Here is Why CBD from Hemp Can Be Healthier and More Sustainable Than from Marijuana

Source: kannaway.com

With so much misinformation about CBD hemp oil on the internet, one of the most common questions we get from consumers is about the difference between CBD from hemp vs CBD from marijuana.

Many are surprised to learn of the number of similarities between hemp and marijuana. Though the resemblance should come as little surprise since both hemp and marijuana are versions of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant. However, as we dig deeper into the two plants, we begin to see how CBD from hemp offers advantages over CBD from marijuana.

One of the misconceptions about CBD hemp oil products is that CBD from hemp oil is less potent than cannabis oil or CBD oil made from medical marijuana. While it is true that the percentage of CBD in hemp plants by dry weight may be lower than the percentage of CBD in some specially bred marijuana plants, once the oil is extracted from the plant, refined, and processed, this difference becomes negligible.

However, hemp cultivars also grow much faster than marijuana, so while an intensively bred high-CBD medical marijuana strain would take a full season to grow, a hemp farmer can often plant multiple crops a season, creating a more environmentally sustainable and conscientious product. CBD oil from hemp is also often less expensive than from marijuana due to lower wholesale prices, higher market availability, and fewer restrictions on cultivation, shipping, and use.

While it has been warned that hemp is a bioaccumulator (absorbs and collects substances from the soil), it needs to be noted that all cannabis plants, including medical marijuana strains, are bioaccumulators. A medical marijuana crop grown with poisonous pesticides or fertilizers is more dangerous to a consumer than a cleanly grown hemp crop, and with minimal regulations in many medical marijuana markets, there is no guarantee that marijuana bought from dispensaries is healthy to use. Recently in Colorado, there were a number of recalls for marijuana grown with dangerous, unapproved pesticides, further illustrating this point.

This is the precise reason that Kannaway’s CBD hemp oil is grown free of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and extracted using a supercritical CO2 process regarded by the FDA as safe. Our hemp oil is also Triple Lab Tested™ during our cultivation, extraction, and manufacturing processes to ensure our oil’s quality and protect the health of our customers.

More importantly, on a molecular level, CBD from hemp is the same as CBD from marijuana. Franjo Grotenhermen of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines has been quoted saying, “CBD is CBD. The human body does not care where the molecule comes from.”

Water makes a good analogy here. As far as your body is concerned, an H2O molecule is the same, whether it comes from a rushing river or out of your kitchen tap. In the same rate,10 mg of CBD from hemp oil is absorbed the same as 10 mg of CBD that you’d find in a medical marijuana dispensary. And just like with river water and tap water, neither hemp or marijuana is guaranteed healthier than the other, and much depends on outside factors, making our independent Triple Lab Tested™ process all the more critical to the safety of our customers.

Finally, the entourage effect, mentioned in Sanjay Gupta’s CNN special Weed, emphasizes the need for a range of cannabinoids and other compounds in cannabis in order to be effective. The fact is that hemp, like marijuana, contains measurable amounts of a number of terpenes and cannabinoids, including CBD and THC. However, the levels of THC in hemp oil are low enough not to be psychoactive, making hemp a legal and more viable alternative to high-THC medical marijuana.

Because CBD hemp oil products are legal in all 50 states, they fill an important role for those who can’t access medical marijuana in their state. CBD hemp oil is also an alternative for those who are interested in using CBD but looking to avoid the negative effects of psychoactive THC.

With so much contradicting information available online, it is important for consumers to do their own research from trusted sources.