Legal cannabis oil sold in British health shops can get users high and make it dangerous to drive, study shows
- Cannabis oil sold as a health product in Britain can get users ‘high’, study finds
- Researchers found driving under the influence of CBD cannabis ‘may be harmful’
- The products have soared in popularity amid claims they help combat ailments
By JONATHAN BUCKS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY 17 February 2019
The legal version of cannabis sold as a health product in the UK can get users ‘high’ and even make it dangerous to drive, a study has found.
Cannabis oils and capsules said to help reduce anxiety and pain are on sale in high street stores including Holland & Barrett and are used by more than 250,000 Britons.
They are sold legally because they contain no more than 0.2 per cent of the mind-altering substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is found in the illegal version of the drug.
But now scientists have found that the active ingredient in these products, cannabidiol (CBD), is also psychoactive. In the study, subjects used a vape to inhale different strains of cannabis.
Those using the version containing CBD but not illegal THC reported levels of intoxication three times that of those who used only a placebo. In addition, experts said subjects felt detached from reality.
Scientists from Wollongong University in Australia concluded that driving under the influence of CBD cannabis ‘may be harmful’.