Introduction
One of the most fascinating developments has been the emergence of cannabidiol, aka CBD, onto the cannabis scene. Almost eclipsing legalization itself, CBD is quickly becoming a staple in the well-being and healing of millions. From heart-wrenching and beautiful scenes of children being treated for seizures to helping folks with anxiety to sleep assistance to topical skincare, the list goes on.
Bottom line is that Canadians are embracing the CBD Revolution, the eager beavers that we are, en masse. In this article we want to break down history, science and uses for CBD in a way that won’t put you to sleep.
Let us know how we did at the end 😉
Cannabis 101: What’s a Cannabinoid?
*record scratch sound
Before diving all the way into CBD and its many glorious applications, we should do a quick recap. Let’s turn to our neighbours to the south for some scientific explanations. Or in other words, debunk an American myth:
“Cannabinoids, broadly speaking, are a class of biological compounds that bind to cannabinoid receptors. They are most frequently sourced from and associated with the plants of the Cannabis genus, including Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.” National Institutes of Health
Ruderalis is a fun word to say, don’t you think?
So that’s all you need to know if all you know is that CBD is a cannabinoid that binds to your cannabinoid receptors located throughout your body. If you’d like to know more cannabis 101 and/or a tongue-in-cheek history of cannabis in Canada, check this out.
Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post.
What the French is CBD?
Apologies for any high school chemistry flashbacks
As we said above, CBD is cannabinol and a cannabinoid that interacts with our bodies and brains in intriguing ways. It’s most commonly found in cannabis plants and products. At the moment there are interesting health issues CBD is being used to address, including epilepsy, anxiety and post traumatic stress recovery.
However because cannabis has been criminalized north and south of the border (as well as pretty much worldwide) research has been stifled. But we are catching up for lost times and study-after-study is shedding more light on CBD. The more we understand about CBD the more ways we are finding to benefit from it. A kind of grace, too.
CBD can be found in both hemp and non-hemp cannabis plants. Certain strains or cultivars are produced to contain high levels of CBD. It’s generally understood that CBD doesn’t have an intoxicating effect like THC.
What CBD product should I try first?
CBD Flower
CBD Vape/Vape Pens
CBD edibles/drinks
Add CBD topicals (Proofly | ExtraStrength CBD Relief Cooling Gel)
CTA -> Links to CBD products at Stok’d
History of CBD in Canada
The history of CBD is an interesting one. While humans have used cannabis in various forms since the dawn of recorded history, including the recent discovery of cannabis inside the bones of humans Milan in the 1600s 🤌🏼.
The modern use of CBD begins with William B. O’Shaughnessy, the Banting of modern cannabis research in 1839. The good Irish doctor found that cannabis could be used as an anaesthetic and opened the door for isolating cannabinoids that would take place a century later.
In 1940, Robert Cahn isolated cannabinol (CBN). No word if his friends said “Yes He Cahn” when doubters would question if Bob would be the one to lead to a major scientific breakthrough. Two years later American researcher Roger Adams isolated CBD, which probably makes him more like Banting than O’Shaughnessy but we wrote that paragraph already.
There isn’t a lot of widely available research on CBD in Canada but we’d love to read some if you know of any. Needless to say that since the 1930s it would be difficult to find in legal channels. It was during the dark ages of cannabis that activists and patients brought great awareness to cannabis in general, and CBD in particular. While it remains highly regulated in Canada and illegal in many places, we are living in a time where CBD is becoming more widely available than ever before.
CBD and Wellness
Even though CBD is only available from licensed recreational locations (unless you have a script from a doctor), we do believe it deserves to be studied for its “well being” properties. Because we are a licensed recreational brand we aren’t able to speak to any health benefits that may or may not exist.
Still, an article on CBD that doesn’t talk about how it might be making people feel good without feeling high seems dishonest. We can broadly outline how CBD can support wellness in the following ways:
Sleep support
Research into CBD and sleep looks promising. When it comes to CBD, the best we can understand, it’s ability to help regulate the body has positive effects on rest. There’s some anecdotal evidence to support this.
Athletic recovery
Across sports, CBD is utilized by athletes to support recovery from training and competition. In fact, sporting figures have figured prominently in normalizing cannabis, *takes toque off and bows head to Ross Rebagliati, Britney Griner and Seattle Supersonics power forward and two-time slam dunk finalist Sean Kemp. Did he get robbed in ‘91? You decide.
Nutrition support
Again we have to say that CBD research is in its early stages. However there’s a lot of interesting findings in some studies relating to nutrition. Because of ways that scientists don’t quite fully understand, CBD can be used for patients who need more or less food depending on their situation. What it might point to is the possibility that CBD can help regulate the digestive systems of some people.
