CBD Health

Given what 2020 has been, especially for an industry as novel as CBD, CBD companies are sure to be under a lot of pressure in 2021. The weight on her shoulders becomes even heavier when you add the ever-opaque regulations to the mix that technically includes CBD products as Schedule I substances alongside heroin and LSD at the federal level.

Nonetheless, industry experts seem to believe that these obstacles have not stalled the momentum of CBD; on the contrary, the CBD market is said to be in full swing.

ON report from The Brightfield Group, a data analytics firm specializing in the cannabis and CBD consumer space, offers some insightful information that together paints an optimistic picture.

For one, US hemp CBD sales are expected to exceed $ 4.6 billion a year earlier by 15% to reach $ 5.3 billion.

This is in line with hemp benchmarks report dated November 2020, which showed that the volatility of the hemp market, catalyzed by the pandemic but originally caused by the heat and oversaturation of the hemp market in 2019, is declining and giving way to the stability of hemp prices. This is great news for cannabis growers who can plan ahead for sales, demand and streamline their entire operations that should all seep down the supply chain.

The CBD market is expected to become increasingly diverse in 2021, with beverages and gums likely to be the fastest growing product types, growing 71% and 44% in value, respectively. This makes perfect sense considering how many innovative CBD brews we’ve seen for such an infant niche.

Tinctures, on the other hand, are expected to continue to hold the lion’s share of the market at 18% of retail sales in 2021.

Online CBD sales are projected to decline 4%, from 42% of the total market in 2020 to an estimated 38% in 2021, or $ 2.02 billion. This is to be expected as the shops reopen.

This trend is expected to continue in the years to come. According to the report by The Brightfield Group, the projected average annual growth rate (CAGR) of the hemp-derived CBD niche for the period between 2021 and 2026 is 25%. Quince market insights assume that the CAGR of the global CBD market will be 51% for the period 2021-2030.

In other words, CBD is still there and growing strong, even amid the pandemic and stifling regulations.

Credit: mohamed mahmoud hassan / public domain images

With cannabidiol (CBD) growing in popularity with consumers on a global scale, it’s natural to worry that the industry is going down the wrong track, from local retailers with holistic missions to sprawling conglomerates of lifeless dime – dozen of products .

James Thompson and his e-commerce company Calm Peak CBD fall into the former category and embody the image of David versus Goliath. Thompson, born in Seoul, Korea, described himself as an army brat who “traveled everywhere”. He eventually ended up in the United States and attended college in California on an arts and dance scholarship.

“I’m really creative. I like to make up names and logos. I am marketing. I just love doing it, ”said Thompson. He entered the private sector as a budding entrepreneur after college and hit the ground running with a company called Smoothie Joes in Birmingham, Alabama.

While founding Smoothie Joes, Thompson learned what it takes to run a successful business. “I had a line wrapped around the building. I couldn’t believe it, ”he said. Eventually, however, Thompson would be unlucky with the dissolution of his marriage and business, resulting in a lifestyle he aptly described as “the candle burning at both ends.”

After his divorce and fears that he would lose his daughter along with his business, Thompson fell into a depression. Thompson began experimenting with drugs and drinking heavily because he “wanted to die inside,” the entrepreneur told MACE.

“I used drugs and I didn’t care,” he said. Everything changed for the entrepreneur one morning after suffering a near-fatal mini-heart attack that resulted in a hospital stay and a flurry of negative forecasts. It turned out that the episode was the result of five blood clots found in Thompson’s heart, kidney, and elsewhere in his body.

“It was crazy. You [doctors] couldn’t understand how this young guy had five blood clots. ”Thompson said it had gotten so bad that his family expected him to die some day, which luckily never happened. As a result of his hospital stay, he was prescribed up to 11 drugs for various conditions, including high blood pressure.

“After about five years nothing seemed to work. I was always tired, lethargic and had a number of side effects, ”he explained. The side effects became so overwhelming that Thompson experienced suicidal moments. At that moment, he decided to make a change, which resulted in an appointment with a holistic doctor who prescribed him CBD. He started taking the products, exercising frequently, and noticed a significant drop in body weight.

After a period of taking CBD and exercising frequently, Thompson returned to his original doctor for standard tests and stumbled upon an incredible surprise – the test results were positive, much to his doctor’s shock. “I have never seen her [numbers] so, ”said the doctor to Thompson.

