The Top 3 CBD Myths Busted

There is an overabundance of CBD information circulating the web.

With CBD brands, products, laws, and medical reports posted everywhere you look, it can be hard to keep up and even harder to discern what’s fact and what’s falsehood. 

Here are the top three CBD myths debunked to help cut through all the noise and defuse doubtful minds. 

Myth #1: CBD is a Marijuana Product and is Illegal 

For nearly 50 years, CBD was considered a Schedule 1 substance and ranked alongside some of the most federally controlled drugs. 

This designation occurred after the passing of The Federal Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which sought to gain control on a drug manufacturing, distribution, and use problem that had gotten out of hand. 

A five-category scale came from this particular piece of the federal legislature, also known as the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The government sorted drugs, substances, and applicable chemicals based on appropriate medical use and risk for abuse and dependency. 

The CSA came about in the 70s, a time in history when the United States saw a surge of social and political shifts that began in the 60s and remained through the 80s.  

Norms were being violated, people and causes liberated, and new, sometimes seemingly radical, choices were being made, including an increase in the everyday and public use of marijuana.  

With this social change came an apparent rise in crime. 

While this was true, many scholars have pointed out that the increase in crime was partly due to a shift in victimization policies and practices, making the crime rate more visible. 

Regardless, changing times and rising crimes, including an increase in drug problems, caused the federal government to implement a new policy to prevent crime from occurring. 

To some degree, marijuana was in the wrong place at the wrong time and, due to the popularity it had gained, was scheduled right alongside heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and peyote as schedule 1 substances – the most federally controlled – under the label “cannabis.”

The scheduling of cannabis included all of its parts and derivatives illegal, meaning that any cannabis residue, substance, or part of the plant was no longer legal. 

This not only rendered marijuana one of the most federally illegal drugs at the time but subjected CBD to the same label.

Meanwhile, drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine (meth) were placed into the schedule II category and deemed less of a risk factor for abuse and dependence, as are the following three levels of scheduling. 

Half a century later, after years of research and progressive strides, The government addressed the mislabeling of marijuana and CBD under cannabis after the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. 

Also known as the 2018 Farm Bill, it recognized the difference between marijuana and CBD. 

More specifically, the federal government finally acknowledged that marijuana was one species of the cannabis plant, while hemp was another. 

The two plants are different, but CBD is not the same cannabinoid as THC, the substance in marijuana responsible for producing psychoactive effects. 

Once hemp, marijuana, CBD, and THC were separated, CBD was removed from the schedule, and rendered legal on the federal level, provided it only contained trace amounts or 0.3 percent concentrations of THC. 

Following removal from the schedule, CBD is now legal in every state to various degrees. 

Myth #2: CBD Is Bad For You – That’s Why It’s Not FDA Approved 

Since CBD legalization, the federal government’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided limited approval of CBD but does not legally allow CBD to be added to food and beverages or deemed a dietary supplement. 

Instead, the FDA has left the decision to permit CBD as food, beverage, and supplement additive or product up to state governments. Many states have considered or approved CBD to be included in edible products. 

However, the FDA has approved CBD in one prescription medication, an anti-seizure medication called Epidiolex. 

Epidolex is an anti-seizure medication that reduces seizures related to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), Dravet syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), three different types of seizure disorders. 

After numerous clinical trials and studies, Epidiolex was approved for prescription use by the FDA in 2018 and is the first CBD pharmaceutical. 

In addition to the studies on Epidiolex, there is a plethora of scientific research stating the health benefits of CBD concerning an array of ailments, including pain, sleeplessness, inflammation, anxiety, Parkinson’s Disease, and cancer. 

Continuing to read up on the science behind CBD may show you what all the hype is about. 

Many people also believe that the FDA is reluctant to modify their CBD restrictions due to side effects, this is not quite the case. 

CBD side effects include all medications, supplements, foods, or other items humans digest. 

There could be warnings of adverse CBD side effects depending on how you use it and why. 

For example, if you take CBD for daily pain, you might feel drowsiness as a side effect. But if you are taking CBD for sleeplessness, sedation is the intended effect – and pain relief becomes a bonus. 

