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Cannabidiol (CBD)

Cannabinoids in Marijuana (Cannabis)

Marijuana is derived from the flowers and leaves of the plants Cannabis sativa, Cannabis Indica, genetically modified and hybrid strains. Marijuana contains 150 different components.  40 of these are cannabinoids, that is active on the cannabinoid receptors in humans.  Of these cannabinoids, 8 are present in high enough concentrations to possibly be psychoactive.  They are THCA (tetrahydrocannabinol acid- the form THC occurs inside plants- THCA is converted into THC by heating the marijuana, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) the form of CBD found in plants, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol- the primary psychoactive component in marijuana, delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol (CBD- converted from CBDA with heat- the primary therapeutic agent in marijuana), cannabigerol, and cannabinol (CBN).    Marijuana has these substances in varying proportions depending on the strain and whether it is deemed "medical marijuana" .  Some recreational marijuana strains have 20% THC and 1% CBD while medical marijuana strains may have 1% THC and 20% CBD.  Therefore it is important to know these ratios before beginning to use the products for medical purposes. The amounts of these are found on the packages of edible marijuana. It is illegal to send marijuana products through the mail containing more than 0.03% THC. 

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CBD From Hemp 

Hemp oil comes from the seeds of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, and contain no CBD- zero.  Therefore hemp oil is not synonymous with CBD oil.  Hemp oil is used for cooking and industrial uses such as making rope, cloth, and as a petroleum substitute in manufacturing.  CBD oil on the other hand, is extracted from the stems and roots of the hemp plant, Cannabis Sativa, that is a low THC containing product.   

 

Cannabis Sativa has two different subspecies- hemp and marijuana- the two plants differ slightly in appearance with hemp being taller and marijuana being broader.  Hemp stalks are more fibrous than marijuana. The differences between hemp and marijuana are more evidence after centuries of selective breeding. 

 

CBD oil contains mainly CBD and less than 0.03% THC,  CBD oil may be obtained by cold pressing the stalks of the plant, solvent extraction techniques, supercritical CO2 extraction, or other techniques.  The problems arise when buying it online since there is no guarantee the CBD is pure without adulterants such as pesticides, heavy metals that accumulate in the plant, stalk fibers, or industrial solvents such as butane that is commonly used.  Very few manufacturers have an analysis performed on their product for pesticides, heavy metal content or solvent content.  These impurities may be found in significant quantities dependent on where the Cannabis is grown and use of pesticides in surrounding fields by farmers.  Furthermore, the amount of CBD in the oil is questionable: the FDA released a study in 2015 showing many CBD oils being sold on the internet had zero CBD.  In other words, fraudulent products, probably hemp seed oil, that has no CBD at all. Since then, the FDA has issued warning letters to many CBD manufacturers, but these warnings are usually about outlandish and illegal claims being made.  It is illegal to claim CBD can have any health effects since it is practically unregulated as a supplement, but supplements cannot make health claims.  Some websites will post an analysis sheet from a "third party" online, and claim their product is safe since it has been analyzed.  But these analysis sheets are useless unless they are re-analyzed for each lot of product- something most manufacturers will not do because of cost.  Also these are easily fabricated, and there is no way purchasers can check the veracity of such claims.  Finally CBD manufacturers use "testimonials" or "infomercials" to sell their product.  Both of these call into serious doubt any health claims made by these manufacturers or distributors. CBD oil is treated like a supplement by the federal government- virtually no regulation at all regarding the claims that can be made, the quality of the product, nor the purity of the product. Also, dealers in CBD state that it is a "natural" medicine, however there is nothing "natural" about it it must be extracted from the plant and concentrated far beyond what is ever seen in nature, then suspended in a carrier agent that may be hemp oil or olive oil.  Less than 1% of the final product sold may actually be CBD oil. Finally, the extraction process actually changes the chemical composition.  Native hemp contains mainly CBDA, the acid form of CBD, but heating or manipulating it changes most of it into CBD.  The analysis machines (gas chromatography or gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy) cannot detect the CBDA since it breaks down in the machine to CBDA.  Therefore we really don't know what is in CBD oil given the inability to accurately analyze it. (https://www.perkinelmer.com/lab-solutions/resources/docs/APP_Cannabis-Analysis-Potency-Testing-Identifification-and-Quantification-011841B_01.pdf)

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Forms of CBD available online

CBD oil

CBD candy

CBD gum

CBD tea

CBD coffee

CBD vape products

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DOSAGE OF CBD

We have no dosing-effect studies, so it is simply experimentation.  Recommendations by manufacturers and distributors are not based on scientific data of safety or effectiveness, but on how much they can sell to the public.  Doses as little as 1mg a day may be effective.  Here is a dosing chart from one manufacturer: 

  • General Health: 2.5-15mg CBD by mouth daily

  • To treat chronic pain: 2.5-20 mg CBD by mouth daily

  • To treat sleep disorders: 40-160 mg CBD by mouth daily

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Taking the drug sublingual may reduce the needed dosage by 1/2-2/3. 

Health Claims by CBD Manufacturers and Many Pyramid Scheme Distributors

  1. CBD helps control or cure diabetes.  Reality:  As of Jan 2018, there are several rat studies that suggest this might be the case, but human studies have not been able to show any such effect.

  2. CBD helps reduce anxiety   Reality: As of Jan 2018, there are very few studies on CBD and anxiety in humans.  There are two studies in acute anxiety settings with some positive benefit, but no studies on chronic dosing.  Rat studies are encouraging however also show variable responses, but humans are not rats.

  3. CBD helps relief pain.  Reality: As of Jan 2018, the human studies do NOT support its use in pain control due to highly variable results, including some worsening of pain. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29160600).  Rat studies show it may have analgesic properties.

  4. CBD helps with nausea from cancer or chemotherapy.  Reality: As of Jan 2018, there are no human studies that support this contention.  There are human studies using marijuana but not CBD for nausea.  

  5. Many other claims such as being able to reduce bone injury, osteoporosis, bacterial infections, fungal infections, treats cancer and reduce tumor load, treats psoriasis all have no human studies demonstrating efficacy.  The studies available are in animal models that do not replicate human anatomy. 

  6. Anti-inflammatory properties are claimed- there are no studies to substantiate this claim in humans, but there is good evidence in animal studies.  

  7. There ARE studies to support the use of CBD in humans attempting to stop the use of heroin or marijuana, as a treatment for psychosis, and as an immune modulator. 

  8. Safety:  In general the studies short term show a good safety profile but no long term studies have been conducted in humans, therefore long term use is engaging in human experimentation at this time.  Those taking CBD and are on long term warfarin have a significantly increased blood level of the drug that may lead to them bleeding to death.  (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/)

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