History of CBD
The world of CBD has changed a lot in recent years. Thanks to the fact that in the last 20 years important steps have been taken for its legalization in different countries and states within the United States.
All this is enabling the birth of a super-powerful industry around CBD with applications in almost all sectors, including pharma and health, agriculture, retail and eCommerce and legislation.
CBD COMES FROM HEMP
The CBD is the second most present cannabinoids in the hemp plant i.e. 10 to 5 percent.
As we mentioned the term medical marijuana is a very generic term. In fact, Cannabis has two varieties and both can be used as medicinal cannabis, marijuana and hemp; marijuana is a variety high in THC the psychoactive component of the plant is because of this that this variety is more famous. Hemp instead is a non-psychoactive variety that has been exploited for industrial purposes for many years. Thanks to that it has a few longer stems from which it is possible to take advantage of the fibers to produce, paper, cloth, and other biomaterials, in turn is used to extract their cannabinoid-rich oils for medicinal use.
Now that we know there are two varieties of medicinal cannabis, why can this plant benefit health? This is due to its chemical components called phytocannabinoids, these molecules are very similar to endocannabinoids, substances that we produce in the body by nature and help us regulate biological processes such as sleep, appetite, pain, and certain functions of the immune system and neurological. To date dozens of these phytocannabinoids are known. However, attention has focused mainly on two for their ability to interact with the endocannabinoid system, the others are present for the plant's own metabolism.
The CBD was discovered some 40 years ago, but it gained fame 10 years ago. After its popularization, hybridization began to take a different approach to achieve higher levels of CBD. Nowadays, there are plants that produce a resin that instead of having a greater part of THC cannabinoids, has a greater part of CBD, although it maintains other secondary cannabinoids. When they discovered the CBD they also discovered that there is a holistic role in the final effect of both the psych-activity and the medicinal effects that depend on the presence of other cannabinoids: especially THC and CBD because they are the most present components.
Brief History of CBD
I will not go into discussing some aspects that may be subjective and linked to the morality with all due respect, but it is important to learn about the reasons for the banning of this substance and its history. The reality is far from the most general assumptions or even the supposed logic of these movements.
Cannabis has been a legal substance for 99.9% of the time it has been consumed, since its first use date back to 7,000 BC and it was legal until 1937 when some countries started to make it illegal. The plant of CBD (cannabis) has been used for various purposes since it is an extremely versatile plant. For example, fabrics made of hemp fibers date back to over 6,000 years, and CBD has been in use for medicinal purpose since 2737 BC. In fact, it is now used for medical purposes to control extreme nausea caused by life-threatening diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, or to reduce the intraocular pressure of glaucoma patients.
In the United States, CBD has not only been legal for a very long time. However, the first law that appeared in one of the American states in 1619 did not penalize CBD, but in fact, forced all farmers to plant Cannabis Indica.
During 1763 and 1767 you could probably go to jail if you did not grow CBD plant (cannabis) during times of scarcity (since hemp was essential for many purposes, such as ropes, essential requirements for war, etc.). The United States census of 1850 accounted for a total of 8,327 CBD plantations with a minimum of 808 hectares each.
In India, CBD has played a very important role. Hemp preparations called Viyaia are sacred to the god Shivá and are usually smoked habitually in a straight chillum or pipe. In Haryana, the CBD leaves are taken after mixing them with honey to fight cough, and in Nepal, the juice of the leaves is used to facilitate healing.
Why is CBD controversial?
Interestingly, the illegalization of CBD does not have too much to do with abuses of the substance, but with ethical, moral and power struggles. In fact, the history of the illegalization of CBD is full of discrimination, racism, fear, protection of corporate rights, corruption of lawmakers, etc.
To all this cocktail we must add that during 1919 and 1933 the dry law was alive in the United States. The prohibition of alcohol was publicly visible and much discussed, capturing the attention of the general public while the rulers passed laws prohibiting drugs that barely managed to capture the attention of the society. In 1930, the "FBN" for Narcotics was created, under the Department of Treasury, whose first director was Harry J. Anslinger and it began the absolute war against CBD where the interests of some corporations played a fundamental role.