CBD News Roundup: Brain Imaging Shows CBD Has Antipsychotic Effects

Here is the latest CBD news from this week:

• A new study gained new insights into how CBD affects the brain to reduce schizophrenia-related psychosis.
• USDA approved new state plans and received more than 4,600 comments on its Interim Final Rule for hemp.

Stories

1. Study: Brain Imaging Shows CBD Has Antipsychotic Effects
2. USDA Approves More State Plans, Receives Over 4,600 Comments on Hemp Rules

Study: Brain Imaging Shows CBD Has Antipsychotic Effects

Scientists are using brain images to better understand how CBD decreases psychosis.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study by researchers at King’s College London has found more information on the mechanism CBD uses to reduce psychosis symptoms.

Thirteen patients with psychosis took two fMRI imaging sessions three hours after taking a placebo and 600mg of CBD.

Researchers also conducted imaging on a control group of 19 healthy participants who did not receive a placebo or CBD.

Under placebo, imaging showed that psychosis patients had a significant difference in functional connectivity between the hippocampus and striatum compared to healthy participants.

However, CBD decreased dysfunction in these areas.

“This study provides important insight into the brain mechanisms behind the antipsychotic effects of CBD,” said Sagnik Bhattacharyya, the lead author of the study. “It gives confidence in the antipsychotic potential of CBD by demonstrating that it targets the function of brain regions implicated in psychosis and indicating that even a single dose may ameliorate some of the brain function alterations that may underlie psychosis.”

CBD also reduced psychosis symptoms in the patients.

“The finding that psychotic symptoms may show a trend towards improvement in this group even after one dose of CBD is encouraging, but requires a larger scale clinical trial to investigate if the effects would continue with longer term treatment,” said Bhattacharyya.

Prior research has provided supporting evidence for CBD as a potential treatment for schizophrenia-related psychosis, as well as other conditions that show psychotic symptoms.

“The results form an important part of the picture that scientific research is building on the effects of CBD and will help support the case for further clinical trials on the use of CBD in different stages of psychosis as well other neuropsychiatric diseases such as Parkinson’s disease where a proportion of patients may also experience psychotic symptoms,” said Bhattacharyya.

According to MentalHelp.net, a resource from American Addiction Centers, 3.2 million people in the US are diagnosed with schizophrenia.

This year an estimated 1.5 million will be diagnosed with the disease worldwide, while about 100,000 will be diagnosed in the US.

USDA Approves More State Plans, Receives Over 4,600 Comments on Hemp Rules

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved more state hemp plans this week and has ended its public comment period on its Interim Final Rule (IFR) for hemp, garnering over 4,600 comments.

USDA approved plans for Texas, Nebraska, and Delaware, bringing the total number of approved states up to six.

“USDA continues to receive and review hemp production plans from states and Indian tribes on an ongoing basis,” said the agency in an announcement. “Plans previously approved include those for the states of Louisiana, New Jersey, and Ohio, and the Flandreau Santee Sioux, Santa Rosa Cahuilla, and La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indian Tribes.”

The USDA released its IFR for hemp in October 2019.

Although the agency was celebrated for sticking to its goal of providing a hemp program for the 2020 growing season, the rules have come under scrutiny from several industry stakeholders.

The criticisms primarily center around three main points:

• The negligence level for THC (0.5%) is too low and does not consider factors outside of a farmer’s control.
• Requiring testing to occur at USDA-approved laboratories is too restrictive.
• The 15-day harvest window is too narrow.

In response to these criticisms, states like Colorado and Kentucky have decided to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill hemp provisions for another year while the USDA updates its IFR.

Over 4,600 individuals and organizations alike expressed their concerns during the public comments period, echoing the concerns listed above.

USDA heard from members of Congress, state governors, and advocacy organizations like the US Hemp Roundtable and Vote Hemp.

“We want to unleash this industry to grow and innovate. The proposed interim final rule, as currently written, does not support best practices in hemp production at a critical time in the development of this important industry,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) in a statement. “The recommended changes we’ve put forward will support the hemp industry while establishing appropriate guidelines.”