Daily Dose Q&A

2025-03-26
What percentage of the US population consumes CBD? Do you think it is 5%, 10% or well over 20%?
According to a January 2025 study, "Overall, 10.5_% of the United States population reported using CBD in the past 30_days (current use). Prevalence of current CBD use was significantly higher among marijuana users (current users: 40.7_%, past-year users: 32.2_%, ever users: 19.1_%) than among non-marijuana users (non-current users: 5.09_%, non-past year users: 4.38_%, never users: 5.09_%). Females, adults, Whites, and individuals with fair/poor health status were more likely to use CBD than their respective counterparts." The prevalence of CBD use of 10.5% is a national rate, but, in general, young adults are more likely to use cannabis than adolescents or older adults, and the prevalence of CBD use in the young adult population has been reported to be 39.7%.
Park J. Patterns of cannabidiol use among marijuana users in the United States. Preventative Med Reports. 20 Jan 2025.
2025-03-25
Have researchers found that patients who use cannabidiol (CBD)-rich extract therapy for the treatment of epilepsy require a lower dose of CBD medication as compared to those who use purified CBD therapy for the treatment of epilepsy?
According to a 2018 report, Òthe average dose described by [epilepsy] patients taking CBD-rich cannabis extracts was over 4 times lower than the dose reported by patients taking purified CBD. This data suggests that CBD is 4 times Òmore potentÓ when administered in herbal form, probably because other minor compounds present in the extract may contribute to its therapeutic effect. The interpretation of higher potency of CBD in combination with other minor compounds is in line with previous reports of synergistic effects between cannabinoid and even non-cannabinoid compounds.Ó In addition to CBD, minor cannabinoids, including cannabidivarin (CBDV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and cannabinol (CBN) also appear to have anti-convulsant properties.
Pamplona F, da Silva L and Coan A. Potential Clinical Benefits of CBD-Rich Cannabis Extracts Over Purified CBD in Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy: Observational Data Meta-analysis. Front. Neurol., 12 September 2018 Sec.Neuropharmacology https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00759
2025-03-24
Does CBD oil improve symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease?
"In a randomized controlled trial including 56 participants with Crohn's disease, Naftali et al. compared CBD oil to placebo orally for 8 weeks. Those in the cannabis group had a significant improvement in CDAI (Crohn's Disease Activity Index) scores and quality of life.... however, CRP (C-reactive protein), calprotectin and mucosal healing were not significantly different between the two groups."
Dzwonkowski M, Bahirwani J, Rollins S, et al. Selected Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Agents in IBD. Curr Gastro Reports. 9 Jan 2025. (2025) 27:1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-025-00960-0
2025-03-21
Does the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease alter the use of corticosteroids?
According to clinical studies, cannabinoids lead to a decrease in steroid use. For example, "Naftali et al. found that of those with CrohnÕs using cannabis ... 85% of patients on steroids were able to come off steroids. In another study, Naftali et al. found decreased corticosteroid use among those using cannabis."
Dzwonkowski M, Bahirwani J, Rollins S, et al. Selected Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Agents in IBD. Curr Gastro Reports. 9 Jan 2025. (2025) 27:1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-025-00960-0
2025-03-20
Do individuals with inflammatory bowel disease use cannabis more or less than the general population?
"Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, Weiss and Friedenberg found that those with CD [Crohn's disease] or UC [ulcerative colitis] were more likely to use marijuana (67.3%) than the general population and were more likely to begin using it at an earlier age (15.7 years versus 19.6 years). Those with IBD were found to use cannabis less frequently than controls but in greater amounts at a time when they did use it."
Dzwonkowski M, Bahirwani J, Rollins S, et al. Selected Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Agents in IBD. Curr Gastro Reports. 9 Jan 2025. (2025) 27:1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-025-00960-0