CBD is everywhere. But does it work?

Cannabidiol is having a moment. Consumer product sales of the non-psychoactive marijuana compound are expected to surpass $1 billion by 2020. Increasingly common state legalization and loose federal regulation means that anyone in any state can go online or to a physical store and buy CBD products — from oils to dog treats to bath bombs — without fear of arrest. But what makes it so popular?

Google

CBD has been shown to help treat a number of conditions, including psychosis, anxiety, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy and seizures. For years, people have used medical marijuana to address those conditions — but CBD is showing promise as a possible way to get the benefits of medical cannabis without getting high.

Here’s the catch: Most of the CBD products that have trickled down to the consumer market are poorly labeled and have extremely low doses.

It’s possible that the placebo effect is providing CBD users with tangible benefits. It’s also possible that low-dose CBD products can act as a form of microdosing — where users take small amounts of a substance to achieve milder or entirely different results than a full dose. But right now, there aren’t many studies about how CBD affects adults in low doses, and the ones that do exist indicate that it doesn’t do anything.

CBD isn’t a scam — it’s a powerful substance with a lot of medical potential. But most of the stuff on the market now probably isn’t worth your time.

Watch the video above to learn three big misconceptions about what CBD can do and what it can’t. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view all of our latest videos.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via