Frequently Asked Questions
What is CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis, a plant with a rich history as a medicine going back thousands of years. Today the therapeutic properties of CBD are being tested and confirmed by scientists and doctors around the world. A safe, non-addictive substance, CBD is one of more than a hundred “phytocannabinoids,” which are unique to cannabis and endow the plant with its robust therapeutic profile.
​
CBD is closely related to another important medicinally active phytocannabinoid: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes the high that cannabis is famous for. These are the two components of cannabis that have been most studied by scientists.
Both CBD and THC have significant therapeutic attributes. But unlike THC, CBD does not make a person feel “stoned” or intoxicated. That’s because CBD and THC act in different ways on different receptors in the brain and body.
​
CBD can actually lessen or neutralize the psychoactive effects of THC, depending on how much of each compound is consumed. Many people want the health benefits of cannabis without the high – or with less of a high.
The fact that CBD is therapeutically potent as well as non-intoxicating, and easy to take as a CBD oil, makes it an appealing treatment option for those who are cautious about trying cannabis for the first time.
​
​
How does CBD work?
CBD and THC interact with our bodies in a variety of ways. One of the main ways they impact us is by mimicking and augmenting the effects of the compounds in our bodies called “endogenous cannabinoids” - so named because of their similarity to the compounds found in the cannabis plant. These “endocannabinoids” are part of a regulatory system called the “endocannabinoid system”.
​
The discovery of the endocannabinoid system has significantly advanced our understanding of health and disease. It has major implications for nearly every area of medical science and helps to explain how and why CBD and THC are such versatile compounds – and why cannabis is such a widely consumed mood-altering plant, despite its illegal status.
​
​
What is CBD oil?
For those who can’t obtain pharmaceutical CBD, there are numerous internet storefronts, community markets, coffee shops, health clubs, chiropractic offices, upscale boutiques and gas stations that retail various hemp-derived CBD oil products, including pure CBD isolates comparable in chemical make-up to Epidiolex.
CBD oil products and flower with varying levels of THC and CBD are also available for smoking or vaping at cannabis dispensaries in states that have legalized the herb for therapeutic use.
​
In response to massive consumer demand, a huge, unregulated market in CBD oil products reached a critical mass in 2018. A surge of consumer interest in all things CBD was suddenly newsworthy with hosanas of praise coming from athletes, film stars, soccer moms, and parents of desperately ill children.
CBD oil has been touted as a curative for the sick and a preventive for the healthy, an all-purpose palliative for pets as well as people of all ages.
​
But along with a growing awareness of cannabidiol as a potential health aide, there has also been a proliferation of misconceptions about CBD and cannabis therapeutics.
​
​
When is CBD legal and when isn't it?
On June 25, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its first-ever approval of a marijuana-derived pharmaceutical drug. Epidiolex (cannabidiol or CBD) was approved for the treatment of two rare, pediatric seizure disorders, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.1 On September 27, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its scheduling of Epidiolex - and future drug products containing CBD derived from marijuana with no more than 0.1 percent tetrahydrocannabinols - in Schedule V of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).2 These events represent historical milestones in the journey of Cannabis from a source of textiles and medicines in the early nineteenth century to an illicit drug and now an FDA-approved drug.
​
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of more than a hundred cannabinoids found in Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabis spp. or Cannabis), a plant more well-known colloquially as “marijuana” or hemp [Please see Author’s Note below].3 CBD was first isolated in 1940 and characterized structurally in 1963.4,5 With projected retail sales of CBDproducts -hemp, marijuana and pharmaceutical - as high as $1.9 billion by 2020, CBD is poised to become the darling of the medical Cannabis movemen.6
​
REFERENCES
1. Press Announcements - FDA approves first drug comprised of an active ingredient derived from marijuana to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy [press release]. Office of the Commissioner 2018.
2. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement in Schedule V of Certain FDA-Approved Drugs Containing Cannabidiol; Corresponding Change to Permit Requirements. 2018; https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/28/2018-21121/schedule….
3. (ed) RU. Cannabis Inflorescence Monograph: a Monograph. 2014:66, Scotts Valley, CA.
4. Adams R, Hunt M, Clark JH. Structure of Cannabidiol, a Product Isolated from the Marijuana Extract of Minnesota Wild Hemp. I. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 1940;62(1):196-200.
5. Michoulam R, Shvo Y. Hashish. I. The structure of cannabidiol. Tetrahedron. 1963;19(12):2073-2078.
6. U.S. Total CBD Market By Sector (in Millions) - New Frontier. 2018; https://newfrontierdata.com/marijuana-insights/u-s-total-cbd-market-sect….