How do you find the truth about CBD oil in a scary and confusing sea of fake news?
Making the decision to give a family member CBD oil may require a “wee-bit” of homework for the average consumer. All sorts of questions you’ve been asking about CBD oil, led you to the conclusion that there is a good amount of information to sort through, and it might be hard to digest entirely.
Who to listen to in a sea of “noise” clogging up your social news feed with seemingly interesting and potentially not so true. At times you hear one thing and another time, you’ve possibly heard something completely different.
The confusing information you might have heard is that “marijuana” CBD oil is illegal and “hemp” CBD oil is legal.
Well, hold on a second! Isn’t both hemp and marijuana the exact same thing? And the simple quick answer is 100% NO. Hemp is not the same thing as marijuana. Interestingly though. Both hemp and marijuana come from the same mother (Cannabis Sativa) plant.
Marijuana is the illegal-ish psychoactive [female] sibling of the [mother] cannabis plant and hemp is the very legal [male] part. The major difference between hemp and marijuana is that marijuana will get your high and legal industrial hemp will not because it has zero illegal THC.
The THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) molecule is what makes part of the cannabis plant illegal and heavily regulated. Hemp, on the other hand, is distinct from marijuana and is only “legal” because it has zero psychoactive THC in it, or extremely little. Most of the marijuana that recreational users smoke (to get high) contains 20% or more of the illegal THC. Whereas the HIGHEST amount of THC that can exist in hemp is strictly controlled and is so low (0.3%) we can essentially say that industrial hemp has zero THC.
Another primary reason for why hemp CBD oil is legal is because of “how” it is made. A few years ago, hemp industry won a legal battle against the DEA. The DEA attempted to make hemp illegal and the DEA lost. They lost because hemp has small “trace amounts” of illegal THC like poppy seed bagels have tiny trace amounts of illegal opiates. According to the Federal Superior Court, the mature stalk of the hemp plant is not marijuana and the DEA can only control marijuana and not hemp. The mature stalk of the hemp plant is where legal (in all 50 US states and over 45 countries) hemp CBD oil comes from.
Once you’ve taken the time to completely feel comfortable with buying hemp CBD oil, you are confronted by another series of challenges.
As you begin to sort through the various legal hemp CBD oils, you might begin to notice there are many different ways of consuming it. Different techniques for consumption yield different results. Some methods have a higher bioavailability (how much gets into your blood system better), others are longer lasting, and some produce rather instant results, etc.
A few ways to consume hemp CBD oil are as follows:
- Sublingual, under the tongue. (15-25% bioavailability)
- Topical (Low Absorption Rate)
- Oral, swallow and digested (13 – 19% bioavailability)
- Smoke Inhalation (18% bioavailability)
- Vaporization (40% bioavailability)
- Intranasal, nose. (34%-46% bioavailability)
- Rectal suppository.
- And more.
Each of these different methods of consuming CBD will yield a different experience. One method of consumption may not necessarily be better than the other. Based on your individual need, you could need a different method for different times of the day.
For instance, sometimes you’re too nauseated to hold down a pill and you want something fast acting. The quickest way to get CBD into your system and “working” is through inhalation via a vape pen. Although vaping is a fast acting method, the effects pass quickly and lasts the least amount of time (1-3 hours).
If you want a longer lasting approach, you’ll need to consume hemp CBD oil using a different method. Other methods will require more time to take effect but will end up lasting longer.
What makes each method of consuming hemp CBD oil different is what’s known as the “bioavailability.”
Bioavailability simply means, how much CBD gets into your system (bloodstream).
By definition, receiving an IV (intravenous) you will have gotten 100% into your bloodstream. The next best method for getting CBD into your bloodstream are sublingual and inhalation. No one size fits all. Keep experimenting until you have found the best series of methods that provide you the best relief.
Marijuana Oil Vs. Single Isolated CBD Molecule Vs. Full Hemp Plant Extract
Marijuana oil has THC in the mix. Whereas the purified CBD and full plant hemp oil, rich in CBD, does not have illegal THC. Marijuana oil is legal in states who have legalized it, even though it is still illegal at the federal level. CBD is legal if it is extacted from the mature stalk of the [male] hemp plant and is illegal if it’s from [female] marijuana. Full hemp plant extract is legal in all 50 states and internationally for specific reasons.
- Marijuana oil (Has THC).
- Purified CBD Molecule (99.99% CBD).
- Full spectrum hemp CBD oil (Less than 0.3% THC).
What is the difference?
I know! This sounds like a confusing bit of mess. Why is marijuana CBD illegal and hemp CBD legal? Is there a difference between the two? And the answer is both yes and no. Politicians have a very strict legal definition that prevents you from free access to CBD from marijuana. Even if it doesn’t have THC in it.
Hemp CBD is legal because it is not marijuana nor does it have illegal THC in it. The US has been importing hemp from all over the world for some time now. But, it has not been importing marijuana. Even though politics have made a “bizarre” distinction between marijuana CBD and hemp CBD, the scientific consensus agrees that a CBD molecule is a CBD molecule no matter where it came from. Just like water is water even if it came from an ocean, a river or your kitchen sink.
What is the REAL difference between these three CBD oils?
Each oil is its own separate product. Marijuana oil has THC in it and will give you the benefits that medical marijuana yields. Purified CBD will require a bit more attention because of the entourage effect. And full plant hemp CBD oil extract tends to be the best way to start consuming CBD oil.
At the end of the day, do enough research that gives you multiple points of reference. When they begin to start saying the same thing, you’ve hit the nail on the head and you’re ready to safely move forward.
