Breaking down the criminalization of CBD
In the 1930s, cannabis became a regulated substance and then a prohibited substance — not the kind of upgrade you want. The law made absolutely no separation between cannabis with THC and hemp cannabis.
Why this change happened is an interesting question. Theories range from a paper commission to a conglomerate of businesses out to serve only themselves. (At the time, hemp was used and grown for industrial purposes only, from paper to fabric production to protein as a food source.) Others say the federal government specifically intended to villainize a population of people who were using cannabis. And still another theory supports the two theories combined, suggesting that the politics and corporate interests were intertwined. Plenty of evidence seems to support the theory of villanization. In fact, contemporary dissection of the War on Drugs reveals the U.S. administration’s fabrication and popularization of stories of black and brown populations using marijuana and becoming super villains. Regardless, the implications of the history of cannabis continue to affect people — maybe you, maybe your neighbors and friends — today.
Changing attitudes and changing laws
The U.S. federal government declassified hemp and hemp-derived CBD in 2018, leading to a steady flow of hemp CBD products into the marketplace. Scientists and researchers are now allowed access previously given only to government organizations. Government cannabis and hemp flowers for research came from an extremely limited pool of resources. Only minimal viable information was accessible, which limited expansion efforts for both public acceptance and product development.
Moving toward new understanding
CBD as a chemical has only just been extracted (excuse the pun) from the common assumption that it’s going to get you high like its cannabinoid cousin THC. For such myths to be put to bed for good, a few things need to happen:
The facts about hemp cannabis and CBD need to trickle down from the science community to the lay population.
The whole plant needs to be removed from any state of regulation.
People everywhere need to think long and hard about their existing beliefs in light of these new changes.
Chapter 2
Examining CBD Itself
IN THIS CHAPTER
Without understanding the whole plant, it’s hard to get a proper picture of CBD. I love the idea of getting the entire story of the plant by, you guessed it, using the whole plant as medicine. It requires a special level of attunement and sensitivity to engage with cannabis in this way. When I say that the relationship to the plant spirit is part of the medicine, the general plant medicine community is in agreement. To better honor this relationship, the plant must be as close to its natural state as possible. And to clarify, my statement is not just limited to form but also applies to cultivation and use.
In this chapter, I explore the plant and plants (yes, I said plants, plural) containing CBD. I also walk you through the components and complements of the whole plant and their relationship to CBD. And finally, I introduce you to synthetic CBD.
Meeting the Mother of All CBD Sources
Because of hemp’s relation to the cannabis plant as a whole, differentiating them is important. Cannabis and hemp both come from the same plant species, Cannabis sativa, but their chemical makeups and respective uses vary. Hemp is associated with industrial use, with cultivation focusing on the stalks. Cannabis is the one often referred to as marijuana. It has been cultivated and revered (as well as criminalized and stigmatized) for the psychoactive properties found in its flowers, also called the buds.
The hemp plant has a vast history and myriad standalone virtues that I explore in the following sections.
Delving into the long history of hemp
Plants in the cannabis family are widely referred to as “weed” because of the way they grow abundantly with little attention. They can break up soil, survive in varied climates, and adapt quickly. Historically, then, hemp has been easy to cultivate and therefore lent itself to proliferation. (Of course, intentional cultivation in very controlled environments to support and bring out specific characteristics also happens.)
The history of the hemp plant spans cultures and generations. You can find well over 22,000 recorded uses for hemp seeds, stalks, and flowers (but I don’t recommend looking for all of them). The applications throughout time may surpass that of any other plant. Here are just a few across time and continents:
Allegedly, Buddhist texts dating back to the second and third centuries CE were printed on hemp-dominant paper.
Hemp cloth from 8000 BCE was discovered in what was once ancient Mesopotamia.
Chinese educational texts from 500 CE teach hemp cultivation techniques for making cloth.
King Henry VIII required landowners in 1535 to grow at least a quarter acre of hemp so that the supply would be sufficient for canvas production for ship sails. This record is just one account of Europe’s heavy reliance on hemp-derived canvas fiber and rope.
In 1938, Popular Mechanics hailed hemp as the new billion-dollar crop, and Americans were incentivized by the government to grow the plant abundantly. (Shortly thereafter, they were then penalized by the same governing body for growing it abundantly. I touch on this topic briefly in Chapter 1.)
Identifying the parts of the hemp plant
Here are the essential features of the hemp plant; you can see them in Figure
