Over-the-Counter CBD Products Don’t Treat Pain, Pose Toxicity Risk: Study

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Do you know what’s actually in that over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD) product you’re buying that claims to relieve pain?

A new study reveals that most non-medical CBD products contain more than just CBD, including chemicals that can be harmful to a person’s health, and they are not effective in relieving pain The results could change how people rely on over-the-counter CBD products.

Lack of Regulation and Quality Control of CBD

Over the past five years, an increasing number of people have turned to CBD as a remedy for chronic pain. Sales of CBD products in the U.S. reached $4.6 billion in 2020, just two years after the federal government legalized hemp-derived CBD, according to Forbes.

CBD gained mainstream popularity in the U.S. following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized industrial hemp. This legislation allowed CBD products to be sold over-the-counter at pharmacies and drug stores in the country, in addition to cannabis dispensaries. By 2025, the value of the CBD market is expected to reach around $20 billion.

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CBD is a non-psychoactive compound derived from the cannabis sativa plant. While its medical relevance has long been debated, CBD continues to be used for treating seizures, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, anorexia, and chronic pain.

Non-medical CBD products lack regulatory oversight in the U.S. and other countries. While non-medical CBD is readily as long as it contains negligible or no THC, the products sold in retail markets are not subject to trade standards, according to the research team behind the study published in The Journal of Pain. This means there are no requirements for consistency in the content or quality of these CBD products.

The lack of consistency could be detrimental to patients, the authors noted. For example, an analysis of 105 topical CBD products in the U.S. revealed that THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, was present in 35 percent of the products. One in four products was accurately labeled for CBD content, and one in five contained less than 90 percent of the advertised CBD amount.

Chronic Pain Sufferers Fall Victim to Unproven CBD Claims

Millions of people live in chronic pain. Often times, they are desperate to alleviate their symptoms.

“For too many people with chronic pain, there’s no medicine that manages their pain,” Dr. Andrew Moore, co-author of the study, said in a press release. “Chronic pain can be awful, so people are very motivated to find pain relief by any means. This makes them vulnerable to the wild promises made about CBD.”

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But the lack of consistent labeling can put patients at risk of unintentional toxicity, the research team wrote. “Unintentional toxicity can also happen when people believe packaging: an overdose patient ‘felt the products were healthy and safe based on packaging and therefore did not believe they would have any adverse effects,'” they noted.

In addition to misleading labeling, the research team reported that non-medical CBD products failed to improve pain symptoms any better than placebo products. In fact, in 16 randomized controlled trials, 15 CBD products showed no positive results in improving symptoms of pain.

“CBD presents consumers with a big problem,” Professor Chris Eccleston, who led the research from the Centre for Pain Research at Bath in the UK, said. “It’s touted as a cure for all pain but there’s a complete lack of quality evidence that it has any positive effects.”

The authors hope the results of their study have two outcomes. First, they are calling for chronic pain to be taken more seriously as a condition that can severely debilitate a person’s life and well-being. Secondly, the authors are urging policymakers to establish better consumer protections within the CBD product category.