Have you kept up with the latest scientific studies about CBD? If not, it isn’t surprising. With so many new studies coming out each month, it’s nearly impossible for any one person to keep up with all of the research appearing in the journals these days. In 2018, the journal “Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research” published one of the most interesting CBD studies to date. Titled “A Cross-Sectional Study of Cannabidiol Users,” the study details the results of a survey of 2,409 CBD users. It describes the most common reasons why people use CBD from companies such as OK CBD and lists the results that people are reporting from using the cannabinoid. In an industry full of unscrupulous marketing and unreliable information, the study is a wonderful source of real data from thousands of actual CBD users. It’s a fascinating look at what’s happening with CBD in the real world, and in this article, we’re going to explain the survey in plain language.
How Was the CBD Survey Conducted?
The researchers conducted an anonymous survey of CBD users via social media, recruiting a total of 2,409 volunteers. The survey ran from late 2017 through early 2018. The respondents were primarily aged from 55-74, and they were nearly evenly split between men and women. Slightly over half of the respondents were also cannabis users, and nearly two thirds of the group reported using CBD to treat specific medical conditions.
What Medical Conditions Do People Treat With CBD?
Of the 2,409 people who responded to the survey, 1,483 reported using the compound to treat specific medical conditions. In order of frequency, the most common conditions reported were:
- Chronic pain
- Arthritis or other joint pain
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sleeplessness and other sleep quality issues
- Migraines and other recurring headaches
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Nausea
- Cancer
- Asthma or allergies
- Seizure disorders such as epilepsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Chronic lung disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Neuropathy
- Autoimmune disorders
- Fibromyalgia
- Various other health issues
These results illustrate the wide range of reasons why people use CBD. In addition to the people who reported using CBD to treat specific conditions, nearly 1,000 respondents used CBD for general health and wellness.
Does CBD Work for the People Who Use It?
In addition to asking respondents to provide their reasons for using CBD, the survey also asked the volunteers to describe the results they were getting from using the compound. Of the 1,483 people who reported using CBD to treat specific conditions:
- 475 (35.80 percent) reported that CBD worked “very well by itself.”
- 391 (29.46 percent) reported that CBD worked “moderately well by itself.”
- 404 (30.44 percent) reported that CBD worked “well in combination with conventional medicine.”
- 57 (4.30 percent) reported that CBD did not work very well.
- 156 declined to answer.
It’s striking to note that 795 of the 1,483 respondents – that’s 53.6 percent – reported that CBD provided good results on its own for treating their medical conditions. Adding in the group that used CBD in combination with traditional medicine, the total increases to 1,199. That’s more than 80 percent. If you remove the people who declined to answer the question, this survey suggests that nearly all CBD users are happy to be using it. That’s a truly remarkable result.
How Are People Learning About CBD?
It isn’t easy to find reliable information about CBD. As we stated above, scientific journals are full of studies examining the benefits of the compound. Those studies aren’t necessarily easy for laypeople to read and understand, though, so many people do their research online. More than 75 percent of the survey’s respondents reported leaning about CBD from the Internet or from loved ones. The remaining respondents tended to hear about CBD from doctors and naturopaths. The survey’s respondents came from all 50 states as well as several nations outside the USA. Many of the people who participated in the survey lived in areas – such as California – with extensive dispensary networks that provided easy access to plenty of different CBD products.
What Are the Most Common Ways of Using CBD?
To get a better idea of how people are using CBD and determine whether any particular route of administration correlates more strongly with a positive result, the survey’s creators added a question about the methods that people were using to consume CBD. In order, the most common routes of administration were:
- Sublingual (about 900 respondents)
- Vaping (about 700 respondents)
- Capsules or pills (about 600 respondents)
- Liquids (about 450 respondents)
- Smoking CBD hemp flowers (about 450 respondents)
- Edibles (about 450 respondents)
- Topical (about 450 respondents)
Although the responses were split fairly evenly among the different routes of CBD administration, it’s clear that the majority of CBD users prefer CBD oils or tinctures, e-liquids and capsules over other ways of using CBD. Topical administration was the least popular method of using CBD, perhaps because that method is less versatile than simply dispersing CBD throughout the entire body via the bloodstream.
Does Anyone Report Side Effects With CBD?
As mentioned above, around half of the people who responded to the survey reported that they were also regular cannabis users. It’s important to consider that fact when evaluating any of the data in the survey. That’s particularly true of the reported CBD side effects, because many of the side effects reported are extremely common with THC use. The most common CBD side effects reported in the survey were:
- Dry mouth (174 respondents)
- Euphoria (59 respondents)
- Hunger (80 respondents)
- Other side effects (46 respondents)
- Red eyes (34 respondents)
- Sleepiness (29 respondents)
What Did We Learn From the Cross-Sectional Study of CBD Users?
The cross-sectional study of CBD users was a truly fascinating look at the real-world experiences of thousands of people who use CBD on a daily basis. Without the interference of marketers or dubious science, we learned why real people are using CBD and found out that, overwhelmingly, people are reporting great results with it. Your mileage may vary, of course; some people also reported that CBD did nothing for them. Given the fact that the majority of CBD users are reporting positive results, though, maybe it’s time that you tried CBD for yourself.