Food & Drink / Compounds / Cannabinol (CBN)

Cannabinol (CBN) in food: ingestion safety

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Very mildly psychoactive (~10% potency of THC). No serious adverse events reported in limited human studies. Marketed as sleep aid but evidence is weak — a single 1975 study (5 participants) suggested sedation only in combination with THC. Not FDA-approved for any indication. Generally well-tolerated at supplement doses (5-25 mg).

What is cannabinol (cbn)?

The IUPAC name is 6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol.

Also known as: Cannabinol, 6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol.

IUPAC name
6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol
CAS number
521-35-7
Molecular formula
C21H26O2
Molecular weight
310.43 g/mol
SMILES
CCCCCC1=CC(=C2C3=CC(=CC=C3C(OC2=C1)(C)C)C)O
PubChem CID
2543

Risk for people

Low risk

Very mildly psychoactive (~10% potency of THC). No serious adverse events reported in limited human studies. Marketed as sleep aid but evidence is weak — a single 1975 study (5 participants) suggested sedation only in combination with THC. Not FDA-approved for any indication. Generally well-tolerated at supplement doses (5-25 mg).

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Cannabinol (CBN). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
DEA—Not specifically scheduled at federal level. Legal status depends on source (hemp-derived vs. cannabis-derived).
FDA—Not approved for any therapeutic indication. Marketed as dietary supplement without FDA evaluation.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter cannabinol (cbn)

  • Supplements — CBN sleep gummies, CBN tinctures, CBN capsules, CBN+CBD+melatonin blends
  • Cannabis Products — aged cannabis flower, oxidized cannabis extracts

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Cannabinol (CBN):

  • Melatonin
    Trade-offs: Well-studied safety profile. FDA-regulated as supplement. Evidence-based for circadian rhythm disorders. 0.5-5 mg doses.
  • Valerian root extract
    Trade-offs: Long traditional use. Generally well-tolerated. Modest evidence for sleep quality improvement.

Frequently asked questions

What products contain cannabinol (cbn)?

Cannabinol (CBN) appears in: CBN sleep gummies (supplements); CBN tinctures (supplements); aged cannabis flower (cannabis products); oxidized cannabis extracts (cannabis products).

See Cannabinol (CBN) in the food app

Look up products containing cannabinol (cbn), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. — expert_curation

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →