The whole case for CBD and anxiety is eight small studies
Eight studies with 316 people between them pool into a large effect on anxiety. The uncertainty around it stops just short of no effect at all.
What the study found
Cannabidiol's anxiety effect is large, and nearly touches zero
Eight studies with 316 people between them pool into a large effect of cannabidiol on anxiety. The uncertainty range around it stops just short of no effect at all. That is the whole randomised case for the reason most people buy cannabidiol.
The caveat · Lab stress pooled with disorders
The pooled studies mix one-off experimental stress in healthy volunteers with treating diagnosed anxiety disorders — different questions, answered as one. A large pooled effect resting on trials this small is where the smallest studies dominate, and the authors caution against over-reading it.
What we don't know
Whether cannabidiol eases anxiety is still open. A large pooled effect for cannabidiol alone and scarce benefit across all medicinal cannabinoids, mostly THC trials, answer different questions, so neither settles it.