Cannibidiol CBD - what's up with this stuff?

[ShadowsDad]

The evidence that CBD works is so numerous today that to deny it is absolutely ludicrous. It would be like standing in the ocean and claiming one can't find salt water. But it can't be studied here in the US because of the classification that it's in federally, and if one could do a study there would be no money to do it. Many Drs here are trying to get MJ reclassified. Bringing another drug on line that does things other drugs can't do is a good thing. Not all drugs come the drug makers and many drugs in use today were found from biological sources.

Do I use MJ or any of it's components? No. But it's legal in Maine, both medically and recreationally.

The last time I heard on TV that it wasn't a gateway drug the person twisted the idea to make it somehow physiologically addictive in order to be a gateway drug. That's not how it works. It's like the apple in the Garden, a social thing. "Gateway drug" includes no definition to the way it works. Break down one barrier, then the next one is easier. I saw it happen in the military firsthand. Except there MJ wasn't available and the gateway drug was hashish, then the hash was laced with opium, then it was on to heroin. Does it happen to everyone who tries it? No. Many folks know when to walk away.

[brothers]

Nothing here about CBD today. The Keystone Cops and 3 Stooges together could never have come up with a scripted fiasco as hilarious/devious/confused/embarrassing as our state has done with the aftermath of the recent statewide vote on the use of marijuana. The post-election situation has currently exploding beyond imagining. I won't waste any SMF space attempting to outline what's happened. Much better than a soap opera.

[Bobwhite]

Don't fear it. See if it works for you. After retiring from a 30 plus year career in aviation I tried CBD. I didn't have any ailments to need it so of course I didn't notice anything. I also smoked pot, I don't care for it. I know a cancer patient who used marijuana for pain, and it had a far better effect over the drugs they were diving him.

I believe that anybody who would vote against medical marijuana is either uncaring or unknowing. If the vote comes to your state PLEASE do some research. Recreational marijuana is something which I would respect peoples personal opinion.

[drmoss_ca]

Read the science for yourself. It's plain that there's a hundred claims made for medical marijuana for every one that has some truth. Many of them boil down to it being nicer to have a symptom and be high, than it is to have the symptom and not be high. In less than two weeks every adult in Canada will be able to wander out and legally purchase and consume weed. The hype from companies selling it is making a bubble of their stocks, but it will all settle down in the end. Legalisation is probably the best way of cancelling out the evils of the illegal trade, but we still have to be trying as hard as possible to keep it out of kids' hands - they being the population likely to suffer actual harm.
If all that is uncaring or unknowing, so be it.

[brothers]

Not to be overlooked in the legalization and regulation of activities and substances are the enormous taxes that are collected. Our elected representatives have our permission to tax us if they'll just stop imprisoning and fining us for having or doing what we wish. In most cases, these are individually discretionary options and choices, rarely (if ever) mandates or accidents.

[Pauldog]

Someone told me something recently about CBD - that it contains nutrients that disappeared from our diets when marijuana use became criminalized. I don't know how true that is, but it makes me curious about it. I also met someone recently who said that medical marijuana helped a lot with his fairly severe MS, when marinol (a synthetic version) did not.

As far as medical usefulness, I would look for societies that have traditionally used it for medicinal purposes, and get useful hints there for further research.

What I'd like to see is a revival of the use of hemp to make paper, to alleviate deforestation. I don't know if that's happening much yet.

As far as smoking goes, inhaling smoke would almost have to be more hazardous than using a vaporizer, whether it's hemp or tobacco. Tobacco has the additional large hazard of including lots of additives, which are considered safe when not burned and not combined together, but not tested when burned together. That's why when I did smoke for a few years, I used additive-free tobacco. A heavy smoking day for me was two or three cigarettes. (When I couldn't nap, my method of gaining a high level of wakefulness was to smoke two cigarettes and drink two cups of coffee.)

As far as addictive substances go, sugar has been getting more and more attention...

