JAMA Network Open
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET), WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
Media advisory: To contact corresponding author John W. Ayers, Ph.D., M.A., email Louise Canton at louise@elevatedsciencecommunications.com. The full study is linked to this news release.
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Bottom Line: Google searches from 2004 through April 2019 were used to measure U.S. public interest in cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical component of marijuana. Searches from the United States that mentioned “CBD” or “cannabidiol” were stable from 2004 through 2014 before substantial increases in search volumes of almost 126% in 2017 compared with 2016 and 160% during 2018 compared with 2017. There were 6.4 million Google searches for CBD during April 2019 and year-over-year forecasted search volumes are expected to increase nearly 118% during 2019 compared with 2018. A limitation of this observational study is that Google searches may reflect interest in CBD rather than interest in its use. Researchers urge that attention to CBD be a public health priority because of the growing interest that surrounds it to understand who uses it and why, and to evaluate its effects and potential drug interactions.
Authors: John W. Ayers, Ph.D., M.A., University of California San Diego, and coauthors
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13853)
Editor’s Note: The article includes conflict of interest disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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