CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the compounds found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, it does not produce a high. It shows up in oils, gummies, drinks, creams, and pet products, and most of what is sold has never been evaluated by the FDA. That gap between how widely CBD is sold and how little of it is regulated is the thing worth understanding.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol is one of many compounds in the cannabis plant. THC is the compound responsible for intoxication. CBD is not, which is why it is sold openly in places where cannabis itself is restricted.
That legal availability is easy to mistake for regulatory approval. The FDA has approved a single CBD product: Epidiolex, a prescription medication for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex, in people one year and older. Everything else on the shelf, the oils, gummies, drinks, and topicals, sits outside that approval.
What the FDA Says About CBD
The agency's position on food and supplements is direct. It is currently illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supplement. Products doing so are on the market anyway, in enormous numbers, which is a matter of enforcement capacity rather than legality.
Known Risks
The drug interaction point deserves emphasis. Someone taking CBD alongside prescribed medication may be changing how that medication works without knowing it. Anyone on a prescription should raise CBD with their prescriber rather than assume it is inert because it is sold over the counter.
Is CBD Addictive?
CBD does not produce intoxication and is not associated with the compulsive use patterns that define addiction. That is a meaningfully different question from whether CBD products are safe, and different again from cannabis use itself. Products marketed as CBD sometimes contain THC, occasionally in amounts the label does not disclose, which matters for anyone in recovery, subject to drug testing, or avoiding THC deliberately.
Getting Help
Cannabis use disorder is real and treatable. If use has become difficult to control, or if it is interfering with work, relationships, or health, treatment options range from outpatient therapy to residential care. A primary care physician or an addiction specialist is a reasonable first call.
Related Topics
CBD Questions People Ask Most
Does CBD get you high?
No. THC is the compound in cannabis responsible for intoxication. CBD is not intoxicating, which is why it is sold in places where cannabis itself is restricted.
Is CBD FDA approved?
One product is. Epidiolex, a prescription CBD medication, is approved for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex in people one year and older. No other CBD product has FDA approval.
Is CBD legal in food and supplements?
No. The FDA states that it is currently illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supplement, regardless of how widely such products are sold.
Can CBD interact with medications?
Yes. Taking CBD with other medications may increase or decrease the effects of those medications. Anyone taking a prescription should discuss CBD with their prescriber first.
Is CBD safe for the liver?
The FDA identified a potential for liver injury during its review of Epidiolex. The risk is greater when CBD is combined with other medications that affect the liver, and liver damage occurred in some patients who were not taking such medications.
