Recently I ran across an article by a 26-year-old lamenting the insanity of classifying CBD as a schedule 1 narcotic or having no medical value and high potential for abuse. Huh? Now I know I’m preaching to the choir, but bear with me. This gal was suddenly stopped by numbness in her hand. Her livelihood as a knit designer was destined to go down the tubes if she couldn’t feel her fingers to knit. Then the pain hit. Medical tests showed ulnar and carpal nerve damage. Not a good diagnosis.
As a resident of Maine, she started researching CBD, which is legal in that state. Eventually, she discovered CBD topicals and had this to say, “Topical relief from CBD was intriguing and widely available, but despite my curiosity, I was thoroughly pessimistic that lotion could be my solution. Until I tried it.” Although it wasn’t a hallelujah chorus recovery, the symptomatic relief helped her choose a plan to eliminate the problem, not just abate the symptoms.
She’s not the only one. Others have used CBD for myriad issues. Jessica, age 25, works a day job while she does standup comedy gigs at night. Sleep was elusive. Until she found CBD.
Jim, a veterinarian, soothes his aging dog’s anxiety with CBD.
Recently CBD was approved for use for children with epilepsy.
There is a long list of anecdotal evidence that shows CBD is therapeutic for so many health conditions. At the same time, research is still lagging, so there aren’t clear evidence-based treatments or standards.
Why does CBD work for so many issues? I’ll tell you. If you’ve read any of my blogs, you know we all have CBD receptors throughout our brains and bodies. CBD or cannabidiol is the main active compound in hemp, and it’s not psychoactive, which means you can’t get high from using it. Again, my question about being a Schedule 1 narcotic.
Introducing CBD into the body activates other receptors that galvanize into action the CB1 and CB2 receptors in our body. When that happens, the CBD receptors get to work to stabilize the body’s functions. That’s the layman’s version, it’s actually more complicated than that, but there you are.
As awareness of CBD and its therapeutic benefits grow, people want to try it for their conditions that other medications have failed. But, there isn’t much much in terms of peer-reviewed published research to guide them. So of course, the hew and cry is for more research. Duh.
But, CBD research in this country is stymied because of the stigma attached to it: Schedule 1 narcotic. Seriously?
But, there is hope. The Agriculture Improvement Act, a.k.a. the Farm Bill would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity. This bill passed the Senate Agricultural Committee by a vote of 20–1 on June 13. It is now scheduled to be voted on in the full Senate before July 4 and is expected to pass. Then it will move on to the House for a vote. It’s not a done deal, but as I said there is hope, and it’s a step in the right direction.
It just seems wrong that something that could be beneficial for so many is stuck in politics as usual.