Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- What is CBD Oil?
- Cannabidiol
- Hash (Cannabis) Oil vs CBD Oil vs Hemp Seed Oil
- Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Hemp Oil (Hash or Cannabis Oil)
- CBD Oil Risks
- Drug Contraindications
- Side Effects
- Psychoactive Effects of Cannabinoids
- Conversion of CBD to THC
- Getting High on CBD?
- Effects of THC Derived from CBD
- Human Studies
- Is CBD Oil Safe for Children?
- CBD During Pregnancy
- CBD from Hops and Other Non-Cannabis Plants
- Is CBD Safe for Anyone?
CBD oil is rapidly emerging as one of the most popular natural remedies on the market today. It seems to be literally everywhere, with both alternative and conventional businesses scrambling to cash in on the craze by boldly advertising its health benefits.
I was shocked to see recently that some cafes in my community are advertising CBD on menus as a healthy ingredient in lattes and smoothies! Some “health-oriented” bars are adding it to cocktails.
In some places like New York City, cannabis food trucks sell an assortment of candy and other goodies containing CBD to passersby.
With no age restrictions on its use, some people – even children – are likely consuming CBD on a very frequent basis.
While a growing chorus of voices recommends CBD oil for all manner of ailments with glowing reviews and assurances of its safety, consumers would be wise to think very carefully before jumping on the bandwagon.
This article seeks to pull back the curtain on the CBD story and reveal the very real potential dangers of use by otherwise healthy people so that you can make a truly informed decision for your family.
Please note that I am not disputing the benefits of cannabis in this article. I know it helps a lot of very sick people manage their illness in a comfortable way without the need for pharmaceuticals. What I am presenting is the other side of the story that is usually not discussed – even glossed over in favor of aggressive marketing to otherwise healthy people.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is an alternative remedy for inflammation, pain, seizures and many other conditions. It is gaining widespread popularity over pharmaceutical drugs to treat the same ailments.
Manufacturers make CBD oil by diluting the active ingredient cannabidiol with a carrier fat such as coconut oil. Depending on what carrier oil is used (i.e., saturated fats or vegetable oils), the remedy then appeals to a wider variety of people. In other words, CBD fans can find an oil that fits their particular food philosophy on fats.
Cannabidiol
You might be surprised to learn that cannabidiol is one of over a hundred compounds known as cannabinoids. The buds, flowers, leaves, and stalks (not seeds) of the hemp plant contain them. Other common names for this plant are marijuana or cannabis.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, is another well-known cannabinoid in hemp plant matter. It is best known for its mind-altering effects, which pot smokers experience firsthand. (1)
Fans of CBD oil claim that cannabidiol is safe because it has zero inherent psychoactive properties like THC. However, this is disputable, if not downright false, in light of research on both animals and humans. More on this later.
Hash (Cannabis) Oil vs CBD Oil vs Hemp Seed Oil
It is important to understand the key differences between the three primary oils derived from the hemp or marijuana plant. These characteristics determine whether the oil is used as food or medicine and, in turn, whether it is even legal or not.
CBD oil falls in the gray area, which is why it is so confusing and potentially dangerous for anyone except those who are gravely ill with few other treatment options. Hopefully, the discussion below will help clear things up for you!
Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil
As described above, manufacturers create medicinal CBD oil by blending cannabidiol with a carrier oil. This active ingredient is either isolated or alcohol extracted from whole cannabis plant matter.
CBD was legalized in all 50 states by the 2014 Farm Bill, which served as the springboard for its explosive growth. However, this approval came with an important caveat. The legislation required the extraction of CBD for academic research or under a state pilot program. Since then, a number of states broadened this narrow definition, which legalized other CBD manufacturing processes. (2)
Hemp Seed Oil
CBD oil is vastly different from hemp seed oil, which is a food and not medicine. It is made by cold pressing the seeds on the cannabis plant. The resulting oil is high in inflammatory omega-6 fats. Hemp seeds contain no THC and hence the oil should technically not contain any either.
Some countries require testing for THC in hemp seed oil to verify purity. Typical requirements are that there are no more than 5-10 or even zero parts per million (ppm) detected in the final product.
Hemp Oil (Hash or Cannabis Oil)
In comparison, hash or cannabis oil does contain high inducing THC. It is also misleadingly known as honey oil.
It comes from aerial parts of the marijuana plant except for the seeds. This medicinal or recreational oil can be made from any of the three sub-species of the cannabis plant – Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and more rarely Cannabis ruderalis.
