Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of more than 60 molecular compounds, or cannabinoids, found in cannabis. CBD and THC are the two cannabinoids typically found in the highest concentrations in marijuana, and they're the two most recognized and studied cannabinoids.
CBD is non-psychoactive, unlike THC. That means CBD doesn't get people high, which "gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since health professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects," according to a source.
CBD has been found to help in the treatment of numerous conditions including epilepsy, psychosis disorders, inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, anxiety and depression. CBD has also been shown to combat tumors and cancer cells.
In a 2013 CNN special, Dr. Sanjay Gupta documented the story of Charlotte Figi, a young girl suffering from debilitating seizures due to a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. Gupta showed how CBD treatment dramatically improved Figi's condition and successfully reduced her seizures when no other medicines would.
Following the special, medical and legislative communities in the United States started treating CBD treatment as real medicine.
Earlier this summer the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse director, Nora Volkow, penned an op-ed in The Huffington Post and described CBD as "a safe drug with no addictive side effects."
CBD-only laws have drawn criticism from some who say the laws are all about politics, not about medical access.
While 24 states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of medical marijuana laws, 16 additional states have passed CBD-only laws. These states allow for CBD treatment, but no other compounds or forms of medical marijuana treatment.
Critics argue that separating CBD from THC in this way implies CBD is safe and THC is dangerous.
"The lobbying for these new CBD-Only laws relies heavily on pointing out that CBD is a 'medicine that doesn't get you high,' which casts THC at best as a medicine with an undesirable side effect and at worst as not a medicine but a drug of abuse," Russ Belville writes on The Weed Blog.
Belville calls CBD-only laws "political cover," which allow politicians to appear sympathetic to suffering patients, while still pushing a "hard on drugs" agenda to ensure continued political support from law enforcement and prison lobbies.
"The authors of these CBD-Only bills aren't writing them for optimal medical efficacy, however, they're writing them for political cover," Beliville writes.
Critics also point out that separating CBD from THC, and casting THC as an undesirable component of marijuana, ignores a lot of research that shows THC to be a medically beneficial cannabinoid.
Research shows THC is responsible for marijuana's ability to provide pain relief, PTSD relief, appetite stimulation, nausea relief and more. Studies also show that the whole plant appears to be needed for cancer treatment.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: What's Up With CBD-Only Medical Marijuana Laws?
Author: Emily Gray
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: The Associated Press/Brennan Linsley
Website: Extract Suntimes
CBD is non-psychoactive, unlike THC. That means CBD doesn't get people high, which "gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since health professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects," according to a source.
CBD has been found to help in the treatment of numerous conditions including epilepsy, psychosis disorders, inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, anxiety and depression. CBD has also been shown to combat tumors and cancer cells.
In a 2013 CNN special, Dr. Sanjay Gupta documented the story of Charlotte Figi, a young girl suffering from debilitating seizures due to a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. Gupta showed how CBD treatment dramatically improved Figi's condition and successfully reduced her seizures when no other medicines would.
Following the special, medical and legislative communities in the United States started treating CBD treatment as real medicine.
Earlier this summer the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse director, Nora Volkow, penned an op-ed in The Huffington Post and described CBD as "a safe drug with no addictive side effects."
CBD-only laws have drawn criticism from some who say the laws are all about politics, not about medical access.
While 24 states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of medical marijuana laws, 16 additional states have passed CBD-only laws. These states allow for CBD treatment, but no other compounds or forms of medical marijuana treatment.
Critics argue that separating CBD from THC in this way implies CBD is safe and THC is dangerous.
"The lobbying for these new CBD-Only laws relies heavily on pointing out that CBD is a 'medicine that doesn't get you high,' which casts THC at best as a medicine with an undesirable side effect and at worst as not a medicine but a drug of abuse," Russ Belville writes on The Weed Blog.
Belville calls CBD-only laws "political cover," which allow politicians to appear sympathetic to suffering patients, while still pushing a "hard on drugs" agenda to ensure continued political support from law enforcement and prison lobbies.
"The authors of these CBD-Only bills aren't writing them for optimal medical efficacy, however, they're writing them for political cover," Beliville writes.
Critics also point out that separating CBD from THC, and casting THC as an undesirable component of marijuana, ignores a lot of research that shows THC to be a medically beneficial cannabinoid.
Research shows THC is responsible for marijuana's ability to provide pain relief, PTSD relief, appetite stimulation, nausea relief and more. Studies also show that the whole plant appears to be needed for cancer treatment.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: What's Up With CBD-Only Medical Marijuana Laws?
Author: Emily Gray
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: The Associated Press/Brennan Linsley
Website: Extract Suntimes
