Since the federal government has eased restrictions on using and selling CBD products, they’ve started appearing everywhere - even in our shop. As we prepare to launch a line of hemp smoking products, we feel it’s worth taking a closer look at what CBD is, and what it’s used for.
CBD, or cannabidiol is 1 of 144 cannabinoids that have been isolated from the hemp plant. Cannabinoids are a class of chemical compounds found both within the animal and plant kingdoms. Our bodies produce our own, known as endocannabinoids, while plants produce a variety known as phytocannabinoids. Luckily, our body is able to interact with both, and CBD affects us in a variety of ways when we smoke, vape, ingest, or apply it as a topical product.
So where exactly does CBD come from? A mature female hemp plant will produce buds at the end of its stems. Covering the surface of each cannabis bud and leaf is a fine layer of glands called trichomes. These are the tiny crystal-like mushroom caps that make your bud look fuzzy, and give it that sticky feel. Trichomes are the molecular workshop where CBD, and the rest of the cannabinoids are produced.
CBD can be obtained from any cannabis plant, but commercially available products typically extract their CBD from industrial hemp plants, which according to federal law must be grown containing less than 0.3% THC. Because of this, CBD products are not intoxicating or psychoactive. CBD does influence certain receptors within your nervous system, which can affect your mood, but it gives none of the euphoric effect experienced with THC usage. In fact, when used alongside one another, CBD can reduce the potency of THC.
So why do we use it? Further research will always be necessary, but especially is now in the early stages of legalization. It should be noted that the US Food & Drug Administration has only officially approved one CBD product, a prescription drug intended to treat seizures related to several medical disorders. While the FDA does allow companies, including herbal apothecaries, to sell CBD and hemp-derived products, it does not allow them to market products with any language that could constitute a health claim. Because of this, we are not allowed to discuss with you any potential benefits of using CBD, but we do encourage you to do your own research. Research into this plant and its benefits has only increased in members of international academia, and you can find much of their work published online.
Users also react differently to different doses, so it’s good to ease into it when trying CBD products for the first time. Start at a lower dosage, and find out how much you need to use to feel the intended effects. Though most users report little or no negative effects, everyone reacts differently, and some reports have included incidences of dry mouth, diarrhea, changes in appetite, and fatigue. The FDA strongly advises against usage of products containing CBD for those that are pregnant, or breastfeeding. It can also interact with medications that you're already taking, potentially leading to, or exacerbating existing side-effects. Therefore it's vital that you communicate with your doctor before using hemp-derived products.
Many people use CBD products to get the positive benefits of cannabis without the intoxicating effects. This is especially useful for tolerance breaks, as CBD usage actually helps to decrease your tolerance to THC. This is also helpful for people subject to random drug testing as a condition for employment. Drug tests typically don’t screen for CBD in your system. Instead, they’re screening for THC, which is present in trace amounts in full spectrum hemp derived products up to the federal government’s threshold for legality, 0.3%. This amount can still register on a drug screen, and some tests are more perceptive than others.
Therefore it is vital to communicate with your employer, and stay knowledgeable and up to date on their drug-testing practices, and be mindful of which products contain trace amounts of THC. To shop for products with 0% THC, look for products that only contain CBD isolate. Here’s a breakdown of the three main types of CBD available in a variety of products:
Full spectrum:
- Contains terpenes, cannabinoids, and less than 0.3% THC.
- Offers a full range of CBD benefits.
- A variety of natural cannabinoids and terpenes work together in perfect synergy to create what is known as the entourage effect.
Broad Spectrum:
- Contains terpenes, cannabinoids, and no THC.
- Offers the full range of CBD benefits without the psychoactive effects of THC.
- The cannabinoids and terpenes present can still create the entourage effect without the intoxication.
Isolate:
- Contains pure CBD, and no THC.
- This is the purest form of CBD, with no psychoactive effects as a stand-alone ingredient.
- This should not be detectable on drug screening.
- Tasteless and odorless.
At Sono our mission is to curate intention-based smoking experiences, and that’s why we’ve created over a dozen varieties of hemp smoking products that use full spectrum hemp and CBD isolate. The truth is there’s no reason to stop there - hemp is a plant with up to 50,000 known uses, and any one of them could be right for you.