Everything you Need to Know About Cannabis CBD
The United States Senate is likely to block the passage of The MORE Act forwarded by the House of Representatives on December 8, 2020. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act (MORE Act) would have removed cannabis from the DEA’s Schedule I narcotics. It would enable the scholarly research that has lagged for decades and void the criminal records of most “criminals” charged or convicted of minor marijuana-related offenses. Moreover, in removing the Federal stigma, individual States would move forward with attempts to decriminalize growing, transporting, selling, possessing, and using cannabis.
Although the Senate’s decision is disappointing, the idea that The MORE Act would get this far was unthinkable just a few years ago. The myths and stigma attached to marijuana arise from the psychic experience produced by THC, but it is CBD’s powerful effects that have changed the minds of the voting public over the last 20 years. It may help to grasp everything you need to know about cannabis CBD.
Everything you need to know about cannabinoids –
The cannabis plant has hundreds of cannabinoids, and the human brain and body have an Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS exists throughout a person. Unlike the respiratory or gastrointestinal systems, the ECS is not easily recognized or localized. It informs other systems, glands, organs, and more. You might say the ECS is omnipresent in human anatomy.
Israel’s Dr. Raphael Mechoulam led research in the 1960s and beyond to identify and synthesize the chemical elements in cannabis. Convinced of its potential health benefits, Mechoulam led teams leading to the development of medications with high impact. Key to his discoveries is the understanding that the cannabinoids in marijuana map over to the ECS. In doing so, the individual cannabinoids can repair, restore, and regulate the ECS.
THC (C21H30O2) stands for (−)-trans-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol. It is the best known of those natural chemicals. In its natural environment, THC protects the plant against pests. That same defense mechanism will produce psychological experiences in humans. A lipid isomer, THC binds to neuroreceptors.
In doing so, the THC “fixes” poorly performing neurotransmission, or it will prompt the receptors to increase mental mood, focus, and creativity. In more potent strains, the THC will agitate the body and brain, affecting memory, motion, and spatial relationships. And very potent strains may lead to mild or powerful paranoia.
THC has proven therapeutic as an analgesic, anxiolytic, and anti-emetic. It reduces glaucoma symptoms, insomnia, and muscular spasticity. The medical effects have been confirmed by science or anecdotal history.
Among the scores of cannabinoids, CBD (C21H30O2) or Cannabidiol does not cause any psychoactive experience. Its chemical structure closely resembles THC, but it includes a hydroxyl ring to differentiate its effects.
Unlike THC, CBD does not bind to neuroreceptors. Instead, it modulates the flow and effectiveness of non-cannabinoid receptors and ion channels. Significantly, CBD reduces the reuptake of endogenous neurotransmitters like anandamide and adenosine. It will also improve or reduce the binding action of specific G-protein coupled receptors.
For example, in delaying the reuptake of anandamide, it works like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). That is, the body regularly reabsorbs anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine), a fatty acid neurotransmitter believed to create a sense of bliss. When CBD reduces its reabsorption, it also produces more delight.
The high it produces relaxes, calms, and chills. It has legendary medical effects for those suffering from seizures, inflammation-related pain, and soft muscle irritation. For centuries, people have sought CBD to fight depression and pain. However, more recent science indicates CBD has anti-tumor and anti-psychotic properties.
How to use CBD –
Regardless of its history, CBD caught a nation’s attention with the appearance of Charlotte’s Web. This strain is so loaded with CBD that doctors recommended it as a last resort medical treatment for a specific child’s epilepsy. Her seizures had not responded to usual therapies, but Charlotte’s Web radically reduced her recalcitrant convulsions.
At least three things followed:
Research confirmed CBD’s effect on recalcitrant pediatric epilepsy.
Charlotte’s Web caught the attention of Big Pharma, which raced to produce now approved prescription medications for Muscular Dystrophy and rare forms of pediatric epilepsy.
CBD’s proven benefits launched a social revolution demanding access to CBD products. This revolution effectively empowered the launch of state campaigns to decriminalize the use of cannabis and enable citizens to purchase and use its benefits.
Most states have now legalized medical marijuana, so its benefits are increasingly accessible in multiple forms.
Raw cannabis comes in multiple botanically identified strains. Some are dense with CBD, but most contain a ratio of THC to CBD. Where CBD outweighs the THC, the CBD’s benefits will dominate. In fact, the CBD will balance or resist the THC psychoactive properties.
Users inhale cannabis smoke or vapor by preparing joints, smoking pipes, or using bongs or dab devices. Smoking risks the intake of toxins. Pipes, bongs, and dabs produce a more potent experience, but they involve equipment, preparation, and inconvenience.
CBD pills and capsules permit casual and discrete intake. They vary in potency, and some marketers claim they have developed products specific to certain ailments. Most of these pills and capsules come from hemp, so they are legal everywhere. Many include high levels of THC to provide a slight buzz.
While they are efficient, taking pills somehow does not fit the marijuana mystique. Nonetheless, they provide simple administration for victims of incapacitating illnesses.
CBD oils have filled the marketplace with promises and accessibility. Users slip the oil under the tongue, or they mix it into coffee, tea, salad dressing, and many recipes. Using CBD oil is discrete enough that so you can administer it throughout the day. The states that have legalized cannabis have also introduced standards for purity, testing, and adherence to labels.
CBD lotions have gained in popularity thanks to celebrity endorsements. Users are encouraged to apply the cream to joints and muscles hurting from too much use and exercise. People also use CBD lotions to relieve chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, and other autoimmune conditions. Research has yet to confirm this effect; after all, the relief may result from the massage and not the lotion.
CBD edibles entice shoppers everywhere. Many are made easily at home, but dispensaries promote a vast array of cookies, brownies, lollipops, gummies, chocolate bars, and more. The edibles are typically delicious, but users must pay attention to the labeling to avoid overdosing.
CBD leads the way!
CBD changed peoples’ minds about cannabis. It highlighted the use of cannabis for medical benefits, and its application for recalcitrant pediatric epilepsy created a reputation for compassionate care.
Advocates for legalization and decriminalization have successfully ridden CBD’s coattails into approval across the country. The legislatures that have approved medical marijuana have built their arguments on the benefits of CBD in treating as many as 40 well-known medical conditions. However, those approvals also led legislators to bring recreational marijuana through the opened door. CBD, thus, has a leading political role as well as a medical one.
