Antibiotic Resistance With CBD

It may surprise anyone who isn’t an infectious disease expert that methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (drug-resistant bacteria), more commonly referred to as MRSA, kills more people per year than HIV. Behind MRSA’s deadliness is the growing issue of drug-resistant bacteria. While the discovery of new classes of antibiotics has leveled off over the past decades, the number of infectious bacteria that have grown resistant to modern medicine has increased sharply.

However, there is a new tool that may help reduce the resistance of bacteria: CBD oil. Recent studies show that using CBD or cannabis for preventing drug resistance may help stymie this growing concern.

The Danger of Drug Resistance

Perhaps no discovery has had a greater impact on the lifespan and quality of life of people everywhere than antibiotics. Before antibiotics, a small cut on the very tip of a finger could spell doom for someone if the cut encountered any number of bacteria. After antibiotics became widespread, though, this small cut would be treated as it is today, with minor bandaging.

However, just as all living things evolve, so do bacteria. As more strains of bacteria become resistant to modern medicine, we find ourselves with an increasing amount of deaths due to simple infections.

The Hope of CBD

Recent studies have started to lay out the promise of cannabinoids, CBD particularly, to help impede the tide of this growing issue. In these studies, scientists found that cannabinoids interrupt bacteria’s antibiotic treatment resistance. 

Further, CBD oil contains phytochemicals that prevent drug resistance. These early studies help demonstrate that cannabinoids may play a key role in keeping people safe and, at the very least, give scientists more time to discover more antibacterial treatment options or even a new class of antibiotics. If you’re dealing with an infection that’s proven resistant to current treatment options, make sure to discuss the possibility of CBD with your doctor. They can help determine if CBD should be considered as an alternative or supplement to your current medicinal regiment.