CBN, the cannabinoid «sleeping pill» in vogue in the United States

It now accounts for up to 10 % of edible sales in some US states. CBN - cannabinol for friends - is increasingly present on the shelves of specialist cannabis stores. The proof: in four western US states (California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada), CBN's market share has... quadrupled, in just one year.

Cannabinol is obtained by a long exposure of cannabis flowers to light. Its market was worth $5 million in spring 2020. A year later, it's selling for $23 million a quarter, according to calculations by specialist companies. compiled by Hemp Industry Daily.

Market share is also growing. In California, 11 % of edible cannabis products are CBN products. This figure was only 4 % a year ago. In Oregon, Nevada and Colorado, market share reached 10 %, 7 % and 4 % respectively. In these three states, there were virtually no CBN sales a year earlier.

Sleep aid or placebo?

Companies have found their angle of attack to sell CBN well: a good night's sleep. Cannabinol is in fact recognized as a «soporific». In 2017, the Steep Hill laboratory even wrote that « the consumption of 2.5 to 5mg of CBN has the same level of sedation as a pharmaceutical drug, with a sensation of relaxation equivalent to 5 to 10mg of diazepam».», a well-known sleeping pill.

But the laboratory has backtracked. It now writes on its website : «It has been suggested that CBN is promising in the treatment of insomnia, but with the advent of new studies, sedation is not observed. Further research is required.»

So, placebo or powerful sleeping pill? More likely the second answer, according to Dr. Ethan Russo, Director of Research at the National Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute, quoted by Leafly. The scientist considers that CBN is no more sedative than any other cannabinoid. On the other hand, it is very effective when combined with THC.

And manufacturers are well aware of this. The proof: in California, where cannabis is legal, the best-selling CBN product is Midnight Blueberry Camino. These blackberry candies contain a THC:CBN ratio of 5:1. This little blue tin has become California's best-selling edible.