What is CBD and is hemp flower legal?
What is CBD?
CBD stands for Cannabidiol and is one of over 100 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the wide family of Cannabaceae. Both hemp and marijuana are cannabis plants.
Figure 1: The cannabis crop [1].
Another well-known cannabinoid is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is known for its psychoactive effects or “high”.
Unlike THC which produces a “high” sensation, CBD does not alter the state of mind and have some positive benefits on health. These include helping people with anxiety and depression.
Some of the medical use of CBD include:
- Seizures
- Inflammation
- Pain
- Mental disorders
- Migraines
- Nausea
- Inflammatory
In fact, according the World Health Organization (WHO), CBD is totally safe [2]. CBD can be extracted from hemp or from marijuana. Hemp plants contain less than 0.3% THC which is not enough to create any psychoactive symptoms, while marijuana plants contain higher concentration of THC. Thus hemp has no psychoactive effects while marijuana do.
Is hemp flower legal?
Hemp is currently legal federally since the Agriculture Act of 2018. Marijuana on the other hand is still a controlled substance and federally illegal under the Controlled Substance Act.
Hemp derived CBD and Marijuana derived CBD:
The origin of CBD is important to consider in terms of legality. Check out the laws regulating CBD in your state and those you travel. Hemp-derived CBD is legal on the federal level but Marijuana-derived CBD is illegal on the federal level, but legal under some state laws. Check with your state
[1]: Gould, J. The cannabis crop. Nature 525, S2–S3 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/525S2a https://www.nature.com/articles/525S2a.pdf
[2]: World Health Organization. CANNABIDIOL (CBD) Pre-Review Report Agenda Item 5.2 Expert Committee on Drug Dependence Thirty-ninth Meeting Geneva, 6-10 November 2017. https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.2_CBD.pdf