An affiliate of the Quebec cannabis registry at McGill University, the nurse has treated more than 150 patients with medical cannabis in recent years. Cannabidiol – or CBD, the second largest cannabinoid in cannabis after THC – does not have many secrets for it anymore. “The people I give it to say that it has changed their lives. The best results are especially for cases of osteoarthritis, often with older people who have nothing else to offer than ibuprofen, “she says.

For the purposes of reporting, and question of diving into this universe, I decided to consume for three weeks between 25 and 50 mg of CBD per day, mainly in the form of oil or cocktail made with extracts without THC from pot plants.

I also vape a strain of cannabis containing only CBD to test the effect, which has very little to do with that of the “normal” pot .

Unlike THC, CBD does not cause euphoria or buzz . I have never felt my intellectual faculties altered during this experiment, which I conducted while interviewing about twenty people who use the CBD, promote it or who rather invite consumers to be very cautious about the so-called virtues of this substance, still little known to science.

Throughout the West, particularly in the US states that have legalized cannabis, the CBD is expanding rapidly.

In Quebec, since its opening, the Quebec Cannabis Company (SQDC) has been out of stock of all its CBD oils containing no THC.

Canadian cannabis producer Aurora, which makes CBD capsules at its Montreal plant, says it is one of its most popular products.

The attraction for CBD is such that the giant Coca-Cola has recently confirmed that it is interested in the substance as an “ingredient for a well-being drink”, which it plans to commercialize. He is not the only one. The Montreal marketing and advertising agency lg2 is also marketing a range of “health drinks containing cannabidiol” called Ubu.

MANY INTERESTING PROPERTIES

But what has the CBD to create such a buzz ? “The scientific literature speaks of anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antinauseant, antivomitive, antiepileptic, antipsychotic, anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties”, lists the pharmacist Mohamed Ben Amar, author of the book Cannabis, pharmacology and toxicology , published by the Center québécois Addictions and the University of Montreal.

The list of possible virtues is long, and the cannabis industry wasted no time in exploiting the potential, despite the lack of scientific knowledge that surrounds it.

“Yes, cannabidiol is promising. But we are saying anything and everything about the products that are put on the market, deplores Professor Ben Amar. The only controlled studies that have [uncovered] clinical efficacy are those on epilepsy and a study on psychosis, “he says.

“It can not be denied that the CBD can have some effect. The question is whether it is better than another drug. We are somewhere between science and faith. “

– Dr. Yves Robert, Executive Director of the Collège des médecins

Most of the consumers consulted for this report reported using it to combat chronic pain or anxiety, two uses that have been shown to be effective in laboratory rats.

NOTICEABLE CBD EFFECT AFTER SIX DAYS

In my case, after six days of testing, CBD appears to have significantly reduced chronic pain in the right foot caused by osteoarthritis in a toe that has never healed from a fracture. I had more trouble sleeping during the first three days, but my sleep returned to normal, and the substance does not seem to have changed my mood and my faculties.

The supposed anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) virtues of CBD do not seem to have worked on me, but four users interviewed reported using it to fight generalized anxiety. “At school, during work periods, I was not able to concentrates. There are so many things running through my head that I just feel disorganized. CBD helps me control stress, eliminate feelings of oppression. It’s a passive effect, it’s not physical at all, “says Vincent Voyer, a student in management at Cegep Champlain in Quebec City, who consumes it on a regular basis.

“I am so anxious that I can have chest pains and palpitations. I tried Xanax and antidepressants, which have very strong side effects. On the contrary, CBD has a very tangible calming effect and has not, so far, resulted in any unpleasant side effects. The only effect is the relaxation of the body, “said Vanessa Dion-Lirette, a yoga teacher, who says use it” as needed “.

POPULAR AMONG ATHLETES

Spread over the internet by tens of thousands of convinced users, the knowledge surrounding the CBD is currently considered anecdotal by researchers. But scientific knowledge is changing rapidly.

No fewer than 47 clinical studies that document the effect of CBD on humans are being recruited or being performed, including about 15 in Canada Concentrates, according to the US National Library of Medicine website.

One of them is at the CHUM, where psychiatrist Didier Jutras-Aswad is preparing to give CBD to 80 cocaine users to see if the substance can break their addiction.

“I am enthusiastic and skeptical. There are some very promising signals in animals, so you have to be excited. At the same time, science is a cemetery of beautiful projects and potential avenues of treatment that are futile in humans. “

– Didier Jutras-Aswad, psychiatrist

Never mind, even though studies have so far focused on rats, the cannabis industry does not hesitate to extrapolate its effects on humans.

Hemprove, an Ontario-based company that makes CBD from hemp, ensures that all of its products are laboratory-tested to ensure they do not contain any trace of THC.

Nevertheless, the dosage of the product is very approximate, as indicated by the words “daily value not established” written on the label of the bottle.

“You have to listen to your body. Some people need 40 mg, others less, others more. It is necessary to make trial and error, that you grope. You go the first week with 20 mg, you increase the dosage, then you wake up one morning, you will be full energy, more concentrates, “says William Fiset, owner of Hemprove.

This is precisely the kind of assertion that enrages the scientific community, especially doctors. “We would not allow this kind of approximation with any other drug, but cannabis companies, without any clinical study, do it extensively to promote the use of their products,” says Dr. Jutras. -Aswad.

As part of his research protocol for cocaine addicts, Dr. Jutras-Aswad will give participants 800 mg of CBD. That’s almost three times the dose of CBD found in a small 30-mL vial of Hemprove oil that cost $ 89.72, including transportation costs.

“In my opinion, a dose of 10 mg a day is wind! I think you have to take a minimum of 500 mg to see an effect, “said Phil Dépault, from the Maîtrï company, cannabis brand affiliated to the producer Canopy Growth, which is particularly aimed at sports customers. “Personally, I take CBD on weekends when I go hiking, to fight pains. It can cost me up to $ 200 a month. Yes, the price is completely disproportionate, “he admits.

At the current price of CBD oils and capsules sold to the Quebec cannabis company, such a daily intake would have cost me between $ 1150 and $ 1570 to carry out this report.

It’s expensive to get rid of a foot ache that may eventually have disappeared with Tylenol, Advil or another anti-inflammatory. “To determine this, clinical trials will be needed to compare CBD with placebos and other drugs. Unfortunately, I think this is something that does not interest the cannabis industry, which seems to be content with the current vagueness surrounding the CBD, “believes Dr. Yves Robert.

In the United States, the marketing machine is already well underway. Mixed martial arts fighter Nate Diaz is one of the first athletes to have been vaping CBD oil at a news conference that caused a stir following his fight against Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC) against Conor McGregor, in August 2016.

In both combat sports and American football and in endurance sports such as cycling, more and more athletes have admitted to taking CBD to fight inflammation.

In January, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed cannabidiol from its list of banned substances, claiming that it “does not engage in any psychoactive activity”.

Shortly thereafter, Pure Spectrum CBD, an American company, officially became a sponsor of CrossFit Games, which was held in Wisconsin.

At home, crossfitters Cédric Lapointe and Kim Chartrand promote the CBD brand Hemprove on their son Instagram. “It’s been a few months since I have back problems. It was my coach who suggested I try. Against all odds, CBD has been successful in reducing inflammation. I saw the difference in two weeks, “says Cédric Lapointe.

Produced in Ontario with hemp rather than cannabis, Hemprove’s CBD oil appears to bypass the laws of Canada Concentrates and Quebec, which prohibit any form of sponsorship related to cannabis products.

“It helps me push myself in big workouts,” says the athlete. It helps to have a small edge, and it’s super accepted in the middle. “