Mental health
From veterans to first responders to everyday people, CBD is showing some signs that it can support mental health and healing. The fact that it isn’t intoxicating makes it available to a wider range of people than THC containing products. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, both from a healing and joyous for no reason point-of-view. A little bird with a regulated nervous system whispered that it might could help calm anxious thoughts. Just in case you happen to be next to your comrades in the National Fitness Program, caught in some eternal flexed arm hang, for example.
CBD FAQs
We do a lot of research when we write these posts. Sure a lot of that “research” is spent watching 1990s era NBA videos but still. We scour the internet for the questions real people are asking about cannabis and we do our best to answer them in educated and entertaining ways. But even we were a little stunned at some of these questions that people all over Beyonce’s internet are asking.
Is CBD the same as Marijuanas?
We don’t really know where to start here. Um, yes? Let’s go with yes. CBD is part of marjiuanas like vitamin c is part of oranges. Also cannabis is the preferred term on the internet, we say you can only say “marijuana(s)” if you pronounce the soft “h” sound.
What do CBD gummies do to your body?
Depending on your buddy they make you feel super relaxed and rested, especially if you take them before bed. The best that science is telling us is that taking CBD sporadically may offer some benefit but it’s the consistent consumption, like a vitamin, that will really help. In short CBD gummies will do whatever other CBD products will do for your body.
Does CBD really work for anxiety?
The long answer is we don’t know yet. The short answer is ya probablyprolly. A little bird who wrote this article says yes definitely but that’s only one bird and not a peer-reviewed double-bird study. There’s promise for sure and we know that CBD definitely helps you feel calm or relaxed, which is kind of the opposite of anxiety so…
Is CBD better than Viagra?
Ok what!? Internet! What kind of question is this? Well it turns out that there’s been some evidence that CBD might be able to help down there. Here’s what an incredibly appropriately named website Very Well Health says about this topic:
“Cannabidiol (CBD) oil has garnered some interest as a potential natural treatment for ED. While there’s limited evidence that CBD can treat ED specifically, the compound has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and possibly improve blood flow, which may be beneficial for ED”
What is the difference between CBD and cannabidiol?
It’s the same ting mon!
Is cannabidiol a drug?
I don’t know internet, is fresh air a drug? Is a well cooked meal? How about a great night’s sleep? Look before we descend into 1000 words on the misuse of the word “drug” let’s simply say that if you think drugs are bad then no it’s not a drug.
What is the function of cannabidiol?
Well that’s still under review and we all get to participate in helping science better answer this question. What we know for sure is that CBD helps millions of people worldwide in a variety of ways. CBD, as we will learn, isn’t really monogamous when it comes to ways it can help us 😲.
Who should avoid taking CBD?
If you’re not in good health or have a chronic health condition you may want to chat with a health professional before trying CBD. Otherwise it’s probably one of the most gentle ways to experience cannabis.
What’s next for CBD in Canada?
We’d love to see CBD regulated more like a food product, like it is in the United States and other countries. Does it come from cannabis? Yes. Should it be regulated the same as other forms of cannabis? No. We want to see CBD products safely distributed across as many product categories as possible. We aren’t huge fans of CBD infused pillows but we are open to try. However, edibles, flower, drinks, oils, topical creams and sunscreens are all exciting forays for our favourite gentle cannabinoid CBD.
Regulatory Hurdles
As it is currently regulated by federal and provincial health agencies, CBD can only be sold through licensed cannabis retailers, unless medically prescribed. For recreational cannabis retailers we struggle to explain to customers why this non-intoxicating, benign product is behind a vault. We’d love to see a loosening of restrictions on where CBD can be sold while industry wide best practices can be deployed.
Scientific Breakthroughs
One of the reasons we are so Team CBD is that it, along with other cannabinoids, is showing tremendous promise in scientific studies. While we are still in the “too early to tell” stage, that era is closing as the “cannabis is actually understood by science” opens.
“CBD is what pharmacologists call a promiscuous drug. That means it could be effective for treating a number of medical conditions. In broad strokes, CBD affects more than one process in the body – a term called polypharmacology – and so could benefit more than one medical condition.”
Well now you saucy cannabinoid you! Just when you think you know everything about CBD you get hit with a quote like that. In the same article, they tracked over 200 scientific studies currently underway. We’ll stop blushing about the polyamorous and promiscuity references in a minute. 😚
Conclusion
Well there you have it friends, the CBD Revolution may not be televised but it will be blogged. We thank you for your time and attention and we hope you learned something along the way. If you couldn’t tell we are big big fans of the promiscuous CBD but we don’t want her tied down by poorly thought through government regulations. In the meantime we proudly provide CBD products like this, this or this [Staff Picks] and you have any questions you can always stop by, call or email us!