CBD, is it really a miracle product?
Stress, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain: these are the various sores of 21st century society. What if CBD was the miracle solution? The grocery store has investigated the true virtues of this cannabis molecule.
CBD, is it works?
Many consumers know and appreciate the psychoactive effects of THC, this "buzzing" substance. But others seek rather to relax, to sleep better, to relieve small pains. And on the Internet, many sites extol the virtues of CBD.
CBD? Another name for one of the many molecules in cannabis: cannabidiol. Unlike THC, it is not a psychotropic. In other words, it does not cause those dazes typical of THC. And it is not addictive.
If we are to believe the supporters of cannabidiol, this molecule cures many ailments! This is how we see a flourishing market emerging with a selling angle: health and well-being.
Drinks, sweets and chocolates
In the legal market, in Canada, this is how we are offered many CBD products: soft drinks, oils, capsules, candies and chocolates. Products that contain 10 to 30 mg of CBD per serving. Sometimes more.
At the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), we offer a good fifty CBD-dominant products. But are these products as effective as they want us to believe?
Currently, science recognizes that CBD works very well for cases of epilepsy, explains Dr. Didier Jutras-Aswad, researcher and head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Center hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM). But it must be kept in mind that cannabidiol is administered at extremely high dosages, much higher than what is found in particular on the current legal non-therapeutic market.
If you consume very small doses of CBD, you may not experience any effect at all, adds the doctor. Same story with Dr. Andreea Bosneaga of Clinique Nature Medic in Magog. According to her, the use of CBD can have positive effects when supervised by a doctor.
The analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of CBD is beginning to be validated, explains the doctor. But it really has to be taken on a regular basis, at least twice a day. In the medical community, you can go for concentrations of 50 to 100 milligrams per milliliter, but that really takes professional supervision.
To achieve these massive doses, some consumers might be tempted to drink too much CBD oil, with unpleasant side effects: reflux or diarrhea, it's directly related to the amount of oil consumed, in fact.
According to Andreea Bosneaga, we should not go to the SQDC, but really go to a health professional who could better guide us in our choices.
The SQDC is not a pharmacy
The Société québécoise du cannabis is the only authorized retailer of recreational THC and CBD products in Quebec. Its advisers have a duty to remain very cautious in the face of CBD health claims.
The grocery store called three branches. The advice was sometimes borderline medical:
" What it can do: It's an effect like an anti-inflammatory, like a muscle relaxant and anxiolytic. It may be one of its effects. That is to say, it can reduce anxiety. »
“ Of course it's not 100 % guaranteed that it's going to help you, it's not a sleeping pill, but yes, it's sure, it will make it easier for you to sleep. »
“ If we have anxiety, anguish, paranoia, it helps us eliminate all that. If we have pain, it helps us to no longer perceive it. »
We asked the SQDC to react to these remarks. She says she is surprised and concerned by the answers obtained, but says she is confident that the majority of [their] 1,000 advisers respect the advice approach learned in their training.
The SQDC has reminded its employees not to offer advice of a medical nature, and to refer clients to their [own] health specialist.
An opinion shared by the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec, which recalls that it is currently not possible to determine with certainty that CBD has beneficial or therapeutic effects when consuming cannabis products available at the SQDC.
A flourishing market
Many of the big players in the cannabis market are lining up to offer CBD health and wellness products. Even the giant Molson-Coors is developing products through its Truss joint venture created with Quebec cannabis producer Hexo.
And for good reason: according to the Canadian Health Food Association, if CBD were available over the counter, it would be a market worth more than $2 billion.
In the United States, the market is valued at over $5 billion and could triple within five years.
Local CBD
In Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, the company La Feuille verte specializes in the production of CBD. She offers three CBD products at the SQDC.
Our capsules contain 25 milligrams of CBD per unit, explains company founder Dany Lefebvre. We also have a product, activated CBD. People can come and add this to the salad, to their smoothie, and thus add the benefits of CBD through their food.
“ People use CBD for wellness purposes and often even for therapeutic purposes, to help with anxiety and sometimes, to help with sleep. » — A quote from Dany Lefebvre, CEO, The Green Leaf.
Growing demand
Because the demand is there. According to Rishi Malkani, who oversaw a study by Deloitte on the CBD market in Canada, Canadians who use CBD primarily to treat sleep problems, reduce stress and anxiety. An older clientele, sometimes even retired.
According to Deloitte, new cannabis consumers are more inclined to consume CBD: 39% of them choose 100% CBD products.
CBD soon in pharmacies?
Given the popularity of CBD products in the health and wellness sector, Health Canada is currently considering an amendment to the Cannabis Act to offer CBD over the counter, as in some states in the United States. United, Switzerland or France.
But before that, science will have to clearly determine the true beneficial effects of CBD. Consumers looking for more natural options to treat their daily ailments will therefore have to wait a little longer.
The report by Denis Gagné and Patrick Brunette is broadcast on the program L'épices.
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