Indeed, a more recent survey looking at consumer attitudes and behavior during Covid-19’s enforced “social distancing” revealed that people have been turning to cannabis and CBD as a way to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, among the general population, 10% are using cannabis, and 5% are using CBD.
Just last week, researchers warned of a rise of anxiety and “coping responses” during the pandemic, and called for better monitoring of mental health as part of the global response to the pandemic.
People living with coronavirus-related anxiety due to fear of one’s health or the health of loved ones, isolation, entrapment from quarantining, a disrupted routine, or simply uncertainty of the future might turn to CBD as a useful tool to get them through this difficult time. Of course, the trauma of health care workers on the front lines is another aspect of the pandemic calling for anxiety and pain relief, where CBD may be a welcome lifestyle intervention.
“Healthcare workers [who] are working long shifts are finding CBD helpful for restorative sleep and on their days off using it for pain and inflammation — from being on their feet all day, [and having] low back pain and neck pain,” Chin said in an email.
“CBD can also help with panic attacks and insomnia as the prevalence of depression and PTSD mounts in response to this pandemic,” Chin added.
Studies have also revealed that CBD may be a compound of choice for those struggling with drug addiction, and it may even have the potential to help opioid addicts avoid relapse through reducing craving and anxiety, according to study author Dr. Yasmin Hurd, a neuroscientist at the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai (AIMS) in New York.
Can CBD Play a Role in Wellness?
Though at first, it may seem strange, the CBD formulated for the development of Epidiolex comes from marijuana — the drug we often associate with adult recreational use.
Marijuana “doesn’t have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate medical applications,” according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, who is also a practicing neurosurgeon.
But CBD derived from marijuana — which is legal in the form of Epidiolex and in states where medical marijuana is legal, as long as you have a doctor’s prescription — is different from “hemp-derived CBD,” the kind found in stores that are legal nationwide, as long as it contains less than 0.3% THC per dry weight.
Perhaps that’s why hemp-derived CBD has become ubiquitous. You can find CBD at local drug stores, airports, and online markets, and it’s found in forms ranging from brownies to beauty creams. “The maker of Budweiser is developing a CBD-infused beer … and at your neighborhood cafe, you might find an option to add a shot of CBD to your morning latte. And that’s not even talking about the CBD beauty industry where you can find everything from CBD bath bombs to toothpaste to face masks,” Chin said.