Is CBD Legal?

It's become common knowledge that the hemp-derived molecule, CBD (cannabidiol) has significant medical benefits. I have personally watched the buzz over CBD practically explode over the past couple years. It's such of hot topic that it's been a major news story several times over, even getting multiple Dateline specials on NBC.

Such popularity in the common dialogue is not because the compound is recently discovered, or that new medical properties have been revealed for the first time. Many of the same reasons that make people call CBD a miracle treatment have been known throughout history. Many notable figures have been recorded using cannabis and hemp for the same benefits CBD has. Queen Victoria used it for her menstrual pains, and George Washington used it to alleviate pain. The earliest known records of cannabis being used for medical purposes are from 2700 BCE: Chinese Emperor Shennong used it to treat his gout and rheumatoid pain.

If CBD has been used for so long, by people who have had access to the full range of medicines at their times, why is it now seemingly emerging on the radar? The answer to this puzzle lies in the sticky situation revolving around the legality of cannabis as a whole. If you are unaware, the wide range of uses and benefits that cannabis/marijuana hemp offer makes the plant is a major threat to several industries. Because of this, lobbyists for these major money-making industries, such as the paper, pharmaceutical, and prison industries, have stood in the way of medical trials, preventing any steps towards evidence-based policy. Keeping the plant, and thus all of its derivatives, illegal and/or suppressed for decades has conveniently lined the pockets of many self-interested groups. This is not only unethical, but it creates a real problem for the countless individuals who would benefit immensely from having readily available CBD.

Fortunately, American politicians appear to be waking up to the fact that they cannot uphold the same laws when the potential of this medicine is obviously apparent. It is inevitable that CBD will be a major staple in people's lives across the country in the near future. With the demand for this natural treatment for dozens of chronic conditions skyrocketing, the pressure on lawmakers is moving many gears behind the scenes of the nation's political machine.

While we are moving in the right direction, the unclear legal status of CBD has made many hesitant to give it a try. CBD itself may be legal across all 50 States, but there are situations where it is not legal. The primary distinction is where the CBD was derived from: hemp or marijuana.

Hemp and marijuana are the same plant; however, hemp is the male plant while marijuana is the female plant. A distinction between the genders is the marijuana contains upwards of 30% THC – the psychoactive compound that gets you high. Hemp contains negligible amounts of THC: less than 0.3%, which is the legal limit for CBD products across the country. This means that is is impossible to get high off hemp-based CBD products.

Because hemp has no psychoactive effects, there is no law against it. Yet, because hemp is sometimes confused with marijuana, there is a natural stigma against it. Combined with the local cultural attitudes towards cannabis, this has made many turn down CBD without even trying it, despite suffering from one of the many issues that have a plethora of anecdotal evidence for helping.

This is one of the main problems that has created this situation leaving many question the legality of CBD. The FDA requires carefully conducted clinical trials on hundreds of thousands of people, in controlled conditions, before a legal change can happen. Anecdotal evidence is not enough. Even with millions of people vocalizing how they have had their lives changed because of CBD, the law remains unmoving until it overcomes the hurdles that have been intentionally placed in its way to slow down the legalization of all cannabis-related products.

As the CBD movement continues to grow, we are excited and optimistic about the future. We have brought many people the relief they have been seeking for their chronic pain and suffering, and the look on their faces when they tell us their story makes us proud. Everybody has a right to live their life without their chronic medical conditions getting in the way of the joy that is available to all of us. With hemp-based CBD, this is possible for more and more people. We hope these legal hiccups get sorted out and CBD becomes known for its objective benefits, by everyone, so that no one has to suffer when they don't have to. Until then, we will keep providing CBD and bringing smiles to those who need one.

Check out our store and visit our website to learn how CBD could help you. With dozens upon dozens of ailments treatable with CBD, you won't walk away disappointed.