Got CBD?
Anne changed her diet to organic, doing away with wheat, gluten, and sugar in an attempt to control symptoms, or at least postpone another episode. She had any silver filings said to cause harm, removed. Acupuncturist’s tried to counter the pain, but she was still fearful of having a worse episode without real medicine to help her. “When Sharon came [out to visit] prior to legalization, I learned about the CBD side of the plant,” she said. “I had tried cannabis before, but couldn’t handle the high. With Sharon’s help I started going to dispensaries - there were plenty around! I found vials of oil for ingestion, tinctures that tasted good – all CBD only. I also found salves that helped with the pain in my legs, it was awesome!” Prior to legalization Anne said she could get a bottle of CBD oil for around $25. Once legalization hit she spent hours on the phone calling every dispensary seeking her illusive medicine. “They would always say, ‘We just had some, or we’ll get that in again next week.’” She became frustrated in her quest for CBD as she watched miraculous cures shared on national television, finding mostly ignorance at the dispensary counters. “It’s been more than a little frustrating. I can get CBD only candy,” she continued, “but I’ve got MS and need real medicine. If I want to get high there are tons of options, but that’s not my goal, and how do I know it’s CBD from cannabis and not hemp?”
Good question. The Hemp Industry Association of America (www.thehiaa.org) released a notice early on, as the CBD-only debate heated up across the country, stating it is impossible to get high amounts of medicinal CBD from hemp. Author Martin A. Lee was compelled to start online support group. Project CBD (www.projectcbd.org) was started to educate the public about the differences between CBD and hybridized cannabis. They also talk about some false claims people make about their hemp derived CBD. Project CBD issued a special report on the subject, naming names in the industry and calling out imposters. That said Daniela Vergara, a biologist with a doctorate in evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, who has been given a green light to study cannabis as medicine in depth, moved the conversation forward by acknowledging the work possible in modifying the Hemp plant itself, by raising its CBD numbers for the greater good. “I’m not sure how long it will take to breed a hemp plant able to produce high amounts of CBD, but it is definitely possible,” Vergara advised. “Getting the CBD higher in hemp is a similar process as what has been done with THC in the cannabis plant for the past forty years or more. We would just focus on the highest ratio of CBD in a certain hemp plant, then use that plant as parent for the next generation of offspring, increasing the CBD yield as we go.”
Charlotte’s Web The high CBD strain made famous by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his documentary “Weed” (pt. 1), highlighting the Stanley brothers was not lost on my friend in Denver. She’s followed the good doctor’s and the brother’s trail of wellness with the plant, making her own quest even more frustrating.
When she finally followed-up for herself, she was sorely disappointed when told there was a waiting list, then she gave up on the strain altogether. That’s the problem with a new emerging market. Suppliers run out and Charlotte’s Web was being sought after at an alarming rate, with entire families moving their seizure-bound children to Colorado for real help. There were rumors, as well. Rumors the crop had failed, and that the brothers were adding industrial hemp sludge or oil to the mix, in a false attempt to garner CBD from another source. All were untrue.
In reality, one brother is indeed marketing imported hemp oil online for an inflated price, but that’s not the norm, and it’s not connected to the Realm of Caring Foundation, supplying CBD oil from Cannabis for real illness. The truth is the Department of Agriculture lessened the rules on CBD only. The new rule states if the THC content of the plant is below 0.03 mg. it may be called “Hemp,” and allowable to distribute across state lines. Charlotte’s Web weighs in at exactly 0.03 mg. of THC. In the end, semantics will help the masses heal.
www.colorado.gov/pacific/ agplants/industrial-hemp
With the waiting list lifted, and a guarantee for oil in its place, my friend has a second option on CBD only in Charlotte’s Web. She can sign up and receive a certain amount of oil per month for around $250 per, or $3,000 a year – a far cry from the $7,000 per month for the pharmaceuticals she was advised to take.
dopemagazine.com ISSUE 06 THE TRAVEL ISSUE
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