A watchdog group warns that cannabis companies may be misleading consumers by claiming CBD can help with opioid addiction. Spotlight PA, a Pennsylvania-based watchdog organization, looked at 60 sites from Pennsylvania cannabis businesses and retailers. They also checked the legitimacy of any health claims made by these companies with help from health policy specialists.

The report, “Unproven, unsafe” was published on February 21 and covered shortly after by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Investigators listed several problems: “cherry-picking and misrepresenting parts of studies, making broad claims without citing any specific research, and providing incomplete information about what it takes to qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.”

A particular claim, that CBD can reduce opioid cravings and combat addiction, was troubling. Medical experts disagree with this claim. While there is early evidence that CBD might be helpful in this regard, they are not recommended for public consumption.

Chelsea L. Shover, an epidemiologist and assistant professor-in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said that promoting cannabis as an alternative for buprenorphine as an opioid use disorder treatment is “really dangerous.”

“That’s complete nonsense. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be allowed to make claims like that,” Shover told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s kind of the worst-case scenario of this advertising.”

It’s also important to note that buprenorphine itself has a high risk for addiction and dependence, and causes respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances. Sometimes, opioid addiction can be treated with CBD, but only if a doctor is involved.

Among the other findings of Spotlight PA’s investigation:

• A 2014 U.S.-based study found that fatal overdoses of opioids were lower in countries with medical cannabis laws. Seven sites cited it. They chose to ignore a second study which showed different results. 
• Seven promoted CBD to treat opioid addiction. Spotlight PA claims that some messages of CBD for opioid addiction treatment go well beyond research.
• Governor Wolf’s administration says opioid use disorder should only be a qualifying condition for medical cannabis in certain circumstances, but at least 13 websites didn’t include those caveats when they described what it takes for addiction patients to qualify for cannabis.

“The findings reveal a somewhat deceptive strategy—whether intentional or not—adopted by many dispensaries and cannabis certification websites where very specific and limited scientific research is often cited to support very broad statements about cannabis’ benefits,” Stephanie Lake, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, wrote in an email. “The result of this strategy is an oversimplified and scientifically inaccurate message about cannabis.”

The warning serves as a reminder that individual studies are hardly conclusive—especially in the eyes of the medical community and in the eyes of authorities.

CBD as a Treatment for Opioid Addiction

While early evidence supports CBD being used to treat opioid addiction, the regulators have banned any unproven claims about medical benefits from products. However, a 2009 study showed that CBD can reduce heroin cravings in rats. CBD was found to reduce cue-induced anxiety and craving in Heroin Use Disorder patients who are drug-absent.

The FDA has strict rules for cannabis companies. They must adhere to them and avoid unproven claims. FDA states, among other things, that CBD has a lot of cure-all claims.

That said, if you go out looking for benefits, you’ll find plenty of peer-reviewed evidence, and if you go out looking for negative effects, you’ll also find ample peer-reviewed evidence in support of those claims. The integrity of the scientific process means absorbing all reputable evidence—good or bad.