ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ (𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕠𝕦𝕤)

CBD: What it is and Why it Should Be Legalized

In the United States, there is an ever-present debate on whether marijuana should be federally legalized or not. Everyone has their own preconceived notions – whether true or not – about the substance and what it can do to people and society. However, there is a part of cannabis that many people know nothing about. This is called CBD, or cannabidiol, which is one of over a hundred different compounds (along with THC) that makes up the cannabis plant ("What Is CBD?"). THC and CBD have many of the same medical benefits and have very similar chemical structures, but CBD does not have the same psychoactive effects; it doesn't get you high due to not binding very well with the CB1 receptor in the brain. Now, CBD is federally legal, but only if derived from hemp plants ( 2020). While this is a step in the right direction, it still creates issues; issues which can be solved by reclassifying and federally legalizing CBD derived from cannabis plants.

As many of you possibly know, cannabis – and CBD derived from it – is considered a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous, highly addictive, prone to abuse, and hold no medical value. Other such drugs associated with the title "Schedule I" are heroin and ecstasy ( 2016). However, research from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that "In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential..." (Grinspoon, 2020). Furthermore, testing done on Sprague-Dawley rats showed that CBD elevates "the threshold suggestive of diminished reward activity... [an] effect opposite to that of drugs of abuse such as cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids" and does not increase dopamine in the way most drugs of abuse do (Expert Committee, 2018).

You also cannot overdose on CBD; you would "have to consume about 1,000 pounds per minute for 15 minutes in order to fatally overdose on cannabis" (Leafcann, 2020). The comparison to the legal and unscheduled drugs alcohol and nicotine are staggering. Alcohol is responsible for over 95,000 deaths a year (261 per day), shortening these people's lives by about 29 years ("Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use", 2021). Likewise, tobacco use causes around 1 in 5 deaths in our country. It is estimated to cause over 480,000 annual deaths, including those from secondhand smoke, shortening lives by at least 10 years. ("Tobacco-Related Mortality", 2020). As I will continue to point out below, CBD is clearly not dangerous, abusive, or addictive, and it holds great medical value. It's clear that it should be declassified or, at least, reclassified on the list.

While there is still a giant need for more research (particularly in human testing), there is still a plethora of evidence suggesting that CBD is a multi-use medical tool. Extensive research - most sponsored by the government - along with anecdotal evidence from patients and physicians, show CBD's potential as a treatment for things such as autoimmune diseases, neurological conditions, metabolic syndrome, mental illnesses, gut disorders, cardiovascular dysfunction, and skin diseases (. A study from the European Journal of Pain showed that in animals, CBD applied topically (to the skin) could help lower arthritis pain and inflammation. Another showed how CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain (Grinspoon, 2020). A recent review also found that CBD may be helpful in treating drug addiction (Expert Committee, 2018) and in 2017, a study of nine male volunteers showed reduced resting and in-stress blood pressure in those given 600mg of CBD instead of a placebo (Simpson, 2020).

Focusing specifically on cancer, studies show that CBD inhibits the growth of liver or colon cancer cells in mice ( 2020). CBD has anti-inflammatory properties, making it a good candidate for cancer treatment or prevention (particularly skin cancer) by suppressing inflammatory responses or inhibiting tumor growth. This anti-inflammatory agent is effective for arthritis, vascular inflammation, and nervous tissue inflammation as well (Simpson, 2020). "Some people with cancer have reported benefits in taking CBD, such as helping with nausea, vomiting, , and other side effects" and some doctors may prescribe it for chronic pain management ( 2020).