Thompson’s life-changing experience with CBD would take him on yet another entrepreneurial journey, this time starting a CBD business that would eventually become Calm Peak. “I caught lightning bolts in a bottle that is unlikely to happen again,” Thompson said, referring to the popular Smoothie Joes.

During this formative period, Thompson noticed that many entrepreneurs were dropping claims in the CBD industry, an opportunity he did not want to miss. “If I didn’t take part now, I would be behind everyone else. I went back to my work mode like I did with the smoothies. Did research [CBD]. I wanted to create a brand. “

After many growth difficulties, Thompson finally found a private label producer based in Colorado with 100% THC-free products that would become the backbone of Calm Peak. “They selected six of their best products and invested in a website. It took a while.”

When asked how he came up with the name Calm Peak, Thompson said there was just something about it that he couldn’t pinpoint. “I just fell in love with the name Calm Peak, I don’t know what it’s all about. I didn’t want to be like any other CBD company, they all sound the same. “

Fast forward to today and Thompson continues to expand its line of products, from Calm Peak apparel to CBD-infused coffees. “We are considered a health and wellness company,” he said.

“I wanted to help people. I experienced something really traumatic and I wanted to get out. So I wanted to offer an alternative medicine, ”Thompson said, comparing himself to other retailers who wanted to make money fast instead of actually helping consumers.

The hard work has paid off for Thompson: Calm Peak won the “Best Edible” award at the Original CBD Expo Tour in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2021 and the “BEST MINOR CANNABINOID FORMULATION” at the ORIGINAL CBD EXPO MIDWEST in Denver, Colorado.

Calm Peak has also been named as the official sponsor and headliner for the upcoming Original CBD Expo Tour from August 27th to 28th in Orlando, Florida.

Medical cannabis research is growing, but it is still nowhere near as big and deep enough as it should be by the standards of the medical world for ruthless investigation. But due to years of anecdotal evidence for cannabis, the plant has bypassed many of the trials a potential cure would normally have to go through en route to a legitimate drug.

With this in mind, Meir Hospital embarked on an endeavor that would benefit both the cannabis and medical worlds – medical studies conducted with a conservative approach.

Retrospective study of inflammatory bowel disease

Meir Hospital started inflammatory bowel disease with a retrospective observational study in which they “collected data on disease activity before and after cannabis use”.

Cannabis after this first test, however, the lack of a control group, and the variability in cannabis use took some of the shine away from the results.

Meir Hospital conducted “several double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of cannabis in inflammatory bowel disease”.

The first concerned Crohn’s disease, unprecedented in the fact that it was the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study to look at how cannabis affects this condition by using uniform cannabis in all patients, prospectively.

After weeks of weight, the patients who received real cannabis had “a significantly lower disease activity index, but no change in markers of inflammation was observed”. However, the study was not without its limitations, namely its short duration, the small size of the group, and the fact that endoscopic disease activity was not measured.

In another study that focused on CBD alone as a cure for Crohn’s disease, the researchers found no difference between the condition of the control group and the participants who received the real active ingredient.

However, due to the low dosage of CBD that was administered – 20 mg per day, the oral method of ingestion and the good safety profile of CBD, and the promising anti-inflammatory results in previous experimental models, scientists gave CBD the benefit of the doubt. You are currently conducting another double-blind, placebo-controlled study of CBD in steroid-dependent patients with Crohn’s disease.

The researchers also tried to study CBD as a “steroid-sparing therapy” in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).

“The study is ongoing and the data has not yet been pooled. Investigators’ impression, however, is that CBD has had a significant beneficial effect on a sizable cohort of patients. This is supported by the positive feedback from patients. “

The Meir Hospital researchers conclude that cannabis does indeed show promise as a viable drug. However, they also point out the inherent obstacles cannabis poses to research – its psychoactivity, which makes creating a compelling placebo difficult and can also have side effects; its federal illegal status; the variety of chemovars that account for many variables; and the inconsistent nature of extracts that “can never achieve the reproducibility required for a drug”.

