Vol. 205 January 1, 2019 Hemp, MJ, THC, and CBD . . . Wha.a.a.a?

December 31, 2018

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Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants. 

But they are not the same.

There are 80 different cannabinoid compounds in cannabis plants. THC and CBD are the largest in volume. Both hemp and MJ have THC (the chemical that gives you the high) and CBD (the chemical that does not); but in vastly different amounts.  Hemp products have only 0.3% THC.  Marijuana contains from 5% to 30% THC. The CBD in MJ actually regulates (moderates) the effect of THC, produces no euphoria, and is non-addictive.

The Kentucky Supreme Court decided years ago that marijuana and hemp were the same. Woody Harrelson in 1996 was charged with “illegal possession of marijuana” in Kentucky when he announced that he had “planted 4 hemp seeds.” Four years later a Lee County jury acquitted him of that charge. The jury knew that marijuana and hemp were not the same. Hemp has about 25,000 different manufacturing uses and was one of Kentucky’s leading crops until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 shut down production. 

Both MJ and hemp are touted to help treat medical illnesses. Some studies show that CBD may be effective in selected medical illness. Our medical knowledge about CBD’s ability to “enhance wellness” is about at the same stage as our scientific understanding of probiotics. Neither seems to do any harm, but there are few studies that indicate they provide any real benefit.

The few studies of medical marijuana have used THC in pill form. Most promoters of medical marijuana believe that the whole marijuana product has to be smoked or ingested to get any benefit. Nobody smokes marijuana for its CBD. Interestingly, marijuana does NOT treat glaucoma. It turns out that the early studies suggesting that were too small and not controlled enough to support that conclusion.

Medical marijuana is now legal in 33 states and D.C.. Hemp products have been legal in all 50 states for some years.

It is the “hemp-derived” CBD oil that is legal and available on Amazon, at Target, or at your local gift and wellness store as one of 150 “wellness” CBD products derived from hemp. Any “marijuana-derived” CBD product carries all the baggage of current marijuana laws. Hence, a good deal of confusion.

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“Hemp-derived” CBD was a $591 million(M) dollar business in the U.S. this year. With the 2018 Federal Farm Act (spear headed by Mitch McConnell, R- Ky) that lifts decades-long U.S. prohibition of hemp cultivation on January 1, 2019 (today), the U.S. hemp industry is predicted to grow to $22 billion(B) by 2022.

The largest marijuana-producing company in Canada is salivating (Hey, remember that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are persons, so why can’t they salivate?) about going into the distribution of hemp-derived CBD-infused “sports” beverages in the U.S.  Vogue magazine calls CBD wellness products one of the top 10 trends in 2018.

Because of severe federal restrictions on research on marijuana there is little reliable scientific data about its medical benefits.  What few studies there are or not always clear about what is actually being tested; THC, CBD, or the other 80 cannabinoids. So there is ample room for scientific and public discussion about the relative medical benefits of THC, CBD, hemp seeds, hemp oil, or other compounds in marijuana and hemp. The lack of real data about relative benefits and risks will continue to allow proponents of one product to shill louder than the others for the consumer’s dollar.

It is helpful to remember that this lack of knowledge about marijuana is such that a physician can NOT write an actual  prescription for it. A physician’s prescription for any medication has to designate the medication’s name, dose, form, and instructions for frequency and duration of use. There is no data to allow the physician to know how to do that for marijuana. Selective physicians can only certify a person as eligible for medical marijuana use. The “patient”  then takes the certificate (not a prescription) to the marijuana store and buys the type, the form, and the dose of the substance he or she chooses.  How does the user know what to buy? By word of mouth, advice from the store keeper, and good old trial and error. Hardly deserves the term “medical use”, does it?


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