With the Legalization of Cannabis, is There Still a Place for CBD?

The recent push for the legalization of marijuana for medical as well as recreational purposes is gaining momentum in many states. Some states have legalized the use of marijuana totally. Many people who were once opposed to marijuana use find themselves experiencing relief from high blood pressure, pain, anxiety, depression, and other medical problems by using CBD products. These are some of the millions of men and women who have had to re-examine their beliefs about marijuana use. After all: If marijuana was so harmful, why are they benefiting so much from an extract of it?

Legality of Cannabis

If you were to study a map of the U.S. states that have legalized marijuana, you will notice that the western United States is the most understanding when it comes to medical as well as recreational use. These states in which marijuana is fully legal include Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska, and Colorado. States like Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Michigan and the District of Columbia, on the eastern part of the United States, have fully decriminalized it as well. States up north like North Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois have reduced the criminalization of marijuana and approved its medicinal use. Then there are states that are fine with the use of CBD oil but refrain from allowing its legal use in any other form. Examples of states like these include Iowa and Georgia. The states that still hold their ground on the full illegality of any form of marijuana include Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky. While these can seem like a lot of states, they are in a shrinking minority.

No Mind-Altering Effects

Many people have viewed the use of marijuana negatively because of the well-known high it provides. This is because of one of the primary chemicals found in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol. Also known as THC, tetrahydrocannabinol is what provides the psychological effects so many users of it are after. This chemical is activated once the marijuana is heated, such as when smoked, vaped or even baked into brownies or cookies. However, CBD products have little to no THC in them, so there is no high. This is what makes CBD in its various forms approachable to those with conservative values.

No Undesirable Behaviors

It’s also the common behaviors and habits exhibited by marijuana smokers that puts so many people off using it for their health problems. Some people might be aware of the benefits of using marijuana for their pain and discomfort but might not like the idea of smoking it. This would involve having to use ashtrays, rolling papers, pipes, etc. These objects can be seen more as drug paraphernalia to many, making marijuana use socially undesirable to them. CBD products, in their various forms, can be used without anyone noticing or having to know about it.

How CBD is Used

CBD oil comes in many different kinds of products, from salves to drops and more. The most popular and widely used form of it is CBD oil. CBD that comes in the form of oil contains CBD as well as other inactive ingredients in a carrier oil like hemp seed oil, olive oil or coconut oil, among others. The actual amount of CBD contained in the oil varies depending on the manufacturer. 

The kind of CBD in the form of salves or creams can be applied directly to the skin. You can find it in the form of a solution that can be sprayed underneath the tongue, and these are fast-acting. Soft-gel capsules of CBD offer doses that are measured for effectiveness and are easy to swallow. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a natural anti-inflammatory. This property makes CBD useful as a complement to forms of holistic healthcare, such as massage and chiropractic care. Its anxiolytic properties are just what so many people who live with anxiety due to PTSD, bipolar disorder and other mental challenges have needed for a long time. Naturopathic medicine, a branch of holistic medicine, is concerned with preventing and healing illness and injury through the use of natural remedies and substances.

FDA Approval of Epidiolex

In June of 2018, the first prescription medication containing purified CBD oil was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of epilepsy. This was an indication of acceptance by the medical establishment that marijuana or hemp has value for the treatment of serious illnesses. Before this, there was a lot of research conducted on the benefits of CBD oil. This will continue far into the future, as new ways of using this valuable chemical are sure to be discovered.

Addiction Treatment

Research has shown that CBD can help people addicted to dangerous substances like opioids and heroin as well as lesser psychoactive substances like nicotine and even cannabis. CBD can actually decrease the cravings for any substance, including marijuana. The CBD takes the place of the THC, soothing and relaxing the mind without the high. It has been shown to work similarly with nicotine and caffeine withdrawal. This truth further establishes CBD as its own treatment option, even though it was obtained from the marijuana or hemp plant.

Pain from Cancer

People receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments for cancer often do not respond to pain medication very well. However, when CBD has been used as a pain management alternative, it has shown promise. Evidently, there are properties or ingredients in some kinds of CBD oils that help with pain associated with cancer. If CBD has been shown to work for so many cancer patients, there is all the more reason for the creation of more potent CBD oil tinctures and oils.

Profit

Cannabis research insiders have predicted that the CBD market will hit 22 billion by 2022. This means that there are plans in the works for more cannabis farming geared towards CBD oil production for many years to come. CBD has become its own substance as it’s gained in popularity. As more people who refrain from doing mind-altering substances find out about the usefulness of CBD, sales are bound to continue soaring.

The fact that CBD doesn’t get you high will be appreciated by millions of people who stand to benefit from using it. People want a product they can use for their health problems without experiencing any troublesome side effects. Due to the above-mentioned boom in CBD sales, many cannabis farmers are feeling the stress and looking for ways to grow more plants more quickly. It doesn’t look like the rise in CBD sales is falling anytime soon.