The objective of this review was to systematically map the publicly available safety-related literature for cannabidiol (CBD).

The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and other global regulatory bodies have consistently raised concerns regarding the limited scientific information on CBD available in the public domain. As part of its evaluation of potential regulatory frameworks for CBD and other cannabis-derived products, the US FDA has stressed that additional data and analysis are needed in order to adequately assess the safe use of CBD in foods and dietary supplements. To assist in identifying knowledge gaps and inform future hazard-based decision making, systematic mapping of the safety-related literature for CBD will be performed. The systematic evidence map approach uses a structured process to describe the state of knowledge for a topic and provides a comprehensive synthesis of available data that can be queried for specific information. The systematic map for CBD will be prepared using evidence-based methods, following an a priori protocol and the PECO (population, exposure, comparator, outcome) approach to develop research objectives. A broad and transparent systematic literature search will be conducted in PubMed and Embase.