Medical marijuana has become legal in many states in the US. Cannabis, also known as Marijuana, is growing in popularity in its efficacy in treatment of many different diseases. The cannabis plant consists of two main compounds: THC and CBD (cannabidiol). THC is responsible for the plant’s mood-altering and addictive quality, which makes it illegal in a few states, while CBD is not mood-altering, or addictive and is legal in all 50 states. CBD can be consumed as an oil, applied to the skin as an ointment, or inhaled as a vapor. Many patients use CBD for relief from anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and more. To understand CBD’s benefits, we have to fully understand how cannabis works in the brain. Cannabis contains over 60 compounds called cannabinoids that act on the body’s endocannabinoid system which down-regulates stress-related signals that lead to inflammation and pain. There are two main receptors that cannabinoids bind to named CB1 and CB2. THC acts on the CB1 receptor and affects memory, concentration and coordination, while CBD does not act on CB receptors but instead acts on pain receptors that affect pain perception, anxiety and inflammation. (3) It is important to note that CBD is different from hemp products which contain CBD, or less than 0.3% of THC and several other cannabinoids while CBD products include only the CBD content from the cannabis plant, removing the THC and other cannabinoids. In 1970, the controlled substance act had banned marijuana, hemp and all related products such as CBD oil; it wasn’t until 2014 when the agricultural act, also known as the farm bill, legalized hemp for research purposes and designated it as a plant since it had less than 0.3% of THC. In the 2018 farm bill, more progress was made when hemp related products were made federally legal.
Increased interest rose in 2018 when the FDA approved a pure CBD oil called Epidiolex for a rare form of pediatric seizures, and it was found that it reduced the amount of seizures for these children. There was a study done in patients 1-18 years of age, and the study tested the safety of CBD in these patients, as well as any changes in seizure type, frequency, and seizure free days. They found that the adjunctive treatment of CBD in pediatric epilepsy was found tolerable at doses of up to 50mg/kg/day. There was a decrease in seizure frequency as well as increase in seizure free days in these patients. (2) Pediatric seizures are a difficult disease for a patient and a family to live with, with poor quality of life. Many families try to look into alternative medicines to try to help their child’s disease.
Another study was done to evaluate the effects of CBD ointment given twice a day for a duration of 3 months to treat chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and scars. The results showed that there was a significant improvement on the symptoms of the skin diseases in all the patients. It was seen through before and after pictures of the patients that their scars or disease symptoms all decreased within the 12 week period. It was concluded that CBD ointment without THC is a safe and effective method of improving certain skin diseases and inflammatory conditions. (1) Psoriasis is a systemic skin disease that is growing in its treatment options available. In addition, atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema) and scars are another issue that many people live with and have minimal treatment options. CBD ointment can greatly help in finding a new and safe way to treat these diseases and provide these patients with a better quality of life.
Overall, CBD (cannabidiol) seems to be a safe and effective method to treat many different disease factors. CBD has been seen to be increasing in quantity and popularity over time, possibly due to the fact of its efficacious treatment. Many of these diseases that CBD helps are diseases with minimal treatment options and have a poor quality of life with their diseases. It is important for health care workers, especially pharmacists, to be educated on the topic of CBD and medical marijuana and the disease states that they aid in treating. Since CBD is found to work well in many of these populations, it is important to look more into CBD and its efficacies, as well as speak to medical professionals to see if CBD is an effective medication for a patient's disease.