Hash oil is illegal for recreational use in most states but is approved for medicinal use by a growing list of others. It is usually consumed by eating or smoking. It is also sold in cartridges for use in vaping pens.
In summary, while hemp seed oil is widely recognized as safe and available on health food store shelves all across the country, hemp oil is still regulated as a medicinal only drug in some states and completely outlawed in others. CBD oil falls in the gray area somewhere between the two.
The question that remains to be answered is its safety. Does the narrow legalization of CBD in the 2014 Farm Bill guarantee its safety? Or is it actually more risky than consumers have been led to believe?
CBD Oil Risks
The side effects of consuming cannabidiol are very real though commonly glossed over by those selling it.
Drug Contraindications
CBD oil may potentially interact in a negative way with anti-epilepsy drugs. As of now, only in vitro (test tube) observations exist with no living organism testing proving safety. Drugs that may interact include: (3)
- carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- phenytoin (Dilantin)
- phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton, Tedral)
- primidone (anti-seizure)
Side Effects
According to a review of existing research by the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, the most common side effects of consuming CBD or CBD oil include:
- fatigue
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea
- dizziness
- anxiety or depression
- changes in appetite/weight
- Psychosis
While there is a well-known link between psychotic disorders and pot, CBD is generally regarded as anti-psychotic. (4)
How can this be if a CBD side effect is psychosis? (5)
Perhaps this common belief is simply not true!
Psychoactive Effects of Cannabinoids
Perhaps cannabinoid oil purveyors tend to ignore the well-established reactions because the side effect profile of CBD is better than pharmaceutical drugs used to treat similar conditions.
In addition, proponents of CBD oil use insist on its safety because cannabidiol is not mind-altering like its cousin cannabinoid THC.
Research from the 1970s seems to confirm that CBD is well tolerated up to 600 mg without psychotic episodes. (6)
However, more recent research disputes this assumption.
Conversion of CBD to THC
Researcher Kazuhito Watanabe, PhD and his team at Daiichi College of Pharmaceuticals, Japan discovered a disturbing problem with cannabidiol. (7)
They found that CBD converts into THC, the same psychosis-inducing substance found in weed. In addition, CBD converted into two other THC-like cannabinoids known as HHCs (hexahydroxycannabinols). All three produced high inducing symptoms in mice.
This research indicates that THC is not the only mind-altering cannabinoid in hemp. It also suggests the possibility that a person can be exposed to brain-altering, high inducing substances by simply consuming CBD.
Getting High on CBD?
Acidity is necessary for the conversion of CBD to THC and the two psychoactive HHCs. Researchers performed this conversion using artificial digestive juices. The change accelerated in the presence of some kind of sugar (or alcohol).
In people consuming CBD oil, this would parallel as acidity in the stomach. Since people commonly consume CBD oil in sugary lattes, candy, goodies, smoothies or alcoholic beverages, this situation mimics the reality of many people who use it.
Effects of THC Derived from CBD
To test the effects of these components, the researchers then injected mice with small quantities of the THC and HHCs converted from CBD. The researchers tested for the four most common symptoms of THC exposure including:
- Catalepsy – loss of sensation or consciousness
- Hypothermia – drop in body temperature
- Prolonged sleep
- Reduced pain perception
Mice injected with small amounts of THC and HHCs converted in artificial gastric juices from CBD tested positively for all 4 pot exposure symptoms.
Human Studies
Follow-up research in 2016 published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research gives additional pause.
More than 40% of epileptic children orally administered CBD exhibited adverse events, with THC like symptoms the most common. In their conclusion, researchers challenged the accepted premise that CBD is not high-inducing.
Gastric fluid without enzymes converts CBD into the psychoactive components Δ9-THC and Δ8-THC, which suggests that the oral route of administration may increase the potential for psychomimetic adverse effects from CBD. (8)
Is CBD Oil Safe for Children?
The takeaway of existing research as of this writing seems to indicate extreme caution when it comes to the ingestion of CBD oil especially by children.
Research definitively shows that THC exposure affects their developing brains in a negative way – perhaps permanently. The important point here is that consuming CBD or CBD infused oil can initiate this THC exposure – not just smoking or vaping pot. The Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Design warns:
The literature not only suggests neurocognitive disadvantages to using marijuana in the domains of attention and memory that persist beyond abstinence, but suggest possible macrostructural brain alterations (e.g., morphometry changes in gray matter tissue), changes in white matter tract integrity (e.g., poorer coherence in white matter fibers), and abnormalities of neural functioning (e.g., increased brain activation, changes in neurovascular functioning). (9)
CBD During Pregnancy
The Journal Future Neurology warns that cannabis exposure crosses the placenta. “Human epidemiological and animal studies have found that prenatal cannabis exposure influences brain development and can have long-lasting impacts on cognitive functions.” (10)
Since CBD partially converts to THC under acidic conditions, women who consume CBD oil for morning sickness or other discomforts of pregnancy should understand that use may mimic using pot directly. Just because CBD oil is natural and works effectively to alleviate symptoms does not mean it is safe for your baby.
