Cannabidiol (CBD) is becoming a common ingredient in products available nearly everywhere and is even for sale by itself in the form of oils and extracts. For those not knowledgeable about CBD, if it’s at all familiar then it’s probably only because of its relationship to marijuana; yet knowing only this much about CBD obscures more than it reveals.
In reality, CBD is nothing more than a simple, naturally-occurring plant compound found in hemp, marijuana’s innocent cousin. This and other myths are important to bust if CBD is to break into public consciousness free from the lingering suspicions of the Reefer Madness generation. Common myths to be fooled by are discussed below.
1. CBD is Just a Clever Label for Marijuana
“You use CBD? Are you OK to drive?” It is a common misconception that CBD impairs you like marijuana, probably related to the idea that CBD is derived from hemp—a type of Cannabis sativa that by definition has a near zero concentration of THC (less than 0.3%) in it. In the United States, CBD products must be made from hemp to ensure their low THC content. They can’t come from marijuana even if they’ve been tested for appropriate levels of THC.
Marijuana is also Cannabis sativa, but it’s bred to boost THC and often has THC levels between 20% and 30%. THC is the only cannabinoid in Cannabis with psychoactive effects, so hemp and especially CBD products like oils, extracts, and other forms of consumption provide only mild relief from pain, tensions, muscle aches and similar issues.
2. CBD Results Prove the Placebo Effect
So, if there’s no THC in CBD products then how can anyone make the claim that they have a positive effect on health or wellness? It’s because CBD has its own uniquely beneficial properties, which do not involve a psychoactive or mind-altering outcome, but still use the same endocannabinoid system (ECS) in our bodies. A different brand of cannabinoid, studies have shown that CBD travels via the ECS system to produce an analgesic effect in humans. For patients with malignant diseases and those with more common ailments, CBD addresses pain versus placebos with statistically significant efficacy.
The mounting evidence of CBD’s usefulness is no surprise, given that cannabis has been in use by humans for thousands of years. Its resurgence is a good sign, and it can be seen in the types of products on neighborhood pharmacy shelves such as CBDMedic’s Massage Therapy Pain Relief Oil, a blended THC-free CBD hemp extract lotion. That company produces over-the-counter medications already wildly popular among professional athletes to relieve aches and pains from muscles and joints.
3. CBD Users Will Always Pass A Drug Test
When testing employees or potential employees for drug use, employers are usually searching blood or hair samples for the presence of THC, which is the chemical in marijuana that gets you high. Marijuana has hundreds of different cannabinoids which have different effects, including CBD (cannabidiol). With regulators in many jurisdictions like the US and EU defining cannabidiol products as legit for sale if their THC content is below 0.2%-0.3%, then it’s entirely possible for regular CBD users to have trace amounts of THC in their systems.
4. Hemp Oil Can Cure Disease and Medical Issues
CBD isn’t a cure for anything, nor a treatment for everything. There are many fictions on the internet not perpetuated by science, including those that claim CBD cured a case of cancer or the like, and while CBD can provide effective relief for many of the negative symptoms of cancer (and especially cancer treatment), the relief of pain and other therapeutic considerations cannot claim to actively battle disease.
5. CBD Products Are Illegal
The legality of CBD products depends on where you are, and the bureaucracies involved. In the United States, the last quarter of 2018 produced a federal bill called the Agriculture Improvement Act, which made it OK in the government’s eyes to sell CBD products as long as they were produced from hemp.
Hemp’s legal definition as Cannabis sativa with a THC content of less than 0.3% is a control on the type of products offered in the US, but it’s significant to say that less than a year ago the federal government ended its decades-long war on hemp. Marijuana, however, is still a Schedule 1 substance at the national level. The EU instituted similar broad laws about CBD for member states but mandated a THC maximum 0.1% lower.
6. No Universal Regulations Makes All CBD Questionable
For many who would see an increased quality of life by incorporating CBD products into their lifestyle, skepticism of the young industry is justified, but writing off all CBD is wrong. It’s true that differing laws across state and international boundaries can result in products made from different parts of the plant, with variable THC content (especially if buying CBD products in a legal recreational place). Those manufactured correctly, with quality ingredients and proper labeling are easy to identify and work as advertised.
Dismissing the industry at this stage is a mistake that is made at the expense of natural, safe relief for the pain felt by people everywhere.
