CBD is a naturally occurring compound in cannabis and hemp which offers therapeutic and even medicinal solutions for a range of conditions.
According to data recently gathered by Gallup, one of the largest U.S. analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C, at least one in seven Americans use CBD, and most of them use it for pain. This is partly the result of the Trump administrations’ passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, allowing the cultivation of hemp containing high levels of CBD (short for cannabidiol) but only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis and hemp.)
The latest poll found that Americans in the younger age demographic and those living on the West Coast were more likely to use CBD. And while the survey found that around 20% of the under 30s said they use CBD, that number decreases in older age groups. That statistic was clear as only 8% of people over 65 who were polled said they use CBD.
At the same time, 49% of people in that age group said they had never even heard of CBD before. On a region-by-region basis, the poll found, 21% of adults in certain age groups on the West Coast use CBD and CBD products, compared with just 13% in the South and 11% on the East Coast and the Midwest.
When asked what they use CBD for, those polled came back with some interesting answers. While 40% reported that they use CBD specifically for pain, 20% said they use it for anxiety and panic attacks. At the same time, 11% said they use it for insomnia, and only 8% said they use CBD for arthritis.
Other notable figures from the same poll indicated that Americans also use CBD for headaches, stress, muscle spasms, depression and to treat various skin disorders. The gender split when it comes to CBD products is roughly down the middle, although women are more likely to use CBD for anxiety and men are more likely to use CBD for insomnia, according to the poll.
The Farm Bill allowing the cultivation of CBD-rich crops has led to a surge of new CBD products on the market. One can purchase anything from CBD bath bombs to CBD coffee, and there’s even CBD mints and CBD popcorn for those so inclined.
However, due to the decades of prohibition of cannabis and hemp plants, many people don’t even know what CBD is, let alone think it’s a good thing. All of those stigmas when it comes to just about anything cannabis-related will likely take some years to reverse.
Indeed, when it comes to those in their 60s, solid education about the alleged benefits of CBD and other compounds in cannabis and hemp needs to be forthcoming in one form or another. That especially applies to people, including pensioners, who would opt to treat their condition(s) and manage their pain with natural, organic CBD, over prescription medications.
For the time being, it’s for the FDA to make some sense of CBD and to issue the right guidance and regulations for the nascent industry. As cannabis also becomes legal across many states in America and Canada, re-education is one of the most vital pieces of the puzzle, and that applies to people of all ages and from all walks of life.
For more stories like this one, subscribe to the Medical Cannabis Weekly Newsletter.
