- More than 800 Walmart stores in the United States now carry topical CBD products.
- Cannabidiol or CBD is a non-psychoactive chemical found in cannabis that may help with a variety of conditions including inflammation, pain, and anxiety.
- There is some scientific evidence to support the therapeutic benefits of CBD.
More than 800 Walmart stores across five states will now carry CBD products on their shelves.
Charlotte’s Web, one of the biggest names in cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived botanical products, announced that some of their products are now available in select Walmart stores as of June 26.
In total, 827 stores in Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, and Florida began stocking a handful of CBD topicals from Charlotte’s Web, including a balm stick, cream, and cooling gel — all of which contain 1,000mg of concentrated CBD isolate.
CBD is a non-psychoactive chemical component of marijuana that is touted for a wide variety of conditions, including inflammation, chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety.
However, it has only ever been approved by the FDA for epilepsy. Even so, CBD has become more and more pervasive in recent years, showing up in products from sodas and gummies to lotions and oils.
CBD topicals may help with pain, inflammation, and other skin conditions.
“We are proud to introduce CBD topicals at Walmart, reflecting Charlotte’s Web’s dedication to setting new standards of excellence in the CBD industry, ensuring every Walmart shopper can experience the transformative benefits of our meticulously crafted products,” said Bill Morachnick, CEO of Charlotte’s Web, in a statement.
Wesley Raup-Konsavage, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at Penn State University who has extensively researched CBD and other cannabinoids, told Healthline, “Given the widespread availability of CBD products, it was really only a matter of time until a large chain started selling these products.”
Despite their popularity and anecdotal reports of therapeutic effects, experts contacted by Healthline said that the data is still unclear for many of the claims made about CBD.
“It is important to note that, in many ways, the public is getting ahead of the science. We still do not have good data to support the use of CBD or other cannabinoids for treating conditions outside of a few select areas,” said Raup-Konsavage.
Is topical CBD effective for muscle soreness?
Topical CBD products, including lotions, balms, and sticks, are popular because they may help mitigate inflammation and muscle soreness; they’re often marketed for post-exercise relief.
CBD is also generally considered safe.
However, topical CBD products are some of the least studied, so it’s unclear what, if any, therapeutic effects they might have. Most research has been conducted on CBD that is consumed orally. Available studies on topical CBD and muscle soreness are small.
“Little research has been done on the topical delivery of CBD; however, this does have potential to be of benefit for joint pain and other forms of local pain,” said Raup-Konsavage.
A 2023 study involving 21 college-age participants found that topical CBD did not improve muscle soreness. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study (considered the “gold standard”) involving 28 participants that was published this month also found that CBD did not impact muscle recovery and soreness.
“For many people, transdermal delivery isn’t that effective a way to get the active ingredient into the body,” Paul Armentano, the Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Healthline.
Drugs are metabolized by the body in different ways, so the “route of administration, or how you take them, matters. With a wide variety of CBD products on the market that can be consumed in different ways, from drinks to vapes to lotions, it is hard to be certain if the dose you are getting is the same as what is printed on the label.
“CBD itself is therapeutic in a number of different ways. That doesn’t mean a shot of CBD in your espresso is therapeutic,” said Armentano.
The science behind the health benefits of CBD
Although CBD topicals might not have the best track record, CBD does have scientific backing for other health conditions.
Currently, there is only one FDA-approved drug containing CBD, Epidiolex, which is indicated for seizures associated with two rare but severe forms of epilepsy.
In the United Kingdom and some European countries, Sativex, which is derived from both THC (a psychoactive chemical found in cannabis) and CBD, is approved for multiple sclerosis-related spasticity, which is when an individual’s muscles may feel stiff and rigid or spasm uncontrollably. Sativex is not approved or legal in the United States.
Outside of the narrow FDA approval, CBD may help with conditions including inflammation, chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia. The strength of the scientific evidence for these conditions varies.
“The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of CBD are the most widely researched, and there is some good evidence that CBD can be an effective treatment. There is some evidence that CBD may reduce anxiety as well, although these data are far more limited,” said Raup-Konsavage.
Is CBD legal?
In 2018, the US government effectively legalized many CBD products through legislation known as the “Farm Bill.” The bill allows for cannabis or hemp plants to be grown legally so long as they do not contain more than 0.3% THC.
In reality, CBD products are still in a legal gray area that can vary from state to state.
“If the CBD in question is derived from a plant that the federal law classifies as hemp…then that end product containing the CBD is considered a federally legal product. If the CBD was sourced from a plant that contained a greater amount of THC than three-tenths of 1%, then that end product would not be considered to be a legal product,” said Armentano.
The CBD market is also generally unregulated so long as manufacturers do not make therapeutic claims about the product.
“We don’t know a whole lot about how these products are produced. There’s not a whole lot of oversight with regard to the consistency of the product from batch to batch, or their purity, or their labeling, or even the marketing,” said Armentano.
The bottom line
More than 800 Walmart stores across five US states are now carrying a variety of topical CBD products.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-psychoactive chemical found in cannabis that is believed to have therapeutic properties.
CBD is only FDA-approved for the treatment of seizures. There is some scientific evidence to support the use of CBD for other conditions, including inflammation, pain, and anxiety.
