As the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Dr. Nora Volkow recently adopted the stance that cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, is “a safe drug with no addictive effects.”
In testimony last June before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Dr. Volkow highlighted the potential therapeutic effects of CBD, stating that “preliminary data suggest that it may have therapeutic value for a number of medical conditions.”
Preclinical studies have documented CBD to possess a variety of therapeutic activities, including anti-cancer properties, anti-diabetic properties, and bone-stimulating activity. Clinical and observational trials have documented the substance to possess anxiolytic, anti-psychotic, and anti-seizure activity in humans. Safety trials have further concluded the substance to be safe when administered to healthy subjects.
Despite admitting the value and safety of the drug, Dr. Volkow was not prepared to endorse its legalization. “There is significant preliminary research supporting the potential therapeutic value of CBD, and while it is not yet sufficient to support drug approval, it highlights the need for rigorous clinical research in this area,” she said.
At the moment, 15 states have enacted laws specifically permitting the possession of high-CBD formulated extracts for therapeutic purposes, primarily for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy. Under federal law, CBD is still defined as a Schedule I drug with “a high potential for abuse … [with] no currently accepted medical use.”
In a recent TIME op-ed, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) encouraged the Obama administration to “definitively determine if CBD has scientific and medical benefits,” and to promote efforts “at expanding compassionate access programs where possible, to benefit as many children as possible.”
The question for the future is whether the therapeutic values of CBD can be removed from the overall cannabis legalization debate. This and many other issues have yet to be addressed by the federal government, even though numerous states have been taking matters into their own hands for years.