Legal cannabis sales are skyrocketing, with U.S. revenues projected to exceed $ 28 billion in 2022, a whopping 60 percent increase from the numbers reported for 2020. But when an industry is on the rise, an influx of questionable people and companies inevitably follows, resulting in a steady stream of opportunists trying to make quick money off of hard-working – but inexperienced – business owners. Here are some things you can do to protect your business from scammers who come with all kinds of promises:

Avoid credit card workaround solutions

If someone offers you a workaround to accept credit cards, immediately decline it. No matter what anyone tells you, none of the major credit card companies allow cannabis transactions on their rails. Everyone understands that customers value the convenience of paying by credit, but working with a provider who is violating card company bylaws just so you can keep your clientele happy is not an avenue you want to take. Earlier this year, two Eaze Technologies consultants were caught trying to trick banks into processing more than $ 100 million in credit card payments. Then they were sent to prison. jail. And they’re far from the only ones of their kind. There are plenty of criminals out there, so be careful not to look the other way or “forget” to ask questions if something doesn’t seem right.

Read your dealer agreement

Dishonest guys bet you won’t read the fine print. So read it! For example, some of the same payment processors that offer sketchy credit card workarounds will have a note buried deep in their merchant contracts that their policy is to hold a percentage of your money for a period of time. They will say the main thing is to make sure you are good with your payments, but this waiting period can create problems when you have an unexpected expense and you cannot access your funds to cover it. And what if your processor is caught violating the law and goes out of business? When that happens, they are never will give you the money back. Case in point: Linx Card recently closed and many of its retailer customers with reserves were just unlucky with no recourse.

Some crooked processors that shut down reappear under a different name. This can also be a headache for you, as working with operators who keep disappearing or jumping back and forth between different processors disrupts your operations. And interruptions have a tangible cost. In our experience at Dama, retailers who don’t use electronic payment see an immediate 25 to 30 percent drop in sales. You don’t want this to happen to you.

Don’t hide from the banking system

When you open a bank account – or have someone open an account to the You, like many shady players in the industry are going to offer – but don’t state that you use cannabis, the bank will inevitably find out and close your account. No matter how hard you try to obscure the nature of your business, sooner or later something will sound the alarm, be it a check from a suspicious company or too many cash deposits. And if you open a new account after yours has been closed, which is most likely the case, that account will also be closed. This cycle will continue until you are eventually blackmailed, which affects not only your business but your personal banking situation as well – and this can have a serious impact on your life outside of work. It’s just not worth it, so don’t do it.

Stay legal = stay safe

Every cannabis company wants to make money, but it is important to conduct your business legally and transparently, no matter how tempting the alternatives may be. You worked hard to get where you are so don’t throw it all away by getting caught up with scammers who are only after themselves. When something looks too good to be true, it usually is. And when you deal with cheaters, eventually they will cheat on you too.

Eric Kaufmann
Main tax office
lady
www.damafinancial.com

Sources of supply:
Sale 2020
Forecasts for 2021
Eaze beliefs
Linx owes money to retailers

Cannabis is a genus of plants from the Cannabaceae family. Cannabis plants produce a unique family of terpenophenolic compounds called cannabinoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two cannabinoids that are usually most commonly produced, and only the former is psychoactive. The term hemp or industrial hemp usually refers to varieties with a low THC content (<0.3%). Hemp can be grown for many different purposes, be it for its seed, oil, food, and medicinal properties. [1] Certain hemp chemopreparations contain high levels of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid that is of great interest because of its therapeutic potential for treating anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain. [2] Hemp fibers are used in industry for a variety of purposes, including clothing, textiles, and cosmetics. For the past decade, hemp has been viewed as a potential source of biofuels with high conversion rates and yields: the hemp biomass can be fermented to produce low-carbon fuels such as bioethanol or biobutanol, while the oil obtained from hemp seeds is successfully converted into biodiesel through base-catalyzed transesterification. [3]

Hemp contains many phytocannabinoids in the aerobic part of the plant and CBD is usually the most abundant: through extraction processes, it is possible to isolate this valuable cannabinoid in the form of pure isolate or full-spectrum extract if the end product also contains other cannabinoids and phytonutrients. Unlike stems, leaves and flowers, hemp seeds do not contain phytocannabinoids and are used to obtain an oil with a rich profile of nutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals and a high percentage of fatty acids, especially omega-6 and omega-3, optimal for human health. [4] It is possible to add plant material to the seed extraction as well, resulting in a full spectrum hemp oil with phytocannabinoids in the final extract.

