The access to hemp that the 2018 farm bill provided for farmers is an opportunity. The hardy plant had a variety of uses. Almost every part of the plant has some commercial use. Farmers aren’t just given the green light to grow drugs, but a cash crop that will fuel many different industries. The uses for the plant are categorized depending on what part of the plant that’s being used.
Flowers and Leaves
Female plants are harvested and then dried. The appeal of these buds is that they contain high concentrations of CBD, but little to no THC. The dried flowers can be directly smoked, hence smokable hemp. Though the most p4. Does CBD Work?
CBD is being pushed as a wonder drug and preached as the solution for all our problems. It is supposed to cure cancer, anxiety, sleep problems, and a whole host of other diseases. That is what the store clerks and marketers are telling us. Whether their intentions are genuine or not, their message contains a clear bias of someone who will directly profit from your purchase.
So what do the government agencies focused on public health have to say? What science is there to back these claims up? What do we believe that CBD can do, and what do we know it can?
What does Science say?
The human mind is a powerful thing. It has immense control over how your body reacts to things. Simply believing that something will work produces powerful results. That’s what the placebo effect it. The complex structure of modern clinical trials is set up to see if a medication will work better than the belief that it will. There is a long and hard-fought testing process that science has to go through before we determine that medication works. We do it so that when we say something works, it really does.
Right now, science gives us an unsatisfactory answer to the question of CBD. We don’t know if it works. THC has been studied, and there are some places where the research has shown positive results in treating specific illnesses. CBD doesn’t have any of this research. CBD is also not one chemical. It is hundreds of different chemicals, and it will be a long process to see what effect these chemicals have on the body and how they work together.
Uncertainty may be uncomfortable, but it’s the truth. It is nicer to hear from a salesperson about all the things CBD can do for you, but the proof they can offer is limited. The good news is that with regulations becoming more relaxed, the research we need is starting to take place. The answers we crave are coming.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to support the health claims for CBD. Many people are self-reporting the relief that CBD has given them. The scientific community is still in the process of catching up. It’s okay to be optimistic, but don’t believe everything you’re told.
What does the Government say?
Government agencies are taking a conservative stand in endorsing CBD. Agencies like the FDA have the goal of making sure that the foods and drugs we take are safe for us, and that any claims are backed up with evidence. That is why the FDA is cautioning people to be careful when it comes to believing any of the reported benefits of CBD.
The FDA will wait until the science is in before it allows health claims. They are already sending many letters to companies to stop making false claims about the health benefits of CBD.
Because of this, CBD is not a legal additive for any food products at this time. Until it is shown that CBD is completely safe, they will not allow it to be added to foods and supplements.
When all the hoops have been jumped through, the FDA will approve CBD. They already have one drug that contains CBD that has FDA approval. Epidiolex contains CBD in it’s purified form and is used to treat seizures. Patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome who are more than two years old can get a prescription for it.
Things are moving forward for CBD before we can definitively sort out fact from fiction about this new drug.
