What is CBD?

The phytocannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound extracted from hemp and cannabis plants, with a documented history in human medicine dating back thousands of years. Because CBD is non-intoxicating with known therapeutic properties, and easy to consume as an oil, it has become an appealing option for people who may be hesitant about trying cannabis.

After tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is the second most abundant and studied of the 114 known cannabinoids unique to the cannabis plant. In low doses, the effects of CBD are stimulating or alerting. In high doses, the effects of CBD are sedating. For most people, CBD has no negative side effects and there appears to be no tolerance to the effects of CBD. This natural compound has more than a dozen “targets of action” within the human body, giving it numerous medicinal properties:

● Analgesic (pain reliever​ )
● Anti-cancer agent
● Anti-inflammatory
● Anticonvulsant
● Antidepressant
● Antioxidant
● Antipsychotic
● Antispasmodic
● Anxiolytic (anti-anxiety)
● Neuroprotectant

Sublingual CBD oils — often referred to as CBD hemp oil or tinctures — are the most popular type of CBD products due to their relatively high bioavailability and rapid absorption in the human circulatory system. However, CBD can be found in a wide range of products like edibles, topicals, and supplements. Ever since 2013 when CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reversed his stance on cannabis and told the world, “We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States,” CBD has exploded in popularity. Over the past 10 years, hundreds of scientific articles on CBD have been published by researchers and doctors confirming the compound’s therapeutic properties. CBD oil has been praised as a therapy for the sick and a preventive measure for healthy people of all ages.

IS CBD LEGAL?

While CBD can be extracted from cannabis plants, strict laws and regulations have made hemp-derived CBD the viable option in the United States. Due to hemp’s low levels of THC (less than 0.3% THC by weight), hemp-derived CBD is far less restricted by the federal government and legal for sale and use in most states. CBD products derived from non-hemp varieties of cannabis can contain significant amounts of THC and are therefore subject to stricter laws and regulations under the federal government’s Controlled Substances Act.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly referred to as the Hemp Farm Bill, removed hemp from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, allowing U.S. farmers to cultivate, process, and sell hemp and hemp-derived products.

In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug containing an active ingredient derived from cannabis — a prescription medicine in the form of an oral-mucosal spray for use in the treatment of intractable seizure disorders for patients two years of age and older. This THC-free treatment has set a new precedent for the medical value of CBD in the United States.

Flav complies with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and all other federal regulations.

SO, IS CBD FOR ME?

You should always check with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your wellness regimen, but more and more people are finding CBD a welcome alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals. We recommend that you do your research and talk to your doctor before making CBD a positive addition to your physical and mental wellbeing.