World Health Organization Guidelines on CBD

Leafing through the report on cannabidiol presented at the end of last year in Geneva, at the 39th meeting of the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the World Health Organization (WHO), one cannot help but feel that cannabinoids in general, and CBD in particular, are still considered by public opinion (in the most general connotation of the term) to be associated with the (illegal) trade and consumption of cannabis. The structure of the report suggests it is dealing with a novel public health issue, even though the content is highly objective. Another aspect that enforces the less than auspicious first impression is the constant drawing of comparisons with THC. This may be for a better understanding on the part of laypeople reading the report, yet we believe a more de-contextualized approach would have benefited a substance which, after all, is part of the sanctioned ongoing pharmacological research.

The stylistic grievance mentioned above may be truly unintentional, as this was the first time when cannabidiol as a standalone substance came under the attention of the World Health Organization. The main objective of the WHO is to raise the alarm about and try to combat dangers to world health, not be at the cutting edge of innovation. Nevertheless, from the very first paragraphs of this report, its authors concede that more research is mandatory for a better understanding of cannabidiol and cannabis-related substances. One of the most interesting specifications of this document has to do with the climate influence on the CBD potential of a cannabis plant. The WHO experts cite a study which concluded that the content and quality of resulting cannabidiol is negatively affected by excess precipitation, yet positively influenced by higher temperatures in both the atmosphere and the soil. Therefore, consumers should pay extra attention to the origin and the cultivation method of the plants which constitute the precursors of their supplementation