers and will share their life changing experiences. While there might be a grain of truth in this statement, we need to take these statements with  more than a few grains of salt.

Large well conducted randomized clinical trials are needed to pass out any true effects from all of the hype. That’s only something good science can do. For right now, CBD is not recommended for medicinal use and if you do choose to apply CBD to your painful joints as many people, do not expect miracles and don't use it as a bandage to avoid movement modifications and better load management. Also, just don't bathe in it - that's what soap is for. 

Catch you guys next time.

-Stefi