Nelson Peña - Prevention CBD & You: Straight Facts about the Plant-Based Health Supplement for Anxiety, Pain, Insomnia & More

Like people all over the world for millennia, Americans have always sought a magic bullet or quick fix for what ails them. Thats where enterprising sales people have eagerly stepped in, from hucksters in horse-driven wagons in the 19th century selling snake oil, to present day infomercials and social media marketers offering unregulated supplements to address all that ails you from aches to zoonoses.

We now have before us cannabidiol (CBD), a derivative of cannabis, the marijuana plant, the newest of the potential magic bullets that is actually a rediscovered ancient natural remedy. Certainly, our historical knowledge of numerous alleged miracle cures over the centuries would suggest that we should be very cautious of any single product that purports to be able to improve and or cure a wide range of maladies. Yet, here we are, with CBD popping up all over the country, in dozens of kinds of products, many of which make claims that rival the boldest snake oil salesmen of the past. Nonetheless, reputable researchers and others in the medical community are excited by its promise.

As with any new remedy, the story is complicated and CBD is far from a cure-all. As surgeon general of the United States, my job description was to protect, promote, and advance the health, safety, and security of the United States. In carrying out my broad mandate, my team and I had the privilege to work with every branch of the federal government, state and local governments, NGOs, and occasionally foreign governments in order to make sure that we always had the best research and information available to ensure safety and efficacy in all our endeavors and recommendations. During my tenure, there was an ever-increasing nonscientific and anecdotally driven national movement to legalize medicinal and recreational cannabis, which included CBD. Working closely with my colleagues at the FDA, NIH, and CDC, we advised Congress and the public about the perils of such action without the appropriate scientific due diligence to ensure public safety and the appropriate utilization, if any. Although these discussions took place more than 15 years ago, our recommendations are still very relevant today.

After my tenure as the nations surgeon general, I found that the public is more even divided, confused, and polarized regarding cannabis products, including CBD, because of the nonregulated, mostly anecdotally driven market. Claims of therapeutic value are questionable as is the purity of the product and the integrity of the supply chain.

When it comes to CBD, there is at present only one FDA approved medical use, which is the use in children with severe recurrent seizures not treatable by the usual means. The scientific examination of all things cannabis is a significantly growing fieldbut most information currently supporting its widespread clinical use is primarily anecdotal. This growing tsunami of anecdotal support for CBD begs for legitimate scientific research so as to clearly define its production and use from seed to feed while providing uniform health literate and culturally competent information to the public so that there is clearly defined informed consent for all CBD use.

I am proud to write this foreword in support of Prevention magazine and my colleagues work. This book is an important step toward educating the public based on science and not on anecdotes or politically driven, ill-informed policy. I remain interested and open to what the future holds for CBD, provided we all take the time and effort to understand its reality.