Always discuss any supplemental foods with a practitioner before use!
CBD from Hops and Other Non-Cannabis Plants
Some CBD products and oil come from plants other than cannabis. Hops is one that is popular currently. (11)
People that use non-cannabis CBD mistakenly believe that they are safe from THC. The false marketing of these products encourages this line of thinking.
Be warned that no matter where CBD comes from, the potential for conversion of CBD to THC in the digestive tract exists. CBD is ultimately a cannabinoid no matter what plant it comes from. Thus, unless the CBD is applied transdermally or intravenously to avoid the acidic conditions within the digestive tract, the risk for THC exposure and brain-altering effects still exists.
To give you a example of how this works, consider how beta carotene converts to Vitamin A in the digestive tract. It doesn’t matter if the beta carotene comes from carrots, peppers or squash. This nutrient will still potentially convert to Vitamin A. The same principle applies to CBD that is consumed orally. The digestive process can result in conversion to THC no matter what plant is the source of the CBD.
Is CBD Safe for Anyone?
Consumers desperately need more research about the high-inducing effects of CBD-to-THC that could manifest as a result of the digestive process.
The half-life of oral CBD in the body is about 2 days. Thus, depending on how much a person consumes and how often, the potential risk of psychosis could increase over time depending on individual metabolism.
It seems that, as of this writing, the prudent course of action for the cautious consumer is to adopt a wait and see attitude toward CBD and CBD oil products pending further research on the very real potential for mind-altering, pot-like effects.
Some companies are already working to develop synthetic transdermal CBD. This would bypass the gastrointestinal tract and avoid bioconversion to psychoactive THC and/or HHCs. For example, CBD cream is an effective headache remedy and because it is externally applied, can be considered safe even for children.
While the risks of THC exposure from internal use of CBD oil and other products are likely of little concern for gravely ill people who desperately need it, for otherwise healthy people and children, beware! It seems wise until further research is concluded to treat CBD oil, candy, and other products just like any other high inducing drug. Just. Say. No.
Pollyanna H
Are usually look forward to reading your articles,
however I was very disappointed in this one.
After many years of being injured by a drug and left with 15 to 20 different diblitating side effects, I was desperate to deal with the horrible nerve pain that went from my arms to my toes! I finally became bedridden for four years. After working with the pain doctor to qualify for medical cannabis, I had to go on opioids for three months to make sure I wouldn’t abuse the medication. I stayed on the lowest dose until I qualified for medical cannabis.
I use low THC/CBD for pain. I get no psychoactive effects from plain CBD (made from cannabis not hemp) or low THC/CBD. Although I struggle with other symptoms, relief from this nerve pain has been a blessing.
When a person’s only alternative is a medication as devastating as opioids, I will take medical cannabis any day. We’re talking about sick people, not people who just want to get high.
Sarah
I am glad CBD is helping you with your debilitating pain. Obviously, you are the type of person mentioned at the beginning of the article that this product is suitable for!
Rocky Nowak
Hello Sarah.. what are your thoughts on full spectrum water soluble CBD oil producing THC in an acidic gut? The components have been changed due to making it water soluble. Thank you????
Sarah
It doesn’t matter if the CBD is water soluble or not. If CBD is exposed to acidic conditions, the potential for conversion to small amounts of THC is there. You have to avoid the digestive tract altogether to eliminate the potential risk from this happening. Hence, why companies are scrambling to develop transdermal CBD.
Bianca
This is a good article, Sarah. Once again, everyone is looking for the magic bullet and CBD seems to fit the bill. I am neither pro nor con on this issue, but the facts are that another “band-aid” (CBD) is being used to overlook the real causes/issues of inflammation and other health issues that most of us cause ourselves. Prevention/education is vital. Emotionally reacting on this issue is not !
Kevin Lawrence
“some people are genetically predisposed to huge negative reactions from THC exposure even if in small amounts.”
Just like Peanuts, But I do not see an article from you saying everyone should avoid peanuts because a few might be genetically predisposed to huge negative reactions from peanuts.