Many CBD side effects can be addressed and thwarted by adjusting your dosage, when you are taking your CBD, and how you are taking your CBD.  

Myth #3: Your CBD Isn’t Working – You Just Think It Is

These same reasons – dosage, something, and method of consumption- are also possible answers to why some think their CBD isn’t working or will never work. 

A common misconception one may hear is that CBD is a placebo, a substance that relies on psychological expectations and effects. 

This misbelief not only comes from word-of-mouth but stems from first-time users’ disappointment at CBD not producing the intended effects. 

But not feeling the effects of CBD doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. 

Scientific studies have found that both using CBD and knowing one will receive CBD contribute to the effects of CBD on a physical and psychological level.  

What’s more, you may not be “feeling” your CBD at work or experiencing desired effects if you are a first-time user because CBD can take a moment before adjusting to your body. 

Doctors who prescribe patients new medications often advise them to be prepared to take it for a few weeks (in some cases, a few months) before the effects reach peak level. 

One of the most critical facets of a new medication regime is to continue taking it unless you and your medical professional communicate and decide otherwise. Most medications require an adjustment period, and CBD is no different. 

In addition to this waiting period, CBD will affect every individual body differently. 

Metabolism and body build will influence the amount of time it takes for CBD to be processed and dispersed throughout your system, and administration may need to be adjusted accordingly. 

Not only is everybody’s dosage different, but you may need to take more or less depending on your reason for taking CBD. 

For example, taking too much CBN sleep formula before bed may result in next-day grogginess, while using CBD oil for chronic back pain may not provide as much pain as you could be getting if you were to use CBD oil and a CBD topical on the affected area. 

There are different ways to take CBD, and each avenue produces different onsets and results.

Sublingual Absorption is the most effective way to take CBD as it is both potent and instantaneous. 

To sublingually apply CBD, place CBD oil under your tongue, hold it there for 30 seconds, and then swallow. 

The tiny cells under your tongue will absorb the CBD and fast-track it to your bloodstream. 

Swallowing the rest will send it to your digestive system, where it will be processed and distributed, allowing for a delayed, second set of effects. 

Digestion alone is another way in which CBD can be taken. 

Bypassing the CBD under your tongue and going straight to swallowing oil, mixing CBD oil into food or drink, or eating CBD edibles will allow CBD to be processed through your digestive tract the same way food is. 

This method can take up to two hours before full effects are felt and is a good, proactive option for users looking to incorporate CBD into their daily routine or use CBD in addition to other methods of consumption to assure wholesome symptom targeting. 

Inhalation is another popular method of CBD consumption and can be done by using a vape pen or smoking CBD flowers. 

Inhaling CBD causes it to be circulated through your lungs and immediately sent to your bloodstream. 

Vaping or smoking CBD is fast and efficient, but the effects will wear off more quickly than other consumption methods. 

Topical CBD can be applied directly to your skin and enters your body transdermally. 

Popular CBD topical products include lotions and balms. 

In addition, CBD transdermal patches are available for those looking for a more consistent dosage and can release CBD throughout the day at even intervals. 

Transdermally applied CBD will also take a bit to be fully absorbed. 

Still, once processed, it will last longer and more potently than the other consumption methods due to its increased bioavailability. 

Two of the four ways to take CBD described above require a two-hour onset before effects can be felt, while the other two provide fairly instant relief, but one of which doesn’t last as long. 

The various onsets for each method of consumption are a benefit to CBD users. 

The ability to relieve symptoms and ailments near-immediately and induce proactive symptom prevention offers users full coverage, primarily when different CBD products are used together.

Application options, combined with the ability to conveniently alter the dosage, afford consumers the choice to take their wellbeing into their own hands. 

Ultimately, CBD products are legal, one prescription CBD medication has been FDA approved, which paves the way for further FDA approval to come, and CBD really can work wonders given the opportunity. 

If you’re still on the fence, give CBD a chance (or, for some of you, give it a second chance) because you deserve to move beyond the myths and get the most out of CBD.