“CBDelirium; Wisdom in the Wild, Wild, West of CBD, Part I”
Part I — The Untamed Universe of CBD; ‘Buyer Beware’ and Other Burdens
By Adrian Adams, EdD, June 26, 2020
CBD. They say it will ‘Relieve Pain, Reduce Anxiety and Depression, Alleviate Cancer-related Symptoms, Reduce Acne, Promote Heart Health — and that’s only the beginning! But how many of us really know what CBD is? Where it comes from? How it’s made? And what it can actually do? More importantly perhaps — who the h@ll is making it? — and where? — and how? And when we take it — what else are we taking? Do we know? Are we trying to benefit our health — when we’re actually ingesting dangerous ingredients?
Interested? Listen Up!
Legal CBD and the Burden of Proof
What is CBD? Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound naturally made by, and extracted from, the Cannabis sativa plant. With indigenous origins in Eastern Asia, Cannabis sativa has been cultivated throughout recorded history, and used as a source of industrial fiber, seed oil, food and medicine. A Cannabis sativa plant with low levels of extract THC is called ‘Hemp’, a Cannabis plant with higher levels of THC is called, ‘Marijuana’. Hemp is legal, federally, Marijuana is not. Therefore, Hemp products, like Hemp derived CBD, are legal federally. Marijuana products, like CBD extracted from Marijuana plants, are not.
The important cut off between the legal ‘Hemp’ plant, and its infamous cousin, the illegal ‘Marijuana’ plant, is simply a THC level above .3%. At or below the .3% level, all products from that plant are considered derived from hemp and legal. Above .3% THC is officially marijuana, and that means you are playing with fire. Any product derived from a marijuana plant is presently considered federally illegal. The federal law succinctly states, ‘All plants containing levels of THC higher than .3% should be immediately disposed of.’ Pretty clear — it’s either Hemp… or its ‘Herb’ (Marijuana).
The first consideration when thinking about the production of the CBD we may externally apply, or internally ingest, is determining, in absolution, that the plant the CBD is being extracted from is unequivocally ‘Hemp’, and not an illegal plant. This determination is not just important for the consumer and the farmer, or the plant producer. Any purveyor of any product, derived from an unlawful plant — from dispensary owner to medical practitioner — could potentially be considered a felon if trading in illegal THC products. Sobering thoughts.
It’s called ‘guilt by association’, and fears about these sentences are pushing CBD professionals to call for stricter testing and more stringent regulations — if only for their own self preservation! CBD professionals serious about keeping their products in line with the law are going one step further, by making sure that testing facilities are reputable third party laboratories, not run or financed in any way by CBD manufacturers themselves. Make sure your product reads ‘CBD from Hemp’… or else.
The Dangers of Growth and Lagging Regulation
After determining the legality of our CBD products, it’s time to turn to other weighty concerns. It’s an age old adage. Industry comes into vogue. Industry goes wild. Industry flies out of control, and then is wrestled back into control again by the government, bringing about peace and safety for all. Well, in the world of CBD, we’re pretty much at the ‘Goes Wild’ stage as we speak.
In the beginning of 2019, hemp was removed from a ‘Controlled Substances’ list and instead categorized as an agricultural commodity, allowing numerous large, established companies the confidence to enter the CBD space. Q2 saw large retailers like CVS and Walgreens introduce CBD products in select states, signaling to the rest of the country that CBD is going mainstream. 2019 shaped up to be a massive year for cannabidiol (CBD), leading to sales just over $4 billion by year end– a 562% increase over 2018! Brightfield Group estimates that the total U.S. CBD market could reach $24.4 billion by late 2025. Sounds great , right? — But let’s not forget the next part of the story, you know, the ’flies out of control’ part…
I Have to know… What?
As consumers, it’s important to know that the amount of unprecedented growth the CBD industry has undergone, means that regulation and oversight ‘are still in development’. Which is a very nice way of saying, ‘Are running to keep up.’ This lapse of understanding and government guidance means that consumers have got to be prepared to do ‘due-diligence’ themselves to ensure that any cannabidiol products they use have been thoroughly tested. Not an easy task for those not schooled in the science of CBD…
The Perils of Pesticides
Because of the lack of clear regulation, many farmers growing hemp for cannabidiol purposes are taking dangerous chances concerning the management of pests, so it’s up to you as the consumer to know what’s been dumped on your hemp. Of particular note, many brands use plant material grown internationally, under suspect conditions, and sprayed with toxic compounds to prevent mold and insect problems during shipping.
An interesting detail about hemp is that it is what’s known as a soil remediator (think sponge!). If there’s a field that has a lot of pesticides, lead, arsenic, etc., farmers have long planted a crop of hemp to absorb the toxins, dispose of them, and go back to planting their desired crop.
The fear with international, unregulated hemp is that some countries are soil remediating with hemp, and then selling the hemp, or further processed hemp products, on the world market. It’s hard to impress upon consumers enough how important it is to know your brand! Require that the producer of any CBD product you use be able to present lab reports for their products. Ideally the hemp is tested for much more than just CBD potency on the report. Terpenes (very good stuff we will talk about in a future article), heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria, mold, and should all be accounted for. If you don’t see a lab report with testing for all of those, move on to another brand.
There are two pesticides you want to make absolutely certain are not present on your plants or in your CBD — Bifenazate and Myclobutanil. They are some of the most commonly used pesticides for cannabis plants, which most brands do not test for.
Experts have proven that a person exposed to these substances again and again could potentially experience detrimental effects on fertility, pregnancies and internal organ function. This is bad news, considering many doctors prescribe the long term use of CBD products for the treatment of chronic disease. Upsettingly, blind product testing found 84.3 percent of Cannabis sativa samples contained pesticides, sixty-five percent of those contained myclobutanil specifically. Considering the medical community’s desire to increasingly perscribe CBD to patients, to treat long-term illness, the government must use industry-wide regulations as a lever to put patient safety first.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Dr. Adrian Adams is the CEO of Ontogen Botanicals, a company dedicated to providing the highest quality CBD to physicians and their patients alike. As a former biology and chemistry educator, Dr. Adams has a deep understanding of the physical properties of the Cannabis sativa plant as well as the various processes used to grow hemp, extract CBD and create superior CBD products.
Dr. Adams is also a passionate influencer within the CBD industry, and a proponent and activist for the use of Medical Marijuana in New York State, having witnessed the significant, positive differences cannabis can make in people’s lives.
Adrian is currently the New York State Director of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, a national nonprofit organization devoted to helping give new minority businesses access to the emerging Medical Marijuana industry.
Please read “The Invisible Journey”; #BLM and Being Bi-racial in the Jim Crow South and share our stories to help save lives.
