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Public’s perceptions of the emerging role of Cannabidiol (CBD) products

Bhamra, Sukvinder K., Desai, Ankita, Imani-Berendjestanki, Parmis, Horgan, Maeve (2021) Public’s perceptions of the emerging role of Cannabidiol (CBD) products. In: 20th International Congress of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology, 18-20 April, virtual congress. (KAR id:91869)

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) products, derived from hemp (Cannabis sativa) are becoming more popular as people seek alternative ways of managing their health; sales rose 333% in the US in 20181. The market value of CBD is estimated to be worth £1billion by 20252. The objectives were to explore the public’s perceptions and use of CBD products including where products are sourced, how knowledge is obtained and opinions on quality, safety and efficacy of CBD products. A questionnaire comprising open and closed questions was developed to consider quantitative and qualitative perspectives. An online platform, SurveyMonkey, was used to distribute the survey using social and professional networks (September - November 2019), which led to snowball sampling. A total of 596 responses were collected (63% female, 40% White-British) internationally. In total, 11% (n=66) claimed to use CBD products including oils, balm, tinctures and vapes for a range of ailments such as pain, stress and anxiety. Participants who did not personally use CBD products (n=530), 35% claimed they would like to try them, while 42% of participants knew of someone who was already using a CBD product for conditions such as arthritis and epilepsy and “generally improving quality of life”. Knowledge of CBD was commonly attributed to social media and news articles. Perception on safety and efficacy were positive with the notion of natural medicines being superior. Quality of products was associated with well-known brands or products which had a marketing authorisation; participants identified it was difficult to determine the quality of products brought online and better regulation is required. This study identifies that people continue to seek natural alternatives to supplement and maintain their health, thus the popularity of CBD continues to rise. The lack of clinical evidence to help make informed decisions about using CBD products needs to be addressed with more research.

Item Type: Conference or workshop item (Poster)
Subjects: R Medicine
R Medicine > RZ Other systems of medicine
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Medway School of Pharmacy
Depositing User: Sukvinder Bhamra
Date Deposited: 01 Dec 2021 12:41 UTC
Last Modified: 02 Dec 2021 18:45 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/91869 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Bhamra, Sukvinder K..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0032-0552
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