The legalization of recreational marijuana has been a hot-button issue for years. As of January 2020, Illinois became the 11th state to authorize the sale of cannabis, whether for medicinal purposes or recreation. Although Colorado, Washington, Florida, California, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Illinois and District of Columbia have made the recreational use of cannabis legal, the federal government still considers it an illegal substance.
With more and more states allowing their residents to use marijuana, people aren’t just smoking it, they are using it to bake desserts, make candy, create meals and more. But what are they really using?
There are derivatives of the cannabis sativa plant that produces cannabidiol (CBD), hemp and marijuana, each serving different purposes.
HEMP-DERIVED CBD
Hemp-derived CBD is obtained from industrial hemp plants and is grown for its seeds and fiber. The leaves are skinny and limited in foliage which makes it easy to discern from marijuana. Hemp is also differentiated from marijuana by the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which are minimal. In the U.S. it’s less than 0.3 percent.
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Because of the 2018 Farm Bill, industrial hemp was eliminated from the government’s list of controlled substance. This action authorized hemp-derived CBD to become legal in all 50 states and allowed for the proliferation of CBD into the marketplace.
CBD is touted as a remedy for various ailments such as arthritic pain, sleep disorders, anxiety, nausea and even cancer, but more clinical research is needed to verify the claims. "We know in animal studies and some test-tube studies, it seems to be pretty good for anti-inflammatory, may have some anti-pain (properties), and it certainly has some effect on mood," says Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine and Health Research Program in an article on the Mayo Clinic website.
In a Phase III trial of a pure CBD product for epilepsy, Epidiolex®, has shown to be very effective and holds much promise.
MARIJUANA-DERIVED CBD
Marijuana-derived CBD is obtained from marijuana plants that have lush, thick foliage and flowers and are grown primarily for the consumption of their intoxicating effects. The predominant chemical in this plant is THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid that gets you high. Although THC is prevalent in most marijuana plants, there are some strains that are abundant in CBD.
The CBD molecule extracted from hemp or marijuana is identical, but there are certain factors that distinguish the CBD byproducts obtained from the two plants.
Resin
The resin content is one essential point of distinction between hemp-derived CBD and marijuana-derived CBD. Cannabis resin is present in the trichomes (part of plant that contains the THC that gets you high) of buds and, to some degree, on the leaves.
Marijuana plants typically contain substantial amounts of resin, while hemp plants have much less. Marijuana provides much more CBD than hemp so larger amounts of hemp are needed to retrieve the chemical.
The exception to this is the development of some new craft hemp strains that contain high concentrations of CBD of 12 and 20 percent.
Contamination
A major risk exists when it comes to possible contamination levels of CBD due to how and where it is sourced. Because of the absence of strict regulations around the production and refinement of hemp, highly contaminated CBD products could be produced. An example of this is in China where there are few regulations in agriculture. This lack of laws governing production has led to hemp-derived CBD from China being high in contaminants.
HEMP
Between hemp and marijuana, hemp is the most utilitarian of the two plants. The difference in hemp versus marijuana is that hemp has had a wide array of uses for more than 10,000 years: fiber (from the stems), protein (from the seeds), oils and smokable parts (from leaves and flowers). Hemp has been used to produce items such as clothing, rope, paper, furnishing fabric, rope and building materials. The entire plant can be used to create feedstock and fuel.
Although very minimal, hemp does contain THC but not enough to get you high. If you are trying to achieve the medicinal benefits of the rich cannabinoids of hemp, you would be better served consuming hemp-derived CBD products.
The uses of hemp, CBD and marijuana are vast and varied. Before you decide to use medicinal cannabis stevia, consult your doctor for any possible interactions with other medicines you are taking.