References:

[1] Adesina, I. et al. An overview of the current state of knowledge about growing conditions, agronomic soil health practices, and uses of hemp in the United States. Agriculture, 10 (4), 129 (2020) doi: 10.3390 / agriculture10040129 [Times cited=  21]

[2] VanDolah, HJ et al. Clinician’s Guide to Cannabidiol and Hemp Oils. Mayo Clinic Procedure. (2019). doi: 10.1016 / j.mayocp.2019.01.003 [Journal impact factor= 6.942] [Times cited=  106]

[3] Si-YuLiet al. The feasibility of converting Cannabis sativa L. oil to biodiesel. , Bioresource Technology]101 (21), 8457-8460 (2010). doi: 10.1016 / j.biortech.2010.05.064 [Journal impact factor= 7.539] [Times cited=  75

 

[4] JC Callaway. Hemp seeds as a food source: an overview. , Euphytica 140 (1-2), 65-72. (2004) doi: 10.1007 / s10681-004-4811-6 [Journal impact factor= 1.614] [Times cited=  656]

picture: Hemp_Picture Sabina Pulone

The appointment of US President Joe Biden to a number of influential positions in the new administration gives cause for optimism in the hemp and cannabis sector.

While Biden himself appears to remain skeptical of recreational cannabis – having previously stated that it should be included in Appendix II of the Controlled Substances Act category – a wide range of key appointments appear to be solid proponents of hemp and cannabis.

Perhaps the most important appointment for CBD is the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As the main government agency for Healthcare and consumer safety, HHS is responsible for several influential areas, such as: Food Products and new drugs through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), implementing the country’s largest health programs (Medicare and Medicaid), and preventing the outbreak and spread of disease through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Xavier Becerra is the Biden candidate to lead the HHS. Former California Attorney General Becerra has considerable experience in helping cannabis reform and works to protect California’s legal program from federal interference.

Becerra was one of 21 attorneys general to write to congressional leaders to express their support for a bipartisan law to protect government cannabis programs from government interference.

And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “Just as we allow alcohol to be sold, we have entered the 21st century and announced that it is better to regulate cannabis than criminalize it. There are far more important things to worry about than whether or not someone smokes cannabis for medicinal purposes. “

Becerra also spoke out strongly in favor of giving licensed cannabis companies access to the federal banking system. “The continued exclusion of the licensed cannabis industry from the federal banking system is untenable and unwise,” he said saidwhile serving as the California attorney general. “The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated the economic and investigative challenges that arise from keeping a $ 15 billion industry in the shadows.

“Congress should pass these common sense laws quickly and provide relief to the many local cannabis companies who abide by the rules.”

Rachel Levine has been nominated as Assistant Secretary to HHS and, if confirmed, will bring a wealth of political expertise on medical cannabis – an essential requirement given the strong support medical cannabis enjoys in the new administration, with even Biden expressing his support .

The American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) called her “a pioneer who successfully led the implementation of Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program.” It added, “Pennsylvania is now one of the fastest growing and most momentous medical marijuana markets in the country, in large part due to the work of Dr. Levine. “

Federal medical cannabis policy will be of concern to a large portion of the US population.

Under Levine, the Pennsylvania Department of Health oversaw temporary changes to the state’s medical cannabis program in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This included removing restrictions on the number of patients a registered nurse can work with.

“In the midst of Covid-19, we need to ensure that medical marijuana patients have access to medicines,” she said. “We want to ensure that medical marijuana program cardholders can get medication for one of 23 serious medical conditions during this difficult time.”

Presumably Levine would carry that enthusiasm into her new role at the federal level.

While the HHS will play an important role in how the Biden administration handles the medical and scientific aspects of the policy, the Department of Justice will play a critical role in regulating and enforcing cannabis and hemp. The Biden candidate to head the department is Merrick Garland, a name known to then-President Barack Obama as a candidate for the Supreme Court and who was denied a hearing by then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Biden has hired Garland to lead a demoralized department that has been ravaged by four years of attrition at all levels and unprecedented partisanship. Garland has a reputation for being a smart and sincere manager, but hasn’t made his views on cannabis issues particularly clear.

His court record shows that he has respect for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) when it comes to drug planning, a key aspect of how cannabis is viewed by the federal government.

Some in the industry have criticized him for this approach, saying that it is overall negative for the future of cannabinoid regulation.

The DEA, based in the Justice Department, has repeatedly claimed that cannabis should be kept as a List I drug because the plant has no proven medicinal value and high risk.

Garland’s ruling as a judge on the appellate court in a 2012 federal lawsuit over the DEA’s rejection of a marijuana rescheduling suggests that he believes it is the appropriate authority to weigh cannabis science and establish a scheduling policy.

