CBD (cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid
CBD OIL.CO.UKA biologically active cannabis compound. Cannabinoids help by modulating many physiological systems in the human brain and body. Researchers have gone to great lengths to find the many benefits that CBD oil has to offer.
cbd as medicine
CBD has a long history of being used to alleviate the symptoms of health problems. Animal studies had long suggested that CBD lessens anxiety and reduces the severity and frequency of seizures and today this is a proven outcome on humans. The cannabis plant has been used for thousands of years in medicine for its sedative/hypnotic, antidepressant, analgesic, anticonvulsant, antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic and appetite-stimulating effects.
cbd as treatment
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is a natural botanical concentrate that is high in the compound CBD and it is useful for treating pain and anxiety. It is a compound that occurs naturally in the hemp and cannabis (marijuana) plants. It is the reason why cannabis has earned such an enduring reputation as a pain reliever. CBD has no known harmful effects, but it is known to come with a plethora of benefits. In fact, these medicinal benefits are the reasons behind the push for medical marijuana.
Cannabis Law Explained
The CBD present in oils and other products is usually derived from fiber-type varieties of cannabis (hemp), because these are naturally higher in CBD content than drug-type varieties (marijuana). Although cultivation of hemp is allowed in many countries around the world, this is usually governed by strict regulations. After being banned for decades, hemp cultivation in the USA has only recently been reintroduced, and is still gearing up for full industrial production Hemp vs cannabis
But this is where it gets even more confusing because cannabis can be bred to create different strains. Cannabis consumed for recreational purposes is selectively bred to optimise high THC content strains – to maximise the “high” feeling. But cannabis also contains CBD, which is a non-psychoactive component.
Hemp, on the other hand, is harnessed as seed, oil and fibre to produce a wide range of products. It is cultivated to produce a low concentration of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC – as well as higher levels of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD.
Cannabis is classified as hemp if it has a maximum level of 0.2% THC. Billy’s CBD oil, confiscated at Heathrow, was made from cannabis with a higher level than 0.2% of THC – so it was classed as cannabis, which is why it was confiscated.
In the European Union (EU), the cultivation of certain cannabis varieties is granted provided they are registered in the EU’s Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species and the THC content does not exceed 0.2% of the dried flowers of the plant . In Canada, hemp is allowed to contain 0.3% THC , while Switzerland allows up to 1% THC . In most countries, viable seeds for planting may be purchased from certified seed companies only, in order to make sure that the correct hemp variety is indeed being cultivated. Additionally, hemp may typically only be grown in agricultural fields outdoors, while indoor cultivation is usually forbidden. In some countries (e.g., The Netherlands), growing hemp is allowed only with the intent to produce fibers or seeds. As a result, the act of harvesting fiber cannabis for its CBD is a violation of narcotics laws [31]. New cannabis varieties (for example developed to yield a higher content of CBD) are not (yet) registered as approved hemp varieties, and therefore cannot be freely cultivated, while the official registration process takes several years to complete.
A Word
medical marijuana
A recent survey conducted by Sky News found that 82% of their poll subjects agreed that medical cannabis should be legalised. Professor Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, who was appointed to investigate the current scientific and medical evidence, about the therapeutic properties of cannabis-based products, also believes this. She recently said that “doctors should be able to prescribe” cannabis.
Davies has recommended the removal of cannabis from schedule one classification – which covers a group of drugs considered to have no medical purpose, that cannot be legally possessed or prescribed.
This fresh approach to reconsider the classification of cannabis has been seminal, and mirrors wider sentiment in other countries. In the US, for example, medical cannabis programmes have been initiated in 30 states. Hence, medical tourism to Canada – where cannabis is legal for medicinal purposes – and the US to gain access to CBD oil.