What is CBD?

CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis (marijuana). It is derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant. While CBD is a component of marijuana (one of the hundreds), by itself, it does not cause a “high.”  

There are over 480 natural components found within the Cannabis sativa plant. Cannabinoids affect consumers by interacting with specific receptors located within different parts of the central nervous system. Two kinds of cannabinoid receptors have been found to date and are termed CB1 and CB2.  

 The hemp industry in the U.S. received a boost with the passage of the 2014 farm bill, which allowed “institutions of higher education” and state agriculture departments to grow hemp under a pilot program as long as state law permitted it. Additionally, the 2014 bill established a definition of industrial hemp, officially setting the THC threshold in the U.S. at 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. 

 The 2018 Farm Bill went several steps further and legalized the production of hemp as an agricultural commodity while removing it from the list of controlled substances.