Sex Differences in Plasma CBD Do Not Establish a Universal Dosing Rule

forensic toxicology working group members October 28, 2026 Forensic Toxicology

Women had higher plasma CBD concentrations than men in a repeated-dosing study of a particular formulation. That association does not establish a universal sex-based dose adjustment or prove that body fat caused the difference.

The population and preparation

The trial involved 62 adults with hypertension, including 27 women and 35 men, in a blinded placebo-controlled crossover design. Researchers measured CBD and metabolites in plasma and urine during use of the DehydraTECH2.0 preparation.

Randomization concerned treatment, not sex. The comparison between men and women remained an analysis of participant characteristics within the trial.

A proposed explanation is not a demonstrated cause

The authors discussed differences in adipose tissue as a possible explanation for higher female plasma concentrations. However, hormonal status was not included, and albumin measurements were incomplete. Those limitations matter because storage, binding, metabolism and sampling time can each affect concentrations.

A plasma concentration is also not a direct measure of therapeutic response, adverse effects or impairment. A group difference in the former does not prove the same difference in the latter.

Interpreting persistence carefully

The investigators reported detectable plasma CBD after dosing had stopped. A later positive observation demonstrates detectability under that assay and sampling schedule; it does not define the exact time every person becomes negative.

CBD and its metabolites must remain analytically distinct from THC and THC-COOH. Detection of CBD cannot simply be relabeled a THC-positive result.

For individual exposure assessment, obtain the actual compound, formulation, dose history, specimen and collection interval. This study supplies evidence of variability, rather than a reliable calculation of an unknown person’s dose or functional state.