“Don’t we have to submit to the authorities when it comes to evaluating research into the therapeutic value of marijuana?” Garland asked the attorney who represents the Americans in the reform group for safe access. “Procrastination doesn’t mean they win. But sit back in the sense that we are not scientists – they are – the definition of an adequate and well-controlled study. “

But these comments have to be seen in context. Garland requested this from a lawyer serving as a judge during an oral hearing. The use of the term “postponement” in relation to a federal authority differs slightly from postponement in common parlance.

A judge’s job is to evaluate the evidence presented and determine the credibility and weight that should be placed on it. As a judge evaluating evidence, it is customary to submit to experts on a scientific subject. The role of the Justice Department chief is very different, however, and Garland will be able to influence, if not dictate, the policies and positions of the DEA.

In essence, as the head of the department under which the DEA is organized, the Attorney General has significant influence on the agency’s planning and enforcement policy. If confirmed, Garland would be able to essentially order a postponement of cannabis.

And there is greater potential for reform among his subordinates. One of his key deputies in the Justice Department would be Vanita Gupta, a former prosecutor and civil rights activist who advocated the legalization of cannabis and strongly condemned the harsh policies of criminalizing nonviolent drug offenses.

Gupta currently serves as President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and has spoken out in favor of a House of Representatives bill to legalize state cannabis. She also voted against the injustices of the drug war.

In the meantime, a lot of positive things have already happened in the field of hemp in agriculture. Biden has nominated Tom Vilsack to return to his role as Minister of Agriculture, a position he held every eight years of the Obama presidency.

Under Vilsack’s leadership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA), the 2014 Farm Bill, which included the hemp pilot program, was passed.

Jonathan Miller of the US Hemp Roundtable named Vilsack a “longtime champion in hemp,” adding, “We are incredibly optimistic that he will help provide the guidance and clarity needed to create opportunities in the hemp industry. “

Such a champion leaves open the slim possibility of further positive revisions to the final USDA rule for hemp production.

The White House issued a memo in late January 2021 urging agencies to withdraw or pause any rules that have not yet been published in the federal register to give the new administration time to review.

The USDA said CBD intelligence: “The new government is taking this opportunity to review new and pending regulatory actions, including the final settlement for the Domestic Hemp Production Program, to ensure that the programs are structured and adequately resourced, and to ensure that the programs implemented in such a way that they best serve the intended stakeholders. Once the review is complete, we will have more information on how to proceed with the rule. “

What that means: Apparently positive dates all around. Even Merrick Garland’s nomination to head the Department of Justice can be seen as positive for most cannabinoids, and even likely positive for the recreational cannabis end of the market.

Significant medical cannabis and CBD support is likely to come from the HHS, and while key appointments with the FDA and DEA are still pending, optimism is about to emerge Federal cannabis legalization during this legislative period.

Although this is still in the extreme range of what is realistically achievable, it is still a long way from the uncertainty and pessimism of recent times.

It looks like Joe Biden is on a pro-cannabis democrat train whether he really wants it or not.

CBD intelligence (www.CBD-Intel.com) provides impartial, independent and world-class market and regulatory analysis, law enforcement and quantitative data for the cannabidiol (CBD) sector.

We offer our clients the tools to navigate this fast-moving sector, adjust their business strategy, optimize resources and make informed decisions. In addition, we offer tailor-made research and advice support.

CBD companies continue to make advances in the health and wellness subcategory with new product launches, distribution agreements, and ongoing clinical trials.

California-based CBD product maker CV Sciences has announced the launch of a full line of clinical-strength CBD products available only from doctors in the United States.

The company said the products will be backed by published research, randomized controlled trials, and a post-market safety review. It added that they are designed to fit into existing care plans and are available in roll-on, liquid and softgel formulations.

“Alternative medicine use is becoming more common as consumer preferences shift towards natural, herbal remedies for a range of conditions. We are excited to bring ProCBD to market and to partner with health professionals who are seeking science-based, natural alternatives for their patients, “said Joseph Dowling, CEO of CV Sciences.

Similarly, Canadian nutraceutical company NeutriSci International has focused on the health and wellness market. It said it intends to launch its broadband CBD tablet brand Tabletz in Japan.

The company plans to manufacture and distribute several hundred thousand units of the tablet sticks in a number of retail locations in Japan, where, according to NeutriSci, consumers are strong advocates of plant-based health and wellness products. The company said it hadn’t finalized the details of in-store distribution, but previously listed 7-Eleven, KK Lawson and Biople as potential Japanese retailers.

