CBD is a relatively new phenomena and, like all new products that show a lot of promise, there’s plenty of misinformation swirling around. Here we separate fact from fiction when it comes to CBD.
Myth #1: CBD gets you high.
CBD is often confused with it’s more psychoactive cousin, THC. Some CBD products do also contain significant amounts of THC. However, these products are only sold in states such as California and Colorado where cannabis is legal. Additionally, there are significant restrictions on their sale (for example, they can’t be sold online so you will generally only find them in a marijuana dispensary) and these products remain illegal under federal law.
Any CBD products that you can purchase online must meet federal regulations and the federal government does not allow the sale products containing THC unless the THC content is negligible and below a specific legal threshold. That threshold is 0.3% and it is too low to produce the psychoactive effects associated with THC.
That said, technically CBD is psychoactive in the sense that it does have mood altering effects. In fact, CBD is often used to help people who suffer from depression or anxiety for this exact reason. However, CBD isn’t an intoxicant and wont’ get you “high.”
Myth #2: CBD is illegal.
CBD is completely legal in the United States since the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 as long as it contains less than 0.3% THC.
Generally, legal CBD products are derived from hemp rather than marijuana. Hemp is derived from a cannabis plant but it is legally differentiated from marijuana by the amount of THC it contains. As long as CBD products contain less than 0.3% THC, they are completely legal to buy, possess and use anywhere in the United States. You’ll even find CBD products being sold at major pharmacy chains and on Amazon.
Myth #3: There is no such thing as organic CBD.
If you do an internet search for organic CBD, you’ll get lots of websites telling you that USDA organic CBD is not possible. If you look closely, however, you will see that all of these articles were written prior to the end of 2018. After the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, all of that changed.
The reason there was no organic CBD prior to the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018 is because hemp was not federally recognized by the United States government. It was illegal and, therefore, it could not fall under the USDA organic program.
Now that hemp is federally recognized as a legitimate crop by the United States government, hemp cultivation legally falls under the same rules for organic cultivation and processing that govern other agricultural products in the U.S. As long as the farmer, processor and handlers of the CBD products follow USDA organic rules, CBD can be legally recognized as organic and can bear the USDA organic seal.
Keep in mind that there are lots of companies calling their CBD products organic but if they don’t bear the USDA organic seal, they’re not telling you the truth.
Myth #4: CBD doesn’t really do anything, it’s all just hype and the placebo effect.
CBD has been subjected to a growing number of scientific studies which have proved its efficacy in treating a wide range of ailments. A search of PubMed for CBD returns 330 pages of scientific studies related to CBD. It has been shown to have positive uses for depression, anxiety, PTSD, inflammation, Crohn’s disease, Parkinsons disease and many others.
Moreover, the research has just begun. Because CBD was, up until recently, classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the United States governnment, research was sparse, difficult to get approval for and generally significantly hindered. Now that CBD is legal in the United States, we’ll find and more and more about the many benefits as scientists go to work studying it.
Myth #5: CBD makes you sleepy.
CBD can have a calming effect, however, it depends on the dosage. At mild to moderate doses, CBD can even have an energizing effect and can help with focus.
At higher doses, CBD generally has a stronger sedating effect and is used at those doses to help promote sleep, to calm anxiety or to reduce muscular tension.
