CBD – Frequently Asked Questions

The short answer is NO!  Even though hemp and marijuana are both the same species of plant (cannabis), there are important ways in which they differ.  The biggest difference is the amount of the psychoactive component THC that each plant contains. Hemp, from which CBD is derived, has 0.3% or less THC content and is used to make CBD based products.  Hemp does not have a high enough THC concentration to produce euphoria. Marijuana on the other hand has several times the THC concentration as hemp.  Marijuana is used both medicinally and recreationally and can cause euphoria or psychoactive effects on its users.

Your body has receptors that interact with CBD.  These receptors are found throughout your body and make up your endocannabinoid system (ECS). Your ECS is a signal system that directs the communication traffic in your body to keep you in balance.  CBD interacts with the ECS by acting like the endocannabinoids produced in your body. CBD encourages your body to produce these natural compounds.  It influences cannabinoid receptor activity and impacts activity beyond your ECS.  This is why CBD is beneficial in helping with varying conditions. CBD can also interact with your dopamine, opioid, and serotonin receptors, and has the potential to open new frontiers in medicine and psychiatry.

Although unlikely, there is potential you could fail a drug test when using full or broad-spectrum CBD products.  Normal drug tests look for elevated levels of THC, however, some tests are more sensitive than others and may present a false positive.  THC-free (T-free) products can still trigger a false-positive test caused by cross-reactivity with certain cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN. There is no “magic dose” of CBD products that would guarantee you stay under the threshold in a drug test.  However, THC metabolism is greatly individualized and depends on varying circumstances such as:

• Activity Level
• Body Composition
• Duration of Use
• Dosage
• And Others

Drug screens look for THC, the intoxicating compound in marijuana.  It is recommended you speak with your employer before starting a CBD regimen regarding testing and sensitivity of testing.

Possibly, please refer to our section on drug interactions for more detail.

Yes, CBD is legal in all 50 states. In 2018 the US Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp plant cultivation.  Hemp is cannabis with less than 0.3% THC and is covered under the US Farm Bill.  The FDA also considers CBD to be a pharmaceutical drug since it has already approved CBD (Epidiolex) for treating two types of pediatric epilepsy.