“We believe we can reach a significant share of the CBD market in Japan. There is currently no comparable product on the market, ”said Glen Rehman, CEO of NeutriSci.

The product is now waiting in the port of entry for customs classification (HS code). It is sold in three and seven tab sticks and comes in three flavors – lemon, berry, and mint.

“With product approvals, a pause in new application approvals at the ministerial level, combined with the features and benefits of the product itself, plus a strong distribution network and positive initial consumer feedback, there is strong confidence that Tabletz can do one of the best-selling CBD brands of its kind in Japan be, ”said Rehman.

NeutriSci is also working on the upcoming launch of a large bottle format (35 14 mg tablets totaling 490 mg CBD) from Tabletz, which will also be available in the same three flavors and is expected to be part of a second order for the Japanese market.

The company had previously announced that it would officially launch the Tabletz brand in the Japanese market in November 2020, but this has been delayed for reasons that are currently unclear. It just completed a round of funding that sold nearly 2.5 million shares at $ 0.15 each to raise $ 370,050 to be used for production runs related to its product launch in Japan.

And in Europe, UK health and wellness chain Holland & Barrett has signed distribution agreements with European manufacturer of CBD and hemp oil products, Reakiro, and has expanded its ongoing distribution relationship with World High Life’s Love Hemp brand.

Reakiro’s range of full spectrum products includes oils, sprays, a raw hemp extract pen and gelcaps in a wide range of strengths and will appear in all 737 UK stores and online.

“We are very proud to partner with Holland & Barrett, the leading health and wellness retailer,” said Stuart McKenzie, CEO of Reakiro. “Holland & Barrett and Reakiro share the same values ​​- providing the highest quality natural health products to people around the world. We look forward to a productive and long-term partnership with you. “

Love Hemp has launched another ten products, including sprays and capsules, in 880 Holland & Barrett stores in the UK and Ireland and made the products available through the health food store’s website. These include various strengths from 600 mg to 3,000 mg of CBD.

Love Hemp and Holland & Barrett have also launched a consumer education and awareness program on CBD in 400 of their stores to help build consumer knowledge about the benefits of CBD. It is unclear what paid agents could say who did not violate the ban on marketing health claims.

“This is a significant relationship not only in terms of scale, but also because Love Hemp and Holland & Barrett implemented a groundbreaking education and awareness program designed to educate consumers about the benefits of CBD,” said Tony Calamita, CEO by Love Hemp. “It is important to invest with partners like Holland & Barrett to build consumer knowledge and confidence so that they know they are buying credible products from credible retailers.”

Meanwhile, the Australian company Avecho Biotechnology has joined a medical cannabis study that, if successful, could open up the range of CBD products on the market and increase their therapeutic potential.

The CA Clinics Observational Study (CACOS) will, for the first time, test the performance of Avecho’s oral CBD formulation on human patients to continue previous successful demonstrations of the product’s ability to aid the absorption of CBD drugs in animals.

“This study is an important step in gathering real-world evidence from patients,” said Paul Gavin, CEO of Avecho. “The entry into an existing test framework offers Avecho both cost and speed advantages.”

If the product’s effectiveness is demonstrated in human patients, Avecho believes it could create room for more CBD products on the market at lower cost and with greater therapeutic potential.

“The design of the observational study enables the product to be used in a range of indications that may prioritize certain indications for further development or eliminate indications where treatment is less effective,” said Gavin.

The company will use the study to gather feedback on the performance of the product from patients currently using medical cannabis to treat a range of indications. Performance is compared to commonly prescribed CBD formulations.

The CACOS study aims to recruit 3,000 patients through a network of medical cannabis prescribing clinics and will use questionnaires to examine the side effects, dosage response and treatment satisfaction of medical cannabis formulations on patient health.

The data generated will help shape the future development of Avecho’s pharmaceutical CBD products while also exploring the potential for Australian SAS-B prescribing.

Recruitment for the CACOS trial will begin immediately and will last through 2021.

CBD intelligence provides impartial, independent and world-class market and regulatory analysis, law enforcement and quantitative data for the cannabidiol (CBD) sector worldwide.

We offer our clients the tools to navigate this fast-moving sector, adjust their business strategy, optimize resources and make informed decisions. In addition, we offer tailor-made research and consulting support.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has a pretty good reputation for its anti-anxiety effects, but does CBD really help with anxiety? Research on CBD from hemp has been less limited than CBD from cannabis, and even CBD from cannabis has been studied more closely in recent years. A lot of scientific evidence has accumulated over time suggesting that CBD may help some people with anxiety, although it varies from person to person.

