THC is the chemical compound in the cannabis plant that gets people high. CBD (cannabidiol) is a different chemical compound found in cannabis that does not “get people high,” and delivers the medicinal benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive impact.
There are a few things people should know about the CBD craze. First off, it’s an entirely unregulated market with no testing and no regulation. If you bought “CBD oil” over the counter, the odds of that stuff containing any cannabidiol are in the single digits.
Second- the federal government makes no distinction between CBD and THC and considers cannabis (they call it ‘marijuana’) to be more dangerous than opioids like oxycontin and fentanyl- not to mention meth and heroin.
But the thing people should really understand about CBD and the relief that it has brought to millions suffering painful disorders like seizures and wasting syndrome is that we only have access to it because of some very smart and very caring people.
The CBD you bought to manage Wilbur’s anxiety is almost certainly fake. But Wilbur doesn’t care that the oil contains no CBD. He just loves you unconditionally and appreciates the effort.
The people that invented the internet probably imagined it would lead to free education for poor people and an “electronic marketplace of ideas.” They’re probably not too thrilled with Trump’s tweets and addictive technologies like Facebook and the rest of the “anti-social” media platforms.
In the same way, the botanists, activists and growers that made CBD a reality aren’t too happy about the way things are shaking out. They never imagined an unregulated (thanks to the feds) $16 billion-dollar gold-rush overseen by the same crew that brought us the Great Crash of 2008.
The New York Times isn’t the newspaper it used to be. But every once in a while they do some serious reporting. And the article (link below) about the visionary pioneers that made CBD a reality is excellent. Facebook user warning: The article is long but interesting for those that are curious about CBD and where it came from.
It’s hard to know what will happen with cannabis in the USA. Big pharma, alcohol and tobacco interests are not super popular these days but that does not diminish their power politically. If a company like Pfizer is worried about alternative therapies and medications impacting their market share, they’ll usually get the help they need from the politicians they bought when it’s time to vote on a ‘medical marijuana’ bill.
But here’s the good news. There are some people, some are even mentioned in the article, that have no interest in getting rich quick and ripping people off that grow cannabis and make oil. They’re not easy to find but they’re out there.
And odds are after everyone realized they’re getting ripped off and being sold snake oil that contains exactly zero CBD and the ‘medical marijuana investment opportunities” dry up when the hustlers move on to the “next big thing,” the real-deal medical cannabis providers will still be doing their thing.
Anyway – if you want to learn the history of how CBD became a thing, check out The New York Times piece.