Sarah
Peanuts are not being aggressively marketed to people as a health panacea for every condition, ache and pain with absolutely no health risk, are they? Peanuts aren’t being marketed to people allergic to peanuts, saying “these won’t hurt you.”
Also, products that contain peanuts have a warning label so that people who might die from eating them know beforehand to avoid it. Restaurants that serve dishes with peanuts have to disclose this information to their customers too. CBD needs a warning label too as it has clear and present dangers especially for children.
Denny G
CBD/THC vs. Ritalin or Adderal for my 7-year-old with diagnosed extreme ADHD. I’d much rather attempt the CDB oil vs the other. My MD/ND FDN is comfortable prescribing the CBD blended oil…
Tony
This NIH study indicates that that CBD conversion to THC in the gut is an unfounded extrapulation from in vetro investigations. What actually happens in the gut is much more complicated. I have found CBD effective for ameliorating pain. Thanks for the article. I will be more careful using it now that I have looked at THC conversion theory. I abhor the cannabis high and am happy that I have not experienced this side effect. Perhaps my palio diet helps.
Diana McCray
You are not reporting the use of CBD correctly. Like any supplement, you have to research where you buy from and how it is made. I wouldn’t take a supplement made by Bayer, and I’m not going to purchase my cbd oil from someone I don’t trust or haven’t researched. I have been using products from Dutch Farm Organics, and they are a responsible and sustainable source. CBD oil has helped so many and all without the use of toxic pharmaceuticals. CBD oil is not recommended for children, so if it is being given to children by an establishment then that establishment needs to be held accountable the same way a bar would be for selling to minors. You mention epilepsy problems but cbd oil is excellent in treating seizures, and you didn’t even mention those like me who use it for anxiety, depression and ocd. Also, a high quality cbd oil has all components of the plant, not just cannabidiol. The thc needs to be present, even though it is in very small amounts so as not to have psychoactive properties. You need to research the companies that are making a difference, not just the spam companies that can hijack anyone’s email. Also, you’re information on hemp oil is incorrect. It contains a completely balanced ratio of fatty acids, making it a good choice for dha and epa for vegans/vegetarians.
Sarah
Hemp oil (hash oil) is loaded with THC and illegal in most states. Did you mean to refer to hemp seed oil? The amount of omega-6 is over 55% …. FAR too high and inflammation producing for anyone especially vegetarians who are getting plenty from grains. Compare to olive oil or avocado oil both which are about 10-15% omega-6. These are much better choices than hemp seed oil.
Jayana
Thanks so much for this eye-opening blog!
I have been taking CBD water soluble oil recently – since I was led to believe this is the purest, best, organic, zero THC, nano-technology based supplement in the world with no side effects 🙁 And recommended by some of the world known and highly respected doctors and naturopaths.
At the same time, I started experiencing some changes in my body and now I found out that they coincide EXACTLY with those side effects as listed under the converted THC effects. O my God! I am getting drug effects in my body, otherwise quite healthy 🙁
My hands and feet feel cold, I lost crystal clear thinking (e.g. I am looking for words while I am speaking), I lost a bit of appetite and need to sleep more – otherwise I feel very tired. 100% match with THC side effects.
Oh, what a disappointment but thank God I found out early enough!
Sarah
Now you know that the “best, organic, zero THC” CBD marketing ploy literally means nothing once that CBD hits the acidic stomach. So glad you found out quickly! Can you imagine this in a child whose brain is still developing??? So scary.
Eric
I usually enjoy your articles but this one seems set to make a point that CBD is bad for you unless you are on your death bed. Most of your articles just let the facts fall where they may. This one is more biased. I was truely looking forward to reading this post as I feel no one just reports the true facts about CBD. What are the true facts, well I don’t know because everyone seems to already have their minds made up on whether or not CBD is good or not and they cite whatever study backs their preconceived opinions. It seems the war on drugs has polarized everyone’s opinion on this subject and no one is willing to weed out the crap studies and opinion pieces to get to the truth.
Meanwhile the only people suffering are the people that might be helped with CBD but there needs to either be more studies or better unbiased conclusions of the current studies. I say “might” as CBD might be more harmful than good but who knows. Just one side pointing to the other saying they are wrong. Bunch of biased close minded crap from both sides.
Melissa Taylor
Recently, a friend’s son in Boulder had such severe psychosis he was hospitalized and may never be the same. It is becoming a big issue here in Colorado.
Sarah
Yes, some people are genetically predisposed to huge negative reactions from THC exposure even if in small amounts. For children, this can mean potentially permanent brain changes.