Study: Nearly 30% of North Americans Have Used CBD, More Than Double Europe’s Rate
- Nearly 30% of people in North America have reported lifetime cannabidiol (CBD) use, significantly higher than the 12.8% reported in Europe.
- The meta-analysis reviewed 43 studies with 388,447 participants, assessing CBD use over five timeframes: lifetime, past 12 months, past 30 days, past 7 days, and daily use.
- CBD use prevalence in North America consistently exceeded European rates across all time periods, with North America showing higher past-year (19.5% vs. 17.6%) and daily use (6.4% vs. 2.1%).
- Sample type affected findings: in Europe, clinical samples showed higher past-year CBD use, whereas in North America, community samples reported higher past-year use.
A new meta-analysis published online by the U.S. National Library of Medicine finds that cannabidiol use is substantially more common in North America than in Europe, with nearly three in 10 people in North America reporting lifetime use. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Oviedo and the International University of La Rioja, who examined the prevalence of CBD use across both continents. While individual surveys have suggested CBD consumption is rising for both medical and non-medical reasons, researchers noted that no prior systematic assessment had quantified how widespread use actually is.
To address that gap, the team reviewed 43 studies representing 48 distinct samples and a combined 388,447 participants, 57.52% of whom were female. Thirty of the samples were from North America and 13 from Europe. The researchers evaluated five timeframes: lifetime use, past 12 months, past 30 days, past seven days and daily use.
In Europe, pooled lifetime prevalence was 12.8%. Past-year use was 17.6%, past-month use was 7.2%, past-week use was 4.3% and daily use was 2.1%.
In North America, lifetime prevalence reached 28.9%. Past-year use was 19.5%, past-month use was 12%, past-week use was 10.5% and daily use was 6.4%.
The researchers also found that sample type influenced results. In Europe, past-year use was higher in clinical samples (25.6%) compared to community samples (11.6%). In contrast, North America showed higher past-year use among community samples (26.1%) compared to clinical samples (4.1%).
Overall, the findings indicate that CBD use is considerably more prevalent in North America than in Europe, across nearly every measured timeframe.