Guernsey Press

‘Like water, CBD is safe when used in the right dosages’

GUERNSEY shops selling cannabis extract CBD say its use is safe with the correct dosage.

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Tina Bolding, a director of The Original Alternative, said the World Health Organization had deemed CBD safe if taken at the right dosage. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 37527785)

Several shops that sell CBD, which is classed as novel food, can be added to foods, oils and lotions and is thought by its proponents to reduce anxiety, depression, insomnia and pain.

CBD products are sold as food supplements and are available on the high street. Therefore as far as shops selling the cannabis extract goes, they do not fall under any human medicine regulations with which side-effects reported by scientists in research have been taken from.

The Original Alternative director Tina Bolding, who has been instrumental in achieving an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Law in the island along with several other individuals and the States, said the findings of the study, which the advice from scientists was based on, related to small rodents and not humans and was therefore not comparable.

‘The World Health Organization deemed CBD safe, but the use of any substance in large amounts carries health risks, from water to ibuprofen, anything consumed in large enough quantities will cause harm,’ she said.

‘However, the study states that the amount of CBD needed for a human to harm themselves is a very large and unrealistic daily amount, the study that is being cited is based on mice not humans and the general consensus is that lots more work is needed to understand.

‘Cannabinoid understanding is just hitting the main street, prohibition has prevented in-depth studies and so as we are allowed to look further into the compounds, naturally we will begin to discover more and understand limits.’

Scientists had been looking at a purified form of CBD oil produced by GW Pharmaceuticals, which is used to treat epilepsy, rather than novel foods which are classed as food supplements.

Although, the UK Committee on Toxicity highlighted this stating during a meeting held on the topic ‘that the safety profile of food grade CBD products might be different to medical grade products’ some have raised concerns that attention has been drawn to it.

Vazon Vapes owner Jon Soden said there were also other major issues with the study.

‘A massive dose of CBD [was given to] mice in one go, the highest dose being more than 100 times stronger than the recommended dose for humans using the only FDA [the US Food and Drug Administration] approved CBD Isolate drug Epidiolex,’ he said.

‘I think, like anything else, moderation is the key.

‘If you introduce massive doses of anything into your body this can potentially overload your liver and cause health issues.

‘If an independent scientific study, not conducted by an organisation with ties to GW Pharmaceuticals who make the only FDA-approved CBD drug, is conducted and proves side-effects of CBD use then obviously we’d have to reconsider our position on CBD and stop selling CBD products until we were sure of the facts.’

Shops selling CBD have indicated that when using products approved by the States in the correct way, from reliable sources and following the guidelines, it is safe.

Healthspan medical director Dr Sarah Brewer offered some advice on what consumers should think about.

‘The WHO have completed a full safety review of CBD and not found any significant public health concerns when CBD is used at usual doses,’ she said.

‘If you have a health condition or are taking any medication, you should talk to your doctor and check for any known drug interactions.

‘As with any supplement do not exceed manufacturer’s recommended dose.

‘We can only speak for ourselves in terms of supplying CBD to the public and there are no safety concerns around CBD and many of the safety issues raised have been around higher doses of CBD than what is sold in food supplements.’