MJBizMag July 2022 - 14

HEMP NOTEBOOK Kristen Nichols
The Doctor Won't See You Now
Why medical misinformation about cannabis hurts the industry
I
'll never forget talking with a
veterinarian a couple of years
back about CBD.
She summed up the entire medical
profession's problematic approach
to cannabis by confessing to having
little idea what CBD does to animals.
Then, in the very next breath,
she complained about pet owners
asking Google instead of their
veterinarians about CBD.
That conversation came to mind
recently, when I saw a head-slapping
study published in the medical journal
Frontiers in Psychiatry.
The study described CBD use as a
" new phenomenon of concern " for
psychiatrists, warning that among
people who use CBD to self-treat
anxiety and depression:
* Only 19% asked their doctors or
pharmacists about CBD.
* Less than half told their
psychiatrists they were using
CBD to help with mental health.
The researchers reported an
alarming number of Google results
for " CBD depression treatment "
and launched into the usual
handwringing about people not
going to the experts (them) before
taking cannabinoid products.
" Self-care for mental health has
its limits, and that is when patients
turn to supplements and products
purchased online without the
knowledge of their doctor, " the
authors wrote, before adding: " This
is potentially dangerous. "
CHICKEN OR EGG?
The conclusion of this psychiatry
piece was something everyone can
14 July 2022 | MJBizMagazine
agree on: We need more research
into cannabis treatments such
as CBD.
But it's a frustrating chicken-oregg
conundrum for entrepreneurs
in the cannabinoid industry at any
THC level.
We're told that science doesn't
know if cannabinoids are safe
or effective. That we need more
evidence. At the same time, we're
told to ignore reams of anecdotal
evidence that cannabis can relieve
mental illness such as anxiety and
depression.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration consistently warns
CBD companies against making
health claims-even when peerreviewed
studies corroborate
their findings.
Consequently, CBD manufacturers
and retailers are forced to be vague
about what their products do. And
the result is no surprise: The public
is generally as clueless about CBD
as the medical providers we look to
for guidance.
It's no wonder consumers are
consulting Dr. Google to find out
which CBD products to take and
how much.
NO USE WAITING
In this issue of MJBizMagazine
looking at the latest research on
cannabis, we can't forget that this
plant has been demonized for so
long that it will be decades before
there is adequate research on the
ways it can be used.
What the cannabis industry
needs now is for the medical
establishment to get real: Stop
telling people not to use cannabis
until we have better research. That
approach never worked, and it's
never going to work.
Instead, clinicians can help
the cannabis industry make sure
products are as safe and clean as
possible.
It's OK to be honest when
we don't know enough about
cannabis treatments. But there's
no use acting like the annoyed
veterinarian or the exasperated
psychiatrists who send patients
running to Dr. Google.
Instead, let's see the medical
establishment help solve
this problem of cannabis
misinformation by bringing it up
before their patients do, a signal
that cannabis is OK to talk about.
The industry would love more
guidance, too. I can't think of a
CBD professional who wouldn't
be glad to sit down with a health
practitioner for advice on making
quality products.
The cannabis industry and
medical profession alike would
benefit when people stop relying
on Dr. Google.
We just have to work together to
get there.
Kristen Nichols covers hemp
for MJBizMagazine. She
can be reached at kristen.
nichols@mjbizdaily.com.
MJBizMag July 2022

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