If you want to know what CBD is, how it affects your body, what the benefits and side effects are, and whether or not it’s safe (and legal), you want to listen to this podcast.
It’s hard to go anywhere nowadays without hearing about the benefits of cannabidiol (can-ab-id-EYE-all), aka CBD (and often CBD oil).
It’s all over the Internet, celebrities are endorsing it left and right, and it’s made its way into everything from lattes to sports drinks to sex lube (seriously).
Sales of CBD are already thought to be north of $350 million per year, and some analysts are predicting that number will surpass $1 billion by 2020.
Proponents say this is fantastic.
While CBD is a drug that comes from the same plant as marijuana, it doesn’t get you high, doesn’t have to be inhaled (no lung damage), and it’s kinda-sorta legal (more on that in a moment).
Purported benefits include alleviating anxiety, addiction, and epilepsy, accelerating post-workout recovery, curing chronic pain and even cancer, and helping with many other psychological and physiological conditions and ailments.
Some people even go so far as to say that CBD has healing properties that’ll help you live a generally healthier and happier life.
It also taps into the desire to indulge in social taboos (drug use, in this case), making it even more appealing to young people in particular.
On the other hand, CBD isn’t without detractors who claim that it’s an unproven, understudied, and potentially dangerous new health fad.
According to the naysayers, at best CBD isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and at worst regular use can lead to major long-term health complications.
Who’s right?
Well, the surprising and disturbing answer is we don’t really know.
As you’ll learn in this podcast, parsing the research on CBD is about as easy as combing your hair with a broom and in the end, you’re left with far more questions than answers.
The short story on CBD is that although it may have some benefits, it’s being wildly overhyped and oversold and it most certainly poses some serious health risks.
Let’s kick the discussion off by first exploring what CBD is.
Would you rather read about CBD oil? Then check out this article!
TIME STAMPS
5:43 – What is CBD?
8:29 – How does our endocannabinoid system function?
11:08 – What are the benefits of CBD?
18:31 – Does CBD reduce chronic pain?
22:59 – Does CBD help with epilepsy?
27:23 – Does CBD help curb drug addiction?
30:32 – Does CBD help curb nicotine addiction?
31:59 – Does CBD help fight cancer?
33:11 – Can you get high from CBD?
36:09 – Is CBD safe?
38:02 – Is CBD legal?
39:15 – What are alternatives to CBD?
References:
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544367/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877694/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121237/
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20829306
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https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23685330/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30501504
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm583295.htm
https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm484109.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20487147
https://www.dps.texas.gov/rsd/CUP/index.htm
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669002000055
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4503701/
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