THE CBD MANIA--WANT TO TRY IT?

CBD, also known as Cannabidiol, is being hailed as a miracle drug, a compound in marijuana.
(pronounce emphasizing DI)

When ingested, affects "cannabinoid" receptors throughout your body, which have a regulatory function. It doesn't get you high. THC is the component in marijuana that makes people euphoric.

CBD's been purported to do just about everything that bothers you--relieve pain; reduce anxiety and stress, treat inflammation, insomnia, headaches, hangovers, nausea, skin disorders, joint pain, muscle spasms, and period cramps. It used to be sold in medical marijuana shops, but now products made from hemp, marijuana's low-THC cousin, are available online, in health-food stores, supermarkets, even gas stations. Sales are soaring following endorsements from celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Joe Rogan, and wellness tycoon Gwyneth Paltrow.

You can puff it from a vaporizer, but it's mainly produced as an oil concentrate that you mix in juice, and other liquids you drink. It's being blended into lotions, ointments, and added to nearly every food imaginable, from ice cream and smoothies to gumdrops and salad dressing. Last summer, Willie Nelson began selling "Willie's Remedy," a CBD-infused coffee. Coca-Cola is rumored to be considering bringing CBD beverages to the mass market.

Is it legal? The Food and Drug Administration still classifies CBD made from the marijuana plant as a Schedule 1 substance, along with drugs like heroin and LSD. Even so, many small shops and online retailers sell hemp-derived CBD in states where marijuana is banned. The legality got a big boost in December, when President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized commercial hemp production, that was outlawed in 1937.

Hemp, a cannabis plant that has less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive compound THC, is mostly used to make products like rope, paper, and textiles. The new law won't legalize hemp-derived CBD, but opens the door for it to become federally regulated. Without regulation, CBD products are marketed about as reliable as snake oil. Studies examining 84 CBD products found that nearly 70 percent were mislabeled--some have more CBD, some significantly less. Some contained a enough THC to show up on a drug test.

Scientists say high-quality clinical trials on humans need to be conducted to verify CBD's benefits--dosage levels, side effects, interactions with other drugs. There's been very little research, but unlike crystals and healing bracelets, CBD clearly does have biological effects.

What about cost? When purchasing an oil, the price per milligram (mg) is key. Consider the following example: Bottle A -1 ounce of CBD oil, costs $30. Bottle B - 1 ounce of CBD oil, costs $150. The bottle suggests how many drops--once or twice a day, for how long. Shop around online. See a brand name that's on various websites--pick one, based on what makes sense to you.

 CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon says, "I think there is a legitimate medicine here. We're talking about something that could really help people." Dr. Margaret Haney, director of Columbia University's Marijuana Research Laboratory, says, "There's an enormous placebo effect. If you go in with this expectation, with all of society saying this will cure whatever ails you, it often will."

Today, I started shopping. Wish me luck with insomnia...