Behind the term medical cannabis are cannabinoids, naturally occurring chemical compounds that provide therapeutic and psychoactive effects.
Cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD, is the famous cannabinoid that is causing a lot of controversy today.
Find out more about this naturally occurring chemical compound in cannabis that is attracting a lot of interest for its therapeutic properties.
What is the difference between CBD and THC?
Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is one of the 400 major active compounds found in marijuana. Of these chemical compounds naturally produced by the Hemp plant, the two main cannabinoids are CBD and THC.
CBD and THC share some medicinal properties (analgesic, antispasmodic...) but have major differences:
- tHC is psychoactive while CBD is not;
- cBD has an antipsychotic effect which tends to reduce the psychotropic effect of THC;
- cBD is an anxiolytic while THC causes anxiety;
- cBD acts mainly on the immune system while THC acts on the brain.
This substance would allow, among other things, to reduce pain by making the brain forget it. The aim is to relax the body without any psychotropic effect.
Another notable difference with THG is that CBD does not present any proven health risk and does not cause dependency.
What forms does CBD come in?
E-liquid, oil, infusion, candy, capsules, cosmetics, CBD is produced and sold in a multitude of forms.
There are several ways to consume CBD depending on the product made from the molecule:
- by vaporization
- by ingestion
- by inhalation
What is the legislation that governs CBD?
At present, France is one of the countries with the strictest regulations concerning the use of therapeutic cannabis. But taking advantage of a legal vagueness, many businesses have started to sell CBD in various forms.
Given the strong interest in the sale of CBD-based products on the French market, the MILDECA (Interministerial Mission for the Fight against Drugs...) - in its capacity as a health authority - wished to provide clarification on the regulations applicable to these products. Legal and technical information has therefore been made public through a publication dated 11 June 2018 of which the following is a summary:
- Hemp varieties authorized for commercial or industrial purposes are regulated and listed in the Public Health Code;
- The use and marketing of cannabis flowers, leaves or any other product obtained from this plant, are not allowed, regardless of the variety!
- E-liquids and other CBD-based products are prohibited in France if they contain THC (in any quantity) and if they are not made from authorized varieties and parts of the plant
- No therapeutic virtue can be claimed by manufacturers or sellers of products containing CBD.
- All advertisements making claims of therapeutic virtues and thus maintaining the confusion between cannabis and CBD are prohibited.
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