As early as 2015, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported CBD has several medicinal benefits. These included anti-anxiety effects, based on several scientific findings showing the safety and effectiveness of CBD in treating a range of symptoms related to anxiety and stress. It was also mentioned that “the anxiety-reducing effects of CBD appear to be mediated through changes in serotonin receptor 1a signaling,” suggesting that more research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms that trigger these anxiety-reducing responses. [1]

This call for more research seemed to skip over at the time research which was published in 2010. Scientists in Brazil examined the neural basis of the anxiolytic effects of CBD in generalized anxiety (SAD). Their research concluded that CBD “significantly reduced subjective anxiety” and recommends CBD for reducing anxiety in people diagnosed with SAD. It should also be noted that the effective dose for the anti-anxiety effects was 400 mg of CBD. [2]

While these research results sound promising, cannabinoid medicine is still a very individual process, which means that it can vary from person to person due to our unique biological makeup. A study The study, published earlier this year, looked at a possible placebo effect if patients are already firmly convinced of the effectiveness of CBD in reducing anxiety. They confirmed that the expected results from CBD influenced many of the participants’ subjective and physiological responses, including anxiolytic effects. [3] CBD seems to help several people with varying levels of anxiety and symptoms, but these types of pointers to keep in mind when wondering whether CBD can help with your anxiety.

References:

1 – Volkow, N. The biology and potential therapeutic effects of cannabidiol. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2015. https://archives.drugabuse.gov/testimonies/2015/biology-potential-therapeutic-effects-cannabidiol

2 – Crippa, J. et al., Neural Basis of the Anxiolytic Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: A Preliminary Report. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2010. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881110379283

3 – Spinella, T. et al., Evaluation of the anticipatory effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on acute stress and anxiety in healthy adults: a randomized crossover study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2021 Jul; 238 (7): 1965-1977. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33813611/

With the rise of the cannabis and hemp industries in recent years, cannabidiol (CBD) is now at least vaguely known to everyone. Most people have at least heard the term, and many have seen it on shelves from local cafes to mainstream health stores like Walgreens. Wherever you’ve seen or heard of CBD, there is a good chance you are aware that it is touted for several medical benefits that help with conditions such as pain, inflammation, various forms of epilepsy, and many others. According to a national survey, 14% of Americans admit consuming CBD products, with 40% reporting pain, 20% reporting anxiety, and 11% reporting sleep. [1]

With so many people reporting the medicinal benefits of CBD, it calls into question the psychological effects of CBD. Thanks to the legalization of cannabis and hemp in the United States, restrictions on research into cannabinoids like CBD are further relaxed, giving way to new and important research. In 2020, a systematic review was published that analyzes the available clinical research on CBD for use in various medical and psychiatric conditions and provides several promising results.

When compared, for example, with anxiety, the review found that CBD decreased neurons that cause anxiety, “and infusing CBD directly into the amygdala neurons resulted in decreased anxiety-related behavior”. For those suffering from other psychological conditions like PTSD, a small study mentioned in the review found that “ninety-one percent of patients reported a decrease in nightmare symptoms” after being given oral CBD. [2]

The psychological relationship between CBD and depression also looks positive, with animal models showing a “significant antidepressant-like effect after administration of CBD”. Human studies found that “CBD is a microglial stabilizer in vitro that is similar to the drug lithium that may be beneficial for depression and mood stabilization.” [2]

Even when compared to more intense psychological conditions such as psychosis, especially in schizophrenia, the review says, “In studies of animal models of schizophrenia, CBD has shown that it improves psychotic symptoms.” [2]

All of these pointers are promising indicators that CBD has positive psychological effects, but keep in mind that each person’s biological makeup is extremely unique. The differences between one person’s neurological and mental health to another are extremely individual. This makes your unique properties very important when deciding whether or not CBD can have the same positive psychological effects as the literature discussed.

References:

1 – Brenan, M. 14% of Americans say they use CBD products. Gallup poll. 2019. https://news.gallup.com/poll/263147/americans-say-cbd-products.aspx

2 – Oberbarnscheidt, T., et al., The Influence of Cannabidiol on Psychiatric and Medical Disorders. Journal of clinical medical research. 2020 July; 12 (7): 393-403. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7331870/