[ShadowsDad]

CBD doesn't introduce a high. It's THC that does that.

[MadysonWalley]

While I can't confirm the nutrient claim, it's true that CBD has gained attention for its potential medical benefits. It's cool that medical marijuana helped your friend with MS when marinol didn't.

[Megumy2]

Sorry for reviving this thread. Just want to say that, in some cases, it really helps.

I’ve been using CBD for anxiety, and it’s been worthwhile for me. It helps calm my mind and makes it easier to manage stress. It doesn’t eliminate anxiety entirely, but it definitely makes it more manageable.

I pay £190 a month for a 30 ml bottle at the Releaf Clinic, which lasts me about a month. The cost is worth it, considering the relief it provides. I take it daily, usually in the morning, and it helps me stay centered throughout the day.

[blantyre]

Like a lot of medications, much of the effect is probably placebo. At the end of the day the body or mind have to “heal themselves” whether you have open heart surgery, PTSD or a hangnail. If you believe that something will help you recover that’s a good start. The good news is that there seems to be little evidence that small doses of CBD do any harm (unlike the large doses of THC in modern varieties). If it does some good it is by definition useful. Like many shaving products YMMV.

[Kyle76]

With the changing landscape of CBD and THC products, I thought I'd revive this thread for additional discussion, if anyone is interested. My wife and I have used THC gummies for sleeping and recreationally. They produce a nice gentle buzz, like smoking pot in the old days. We also use THC-infused drinks on occasion, and several restaurants we frequent offer them on the menu here in North Carolina, where neither recreational nor medicinal marijuana is legal. The THC products have been allowed through a farm bill passed several years ago to allow low-THC-level hemp production, and gummies and drink mixes can now be purchased legally, although the bill to end the most-recent government shutdown will ban sales starting in 2027. What I've enjoyed most is a drink called Willie's Remedy from a company partially owned by Willie Nelson, well known for touting his marijuana habit over the years. It has cut down my daily martini habit, and now I have an alcohol or THC drink 2-3 times a week instead. It will be interesting to see if a push is made to repeal the coming restrictions. I know Sen. Paul Rand of Kentucky was trying hard to remove that provision from the prior bill, and of course Pres. Trump had marijuana removed from the list as a Schedule 1 drug, which will make research into its benefits or drawbacks much easier to conduct.

[CMur12]

Not to dispute anyone else's experience with marijuana, I smoked it as a university student fifty-some years ago. The marijuana of that time had nowhere the potency that it does today. Anyway, it would make me sleepy immediately and I would sleep soundly though the night. However, it raised my heart rate significantly, and I would wake up tired in the morning, as if I hadn't rested.

- Murray

[Kyle76]

Murray, I've never experienced the weed that is sold in states that have legalized pot for recreational and/or medicinal use. I've heard they can be much stronger than the hemp products that I'm speaking of. The products that are available in my state must comply with strict limitations of THC content and are thus much milder than the cannabis sold in states where pot has been legalized. Your experience with marijuana is why many are using THC products to promote sleep. It will be interesting to see if the recent deregulation (not legalization) at the federal will lead to research into possible medicinal uses for THC products along with testing for harmful effects. Maybe, at long last, we will move forward from the old Reefer Madness era into one of legitimate research

[CMur12]

Jim, it is my hope, too, that the reclassification of cannabis will open the doors to more medical research, as it seems obvious that there is a lot of medical potential. As you also noted, it should give us a better understanding of potential problems from cannabis use.

- Murray

[blantyre]

I would not be surprised if a lot of CBD benefits are placebo. Nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day the body/mind have to heal themselves. Drugs help in some cases. Be they chemotherapy, statins or in some cases placebos. If they help then they are working. Obviously some drugs have powerful effects, some don’t. Seems ok to make CBD available. Not fully convinced that the high strength weed is such a good idea. Since the taxing bodies are hopelessly addicted to the revenue, much like gambling, it’s here to stay.