References:
Palmieri B, Laurino C, Vadalà M. A therapeutic effect of cbd-enriched ointment in inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous scars. Clin Ter. 2019;170(2):e93-e99. doi:10.7417/CT.2019.2116
Park YD, Linder DF, Pope J, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of cannabidiol (CBD) in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy: Results from a state-based expanded access program. Epilepsy Behav. 2020;112:107474. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107474
Baswan SM, Klosner AE, Glynn K, et al. Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Skin Health and Disorders. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:927-942. Published 2020 Dec 8. doi:10.2147/CCID.S286411
Natalie Eshaghian & Donna Salib
CBD
Medical marijuana has become legal in many states in the US. Cannabis, also known as Marijuana, is growing in popularity in its efficacy in treatment of many different diseases. The cannabis plant consists of two main compounds: THC and CBD (cannabidiol). THC is responsible for the plant’s mood-altering and addictive quality, which makes it illegal in a few states, while CBD is not mood-altering, or addictive and is legal in all 50 states. CBD can be consumed as an oil, applied to the skin as an ointment, or inhaled as a vapor. Many patients use CBD for relief from anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and more. To understand CBD’s benefits, we have to fully understand how cannabis works in the brain. Cannabis contains over 60 compounds called cannabinoids that act on the body’s endocannabinoid system which down-regulates stress-related signals that lead to inflammation and pain. There are two main receptors that cannabinoids bind to named CB1 and CB2. THC acts on the CB1 receptor and affects memory, concentration and coordination, while CBD does not act on CB receptors but instead acts on pain receptors that affect pain perception, anxiety and inflammation. (3) It is important to note that CBD is different from hemp products which contain CBD, or less than 0.3% of THC and several other cannabinoids while CBD products include only the CBD content from the cannabis plant, removing the THC and other cannabinoids. In 1970, the controlled substance act had banned marijuana, hemp and all related products such as CBD oil; it wasn’t until 2014 when the agricultural act, also known as the farm bill, legalized hemp for research purposes and designated it as a plant since it had less than 0.3% of THC. In the 2018 farm bill, more progress was made when hemp related products were made federally legal.
Increased interest rose in 2018 when the FDA approved a pure CBD oil called Epidiolex for a rare form of pediatric seizures, and it was found that it reduced the amount of seizures for these children. There was a study done in patients 1-18 years of age, and the study tested the safety of CBD in these patients, as well as any changes in seizure type, frequency, and seizure free days. They found that the adjunctive treatment of CBD in pediatric epilepsy was found tolerable at doses of up to 50mg/kg/day. There was a decrease in seizure frequency as well as increase in seizure free days in these patients. (2) Pediatric seizures are a difficult disease for a patient and a family to live with, with poor quality of life. Many families try to look into alternative medicines to try to help their child’s disease.
Another study was done to evaluate the effects of CBD ointment given twice a day for a duration of 3 months to treat chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and scars. The results showed that there was a significant improvement on the symptoms of the skin diseases in all the patients. It was seen through before and after pictures of the patients that their scars or disease symptoms all decreased within the 12 week period. It was concluded that CBD ointment without THC is a safe and effective method of improving certain skin diseases and inflammatory conditions. (1) Psoriasis is a systemic skin disease that is growing in its treatment options available. In addition, atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema) and scars are another issue that many people live with and have minimal treatment options. CBD ointment can greatly help in finding a new and safe way to treat these diseases and provide these patients with a better quality of life.
Overall, CBD (cannabidiol) seems to be a safe and effective method to treat many different disease factors. CBD has been seen to be increasing in quantity and popularity over time, possibly due to the fact of its efficacious treatment. Many of these diseases that CBD helps are diseases with minimal treatment options and have a poor quality of life with their diseases. It is important for health care workers, especially pharmacists, to be educated on the topic of CBD and medical marijuana and the disease states that they aid in treating. Since CBD is found to work well in many of these populations, it is important to look more into CBD and its efficacies, as well as speak to medical professionals to see if CBD is an effective medication for a patient's disease.
References:
Palmieri B, Laurino C, Vadalà M. A therapeutic effect of cbd-enriched ointment in inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous scars. Clin Ter. 2019;170(2):e93-e99. doi:10.7417/CT.2019.2116
http://www.clinicaterapeutica.it/2019/170/2/05_PALMIERI-VADALA.pdf
Park YD, Linder DF, Pope J, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of cannabidiol (CBD) in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy: Results from a state-based expanded access program. Epilepsy Behav. 2020;112:107474. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107474
https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(20)30654-5/fulltext
Baswan SM, Klosner AE, Glynn K, et al. Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Skin Health and Disorders. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:927-942. Published 2020 Dec 8. doi:10.2147/CCID.S286411
https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.jerome.stjohns.edu/pmc/articles/PMC7736837/