A recently released study looks at the prevalence of cannabidiol (CBD) use overall in the USA and by marijuana use status – and the results are very interesting.
Cannabidiol is widely available across much of the USA, where sales of products reached $4.17 billion in 2022. The use of CBD really took off after the legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill. While by legal definition low in THC, some hemp varieties have high levels of cannabidiol.
Dr. Ji-Yeun Park from the Department of Kinesiology and Public Health at Biola University in California based her work on data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which provides in-depth information about drug use and mental health in the United States.
Dr. Park found 10.5 % of the US population reported using CBD in the past 30 days. Prevalence of current CBD use was much higher among marijuana users than non-users. For example, among current consumers the proportion was 40.7 % compared to just 5.09% for non-current users.
“Females, adults, Whites, and individuals with fair/poor health status were more likely to use CBD than their respective counterparts,” says the study summary.
The study also found all adult age groups were more likely to use CBD than adolescents.
As to why such a large proportion of marijuana users co-use CBD, the study could not determine specific motivations due to the limitations of the available data. But based on other studies some reasons may be:
- Higher levels of positive attitudes and perceptions towards CBD
- Self-medicating to relieve health conditions.
- Using CBD as a marijuana replacement
- Used in conjunction with marijuana to enhance THC intoxicating effects
… but further research on this aspect is needed. Another aspect unclear from the data is whether marijuana consumers were already using CBD before they began using marijuana.
In her conclusion, Dr. Park stated:
“Public health initiatives targeting individuals who use marijuana are crucial for educating them about the potential benefits and risks of CBD use, as well as the safety of using CBD in conjunction with marijuana.”
Dr. Park’s work has been published in Preventive Medicine Reports.
