Currently there is a lot of confusion regarding CBD surrounding the legality, side effects and availability. The following information will try to answer some of those questions.
Dr. Sarah Brewer
13th February 2018
Currently in the UK, Medical Marijuana/Cannabis or Cannabis Oil, can only be prescribed by doctors as a licenced product – Sativex is one such example. However, it is illegal for it to be on general sale in the UK. Medical marijuana contains controlled levels of THC, which is the ingredient within the marijuana plant that causes a so-called 'high'. When Medical Marijuana is prescribed, it is used to help people with conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. The reason CBD in the form of a nutritional supplement has been legalised in the UK is because it only contains trace amounts of THC, and not enough to cause the 'high' associated with marijuana. CBD when extracted from the hemp strain of the Cannabis Sativa plant, which is bred specifically, unlike the marijuana strain plant, for nutritional purposes, is legal.
CBD stands for cannabidiol (can·na·bid·i·ol), an ingredient naturally sourced from the Cannabis Sativa plant.
CBD oil from hemp is not to be confused with Medical Marijuana or Cannabis Oil. Medical Marijuana and Cannabis Oil (also known as CBD) are sourced from different strains of the cannabis plant and contain enough THC to cause a so-called 'high' and currently can only be prescribed by a licenced medical practitioner.
Scientifically, industrial Hemp and Marijuana are the exact same plant, with a genus and species name of Cannabis Sativa. They have a drastically various hereditary profile though. Industrial Hemp is constantly a stress of Cannabis sativa, while marijuana can be Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis. The significant distinction is how commercial hemp has actually been reproduced compared with a marijuana form of Cannabis sativa. Generally speaking, industrial hemp is really fibrous, with long strong stalks, and hardly has any flowering buds, while a marijuana pressure of Cannabis sativa will be smaller sized, bushier, and filled with blooming buds. However, more recent industrial hemp ranges in the USA are being bred to have more flowers and greater yields of cannabinoids and terpenes. Hemp naturally has a really high quantity of CBD, and only a trace amount of THC. Thankfully, the cannabinoid profile of hemp is ideal for people trying to find take advantage of cannabis without the 'high'. Hemp is utilised for making organic supplements, food, fibre, rope, paper, bricks, oil, natural plastic, and so a lot more, whereas cannabis is generally used simply recreationally, spiritually, and medicinally.
Unlike Marijuana plants, Industrial Hemp – despite being a plant from the cannabis family – does not contain detectable levels of the psychoactive substance, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and is legal to take. Cannabidiol is increasingly used as a herbal supplement to promote general feelings of well–being.
CBD is a huge topic now, but confusion remains regarding the difference between 'CBD Oil', 'Medical Marijuana' or 'Medical Cannabis', and 'Cannabis Oil', especially when it comes to the legality of each ingredient. There have been plenty of news reports about the confiscation of CBD-related products at national borders, but inaccuracies in these reports have led to even more uncertainty about what is and is not legal.
Non-drug varieties of Cannabis sativa plants, known as industrial hemp, have been used as a source of food, fibre and vegetable oil for thousands of years. The two main oil products from industrial hemp, known as hemp seed (or hemp) oil, and cannabidiol (or CBD) oil, are derived from different parts of the plant and used for different purposes.
Hemp seed oil is a deep green oil obtained by pressing the seeds from non-drug strains of hemp plants. These strains have naturally low levels of cannabinoids - substances that interact with your own endocannabinoid receptors. The hemp seeds used to make food supplements are raw, the oil is cold-pressed, and certified organic and non-GMO.
Hemp seed oil is considered a healthy, nutritionally-balanced oil, as it provides a high level of monounsaturated fats, and the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (55%), and alpha-linolenic acid (16%) with a low level of saturated fat (9%). Hemp seed oil provides the optimum balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and just one tablespoon (15ml) provide the daily requirement for essential fatty acids.
Hemp seed oil is also rich in cholesterol-lowering plant sterols (e.g. beta-sitosterol and campesterol) and vitamin E. It is a popular food supplement in capsule form. Hemp seed oil is also used in the kitchen for its nutty, earthy flavour. Hemp seed oil is great to drizzle over food, add to salad dressings or to use in dips and pesto sauce. As hemp seed oil has a low smoke point, don’t use it for cooking or frying.
Hemp seed oil is also used to make soaps, skin lotions, shampoo and bio-fuels.
When conducting your own research on industrial hemp you will have come across CBD. Cannabidiol, or CBD is a substance classed as a cannabinoid, which is extracted from the whole plant (flowers, leaves and stalk) of the Cannabis Sativa plant. Hemp strains have been bred to produce naturally high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) but very low levels of the psychoactive cannabinoid (THC) found in medical marijuana. As cannabidiol is oil-soluble, it is combined with oils (e.g. olive oil, coconut oil, hemp seed oil) to produce cannabidiol oil for optimum absorption into the body.
CBD, from Hemp, is not psychoactive and does not produce a 'high' but it does have beneficial relaxing effects. Cannabidiol oil is increasingly used as a food supplement to promote general feelings of well-being, especially if you are experiencing stress, anxiety or general aches and pains.
Neither hemp seed oil nor cannabidiol oil contain significant levels of the psychoactive substance, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is found in marijuana. Both hemp seed oil and cannabidiol oil are therefore legal to take and are rapidly growing in popularity.
Cannabidiol oil has direct effects on the brain to reduce pain perception, relieve anxiety and stress, improve sleep and lift mood. The way it does this – though – is utterly natural and extremely clever. CBD enhances the effects of other brain chemicals like serotonin (often described as the happiness hormone) without stimulating the parts of your brain that Marijuana would because of its THC contents. Cannabidiol extracts from Industrial Hemp plants provide health benefits without causing a 'high' and are, unequivocally, not addictive.
CBD is one of the fastest growing well-being supplements in both the US and the UK. As CBD is oil soluble, it is usually mixed with olive oil or hemp oil to aid optimum absorption into the body.