Take heed of CBD therapies

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Cannabis Sativa is a herbaceous plant popularly known across Jamaica as marijuana, ganja, spliff, weed and kush, etc. Notably, hemp is the term used in both commercial and industrial applications. Cannabis, which is used recreationally, for religious rites, and for medicinal medicine, contains over 500 chemical constituents including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ,the psychoactive component and cannabidiol (CBD), the non -psychoactive element.

Cannabis, in minute amounts, is legal across the island nation. Concernedly, its use is being concealed in higher percentages in practices known as cannabis therapy which consists of CBD oils, lotions and balms. While, the systemic implications of cannabis are widely reported. The negative impact on dermatology remains unacknowledged and under reported.

A study, Cannabis and Dermatological Implications: A Traditional Review of Adverse Cutaneous Reactions and Systemic Risks, April 2025 , by Shitij Shrivastava , Shashwat Shrivastava et al highlight damning reports of adverse reactions to cannabis-based topical solutions.

Several cases have described ‘’ various forms of skin rashes, including erythematous and pruritic skin lesions, papules, morbilliform exanthem, and monomorphic urticarial lesions, associated with the use of cannabis, especially with pharmaceutical-grade CBD. The affected areas also exhibited either pruritus or heightened sensitivity to touch.

In one study, authors reported ‘’ cannabis use to be associated with fungal infections such as aspergillosis, mucormycosis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis,coccidioidomycosis, and blastomycosis.’’ Other worrying conditions reported include : Severe hypotension, severe depletion of testosterone and suppressed estrogen production.

TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY

Notably, CBD is fat soluble, which indicates that it accumulates in the body’s fatty tissues over time.In the study, Liput et al., 2013, the transdermal delivery of CBD was investigated. In this study, 1.0 per cent, 2.5 per cent and 5.0 per cent CBD gels were evaluated for neuroprotection. Results found that treatment with the 5.0 per cent CBD transdermal gel resulted in CBD plasma concentrations of approximately 100.0 ng/mL after being used for three consecutive days.

Critically, topical CBD is extensively metabolised in the liver which places an immense amount of strain on the liver to excrete this drug. It has been demonstrated that CBD also interferes with hepatic , antibiotics, anti-convulsant, anti-cancer and other types of drug metabolism. Other studies indicate that CBD potentially impacts the placental permeability in pregnant women who consume CBD-containing preparations following research in vitro.

Based on the foregoing, it is imperative that all users of these classes of skincare (therapies) conduct extensive research and implement stringent dermatology-specific pharmacovigilance systems to monitor and guide the proper use of cannabinoid-based therapies so safety can be courted at all times.

TARA HENRY