CBD: What You Need to Know

Per the Center of Disease Controls: Read more

(August 8, 2022)

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in marijuana. CBD is not impairing, meaning it does not cause a “high.”¹

CBD can be derived from hemp or from non-hemp plants. Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant with no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the mind-altering substance in marijuana.

CBD Use in the United States

In 2018, the U.S. Congress passed and signed into law the Agriculture Improvement Act. This law removed hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, effectively legalizing CBD if it comes from hemp.² However, a few states have not removed hemp from their state’s controlled substances acts, so legality of CBD products differs across states.

CBD is marketed in many consumer products:

Foods
Oils
Lotions
Capsules
Cosmetics

How Can CBD Affect Your Health?

Is CBD a medicine?

Scientists are still learning about how CBD affects the body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex, a medicine that contains purified CBD from hemp, to help treat rare seizure disorders. The FDA has concluded that this drug is safe and effective for this intended use. However, other marketed products and uses of CBD may not be FDA approved.

Potential harms and side effects

Using CBD products is not risk free. The FDA has limited data on CBD safety. Please consider these possible side effects and risks before using CBD:³

Liver damage
Interference with other drugs you are taking, which may lead to injury or serious side effects
Drowsiness or sleepiness
Diarrhea or changes in appetite
Changes in mood, such as irritability

Using CBD during pregnancy is not recommended.

CBD use during pregnancy is not recommended. The potential health effects of using CBD products during pregnancy are currently unknown. In animals, high doses of CBD have caused negative effects on developing fetuses.⁴

We do not know if CBD is passed to a baby through breast milk. Since negative effects have been associated with CBD use, people who are breastfeeding are encouraged to avoid CBD.

Keep CBD products away from children

We do not know the effects of CBD on children’s developing brains. If you use products that contain CBD or THC, keep them in childproof containers and out of the reach of children.

For additional questions, contact your healthcare provider, your health department, or your local or regional poison control center at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if it’s an emergency.