Dear Pot Lawyer,
Did you see the World Health Organization’s recent announcement on CBD? Care to weigh in?
Yes, I was glad to see that announcement. For anyone who missed it, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a preliminary report last month finding no adverse health outcomes associated with the use of naturally occurring cannabidiol (CBD). In fact, the report went a step further, and observed that CBD does not induce physical dependence, is “not associated with abuse potential,” and has promising medical applications. Many of us already knew these things, but it was nice to see WHO make this proclamation.
Before we go deep, I should mention for any newbs that CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis. Often, weed strains and products are classified as “CBD-rich,” which means they have at least as much CBD as THC (usually at least 4 percent CBD by dry weight), or they may be classified as “CBD dominant,” which means they are CBD-rich, but with very little THC content (and cannot get you high). The WHO report mentions little about THC, and nothing much about canna pharmacology beyond the CBD compound. Still, the report is a big deal given that cannabis contains CBD, and given that cannabis is so strictly controlled under international law.
The WHO report is also a “preliminary finding,” which could be a stepping stone to bigger and better things.