Men’s Journal – September 2019

MEN’S JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2019 083

showing that companies comply with

strict testing guidelines.)

IS IT REALLY WORTH THE RISK?

This is not a popular take, but at this

point probably not. It may be effective,

or you might be spending a lot of money

for a placebo effect. Granted, that may be

worth it for some people. But at worst,

taking regular amounts of untested CBD

products could lead to serious health

concerns.

WHY DO PEOPLE SWEAR BY IT?

Much of the hype is based entirely on

anecdotes—people overcoming insom-

nia, clearing up their acne, and even man-

aging their pain after shattering bones,

all through CBD products. None of this

is rooted in science yet, but you’ll have a

hard time convincing people otherwise.

And it really could be working for them,

but we simply don’t know that yet.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I, OR CAN I, TAKE?

“The amounts of CBD found in commer-

cial products—maybe one gram in an

entire bottle of oil—touted to be this or

that, are probably too tiny to be pharma-

cologically active,” says Daniele Piomelli,

of the University of California. “Studies

show that it takes between 600 milligrams

to a gram of CBD each day to have any bio-

logical affect on people.” But if you take

that much, then you have to start worrying

about potential side effects.

CAN I TRAVEL WITH IT?

Only if it’s CBD derived from hemp. If your

CBD comes from marijuana plants, you’re

subject to various state laws regulating

marijuana, and the TSA may conf iscate it

at the security checkpoint.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CBD?

Nearly 100 clinical trials are underway,

including an in-depth look at how CBD

affects pain, which is being conducted by

Ziva Cooper at UCLA and will take a year

to complete. For better or worse, the FDA

is considering whether to approve CBD as a

dietary supplement and food additive, and

the industry is hopeful that it might hap-

pen in a year or two. And we may be on the

brink of an answer about how CBD works

and whether it’s safe, thanks to all the inter-

est—and let’s be honest, money—in CBD.

“Many pharmaceutical companies

have a motivation to do the research,”

says Piomelli. “But it’s a tough nut to

crack. It could be up to luck, or it could

be tomorrow.” Q

been done on CBD, except in the case

of Epidiolex.”

Another concern is quality control.

Hemp farmers often use pesticides, and

some CBD products have been found to

contain heavy metals and potentially

dangerous microbes. Colorado is one of

only a few states with f irm quality-control

guidelines. And the U.S. Hemp Authority

screens participating manufacturers for

toxins. (If you do buy CBD products, they

have a label from the Hemp Authority

w it h many of t hem suf fering from signs

of liver damage. More research into the

cause of this is, obviously, needed.

Ziva Cooper, research director for

UCLA’s Cannabis Research Initiative,

also worries about people freely dos-

ing up on CBD without any guidelines.

“When a drug is investigated,” she says, “it

goes through very thorough testing to

look at potential side effects and how

it might impact other drugs people are

taking. But none of that testing has

A BUYER’S GUIDE

Four things to look for when shopping for CBD.

BUY ONLY HEMP-

EXTRACTED CBD

Marijuana-derived

CBD products often

contain higher levels

of THC and are illegal

in states that haven’t

decriminalized it.

KNOW THE DOSAGE

Every product should

say how much CBD is in

each serving. Despite

recommendations often

listed on the bottles, no-

body really knows what

a safe dosage is yet.

LOOK FOR THC

PERCENTAGE

It should say some-

thing like “0.3 per-

cent or less,” which

means it won’t get

you high.

FIND THE HEMP
AUTHORITY LABEL
This ensures that it’s
been tested by an
independent lab and is
free of heavy metals or
dangerous microbes.