What is CBD?
The cannabis plant is made up of two main players: CBD and THC. "CBD is the non-psychoactive portion of the plant, so what that means is you won't have any effects like euphoria. You won't feel sedated or altered in any way.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound from the cannabis plant. It's a naturally occurring substance that's used in products like oils and edibles to impart a feeling of relaxation and calm. Unlike its cousin tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it's not psychoactive.
Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. In 2018, clinical research on cannabidiol included preliminary studies of anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain.
These chemical compounds act on receptors found in your brain as well as in your body and product various effect, such as the regulation of inflammation, mood, and appetite and pain perception. Because you have these cannabinoid receptors in place, you can take advantage of products which contain cannabinoids and not have to rely on the ones your body produces. When you take a product that contains CBD, you can get the therapeutic effects of the cannabinoids without the intoxicating effect that comes with products that contain THC.
You've probably heard the terms cannabis, marijuana, and hemp all tossed around in relation to CBD. The plant Cannabis sativa has two primary species, hemp and marijuana. Both contain CBD, but there's a much higher percentage in hemp, which also has very low (less than 0.3%) levels of THC compared to marijuana.
Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill passed by congress and signed by President Trump in December 2018, the legal landscape for CBD is shifting in a major way. The legislation took marijuana's cousin, industrial hemp, off the federal government's naughty list-provided the plant contains less than .3% THC (the intoxicating element in cannabis marijuana).
Be aware that this doesn't change the status of any products containing cannabis marijuana-derived CBD, which remain illegal federally and available only in states with fully functioning medical and recreational marijuana programs.
Federal guidelines state that legal CBD products must contain less than .3% THC to pass federal standards, and levels higher than that could result in unwanted effects and a potentially costly failed drug test. (Full-Spectrum)
