8/18/2016 CBD Misconceptions

CBD Misconceptions
By Martin A. Lee on February 18, 2015

Updated: August 2, 2015

It doesn’t get you high, but it’s causing quite a buzz among
medical scientists and patients. The past year has seen a surge of
interest in cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating cannabis
compound with significant therapeutic properties. Numerous
commercial start-ups and internet retailers have jumped on the
CBD bandwagon, touting CBD derived from industrial hemp as
the next big thing, a miracle oil that can shrink tumors, quell
seizures, and ease chronic pain—without making people feel
“stoned.” But along with a growing awareness of cannabidiol as a
potential health aid there has been a proliferation of misconceptions about CBD.

1. “CBD is medical. THC is recreational.” Project CBD receives many inquiries from around
the world and oftentimes people say they are seeking “CBD, the medical part” of the
plant, “not THC, the recreational part” that gets you high. Actually, THC, “The High
Causer,” has awesome therapeutic properties. Scientists at the Scripps Research Center
in San Diego reported that THC inhibits an enzyme implicated in the formation of beta-
amyloid plaque, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s-related dementia. The federal government
recognizes single-molecule THC (Marinol) as an anti-nausea compound and appetite
booster, deeming it a Schedule III drug, a category reserved for medicinal substances
with little abuse potential. But whole plant marijuana, the only natural source of THC,
continues to be classified as a dangerous Schedule I drug with no medical value.

2. “THC is the bad cannabinoid. CBD is the good cannabinoid.” The drug warrior’s
strategic retreat: Give ground on CBD while continuing to demonize THC. Diehard
marijuana prohibitionists are exploiting the good news about CBD to further stigmatize
high-THC cannabis, casting tetrahydrocannabinol as the bad cannabinoid, whereas CBD
is framed as the good cannabinoid. Why? Because CBD doesn’t make you high like THC
does. Project CBD categorically rejects this moralistic, reefer madness dichotomy in favor
of whole plant cannabis therapeutics. (Read the foundational science paper: A Tale of
Two Cannabinoids.)

3. “CBD is most effective without THC.” THC and CBD are the power couple of cannabis
compounds—they work best together. Scientific studies have established that CBD and
THC interact synergistically to enhance each other’s therapeutic effects. British

researchers have shown that CBD potentiates THC’s anti-inflammatory properties in an

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researchers have shown that CBD potentiates THC’s anti-inflammatory properties in an

animal model of colitis. Scientists at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco
determined that a combination of CBD and THC has a more potent anti-tumoral effect
than either compound alone when tested on brain cancer and breast cancer cell lines.
And extensive clinical research has demonstrated that CBD combined with THC is more
beneficial for neuropathic painthan either compound as a single molecule.

4. “Single-molecule pharmaceuticals are superior to ‘crude’ whole plant

medicinals.” According to the federal government, specific components of the marijuana
plant (THC, CBD) have medical value, but the plant itself does not have medical value.
Uncle Sam’s single-molecule blinders reflect a cultural and political bias that privileges
Big Pharma products. Single-molecule medicine is the predominant corporate way, the
FDA-approved way, but it’s not the only way, and it’s not necessarily the optimal way to
benefit from cannabis therapeutics. Cannabis contains several hundred compounds,
including various flavonoids, aromatic terpenes, and many minor cannabinoids in
addition to THC and CBD. Each of these compounds has specific healing attributes, but
when combined they create what scientists refer to as a holistic “entourage effect,” so
that the therapeutic impact of the whole plant is greater than the sum of its single-
molecule parts. The Food and Drug Administration, however, isn’t in the business of
approving plants as medicine. (See the scientific evidence.)

5. “Psychoactivity is inherently an adverse side effect.”According to politically correct drug

war catechism, the marijuana high is an unwanted side effect. Big Pharma is keen on
synthesizing medically active marijuana-like molecules that don’t make people high—
although it’s not obvious why mild euphoric feelings are intrinsically negative for a sick
person or a healthy person, for that matter. In ancient Greece, the word euphoria meant
“having health,” a state of well-being. The euphoric qualities of cannabis, far from being
an unwholesome side effect, are deeply implicated in the therapeutic value of the plant.
“We should be thinking of cannabis as a medicine first,” said Dr. Tod Mikuriya, “that
happens to have some psychoactive properties, as many medicines do, rather than as an
intoxicant that happens to have a few therapeutic properties on the side.”

6. “CBD is legal in all 50 states.” Purveyors of imported, CBD-infused hemp oil claim it’s
legal to market their wares anywhere in the United States as long as the oil contains less
than 0.3 percent THC. Actually, it’s not so simple. Federal law prohibits U.S. farmers from
growing hemp as a commercial crop, but the sale of imported, low-THC, industrial hemp
products is permitted in the United States as long as these products are derived from
the seed or stalk of the plant, not from the leaves and flowers. Here’s the catch:
Cannabidiol can’t be pressed or extracted from hempseed. CBD can be extracted from
the flower, leaves, and, only to a very minor extent, from the stalk of the hemp plant.
Hemp oil start-ups lack credibility when they say their CBD comes from hempseed and
stalk. Congress may soon vote to exempt industrial hemp and CBD from the definition of
marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. Such legislation would not be necessary
if CBD derived from foreign-grown hemp was already legal throughout the United
States. 

7. “'CBD-only’ laws adequately serve the patient population.”Fifteen U.S. state legislatures

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7. “'CBD-only’ laws adequately serve the patient population.”Fifteen U.S. state legislatures
have passed “CBD only” (or, more accurately, “low THC”) laws, and other states are
poised to follow suit. Some states restrict the sources of CBD-rich products and specify
the diseases for which CBD can be accessed; others do not. Ostensibly these laws allow
the use of CBD-infused oil derived from hemp or cannabis that measures less than 0.3
percent THC. But a CBD-rich remedy with little THC doesn’t work for everyone. Parents of
epileptic children have found that adding some THC (or THCA, the raw unheated version
of THC) helps with seizure control in many instances. For some epileptics, THC-dominant
strains are more effective than CBD-rich products. The vast majority of patients are not
well served by CBD-only laws. They need access to a broad spectrum of whole plant
cannabis remedies, not just the low THC medicine. One size doesn’t fit all with respect to
cannabis therapeutics, and neither does one compound or one product or one strain.
(Read more: Prohibition’s Last Gasp: “CBD Only.”)

8. “CBD is CBD—It doesn’t matter where it comes from.” Yes it does matter. The flower-
tops and leaves of some industrial hemp strains may be a viable source of CBD (legal
issues notwithstanding), but hemp is by no means an optimal source of cannabidiol.
Industrial hemp typically contains far less cannabidiol than CBD-rich cannabis. Huge
amounts of industrial hemp are required to extract a small amount of CBD, thereby
raising the risk of toxic contaminants because hemp is a “bio-accumulator” that draws
heavy metals from the soil. Single-molecule CBD synthesized in a lab or extracted and
refined from industrial hemp lacks critical medicinal terpenes and secondary
cannabinoids found in cannabis strains. These compounds interact with CBD and THC to
enhance their therapeutic benefits. (See also: Sourcing CBD: Marijuana, Industrial Hemp
& the Vagaries of Federal Law.)

             
Tags: Cannabis Politics Cannabis Law Cannabis Medicine Hemp THC
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