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.
This article is wrong. THC and CBD are SEPERATE compounds. You must get paid by big pharma. Silly woman.
I guess you have never taken Chemistry! One substance can easily convert into others in the presence of catalysts. An example is beta carotene getting converted into Vitamin A in the digestive tract. There are many other examples. CBD can convert into THC in the acidic digestive tract. Scientists have ALREADY shown that it happens. And no, I don’t take a dime from big pharma. Amazing how when people disagree with you, sometimes automatic insults and false assumptions about your motivations occur!
Well most of what you’re saying is true you were calling Cbd from marijuana helpful. Let’s get this absolutely clear there are two different plants on this earth that have CBD. One is marijuana and two is help neither the two shall twine . The problem is that our government has not separated the two and people like this article keep getting them mixed up, confused, and giving bad or negative information . I’ve been in the cannabis related business for over 20 years and have not once seen Cbd from Hemp have a side effect or reaction and a person !
If you read through the comments you will find several people who had negative reactions to CBD!!
Hi,
I’ve just completed a health project on CBD oil and all of my research shows that CBD oil actually doesn’t contain any THC. In that, it is an all natural alternative cure for ailments. It has many positives, although there are some negatives. However, all the research is very new and it obviously has a plethora of areas which need to be explored and covered. In a different vein, I understand your decision and respect it. In contrast, CBD oil is a new fad and the stigmas around it are still very poignant.
All, I can say is; it’s part of the times now.
CBD oil does not contain any THC that is true. But, some CBD CONVERTS to some THC within the acidity of the digestive tract.
I agree with Sarah, I experience terrible depression after taking cbd oil, I’m using it for anxiety. It does seem to help my sleep though. We’re all individual and I will persevere with it, very carefully. I believe I may experience a kind of herx reaction also. I’m also convinced, as is Sarah that the body converts a little of it to thc. I’m wondering if, after keeping it in the mouth so sublingually it is then absorped into the blood stream it would be wise to spit put? Can anyone advise on this?
I think you are missing Sarah’s main point here. In my opinion Sarah has done a perfect job of pointing out the dangers of irresponsible use, which is rapidly expanding due to a money grab by big business (and small business). There is no argument that CBD oil can be helpful, but just like all of the wonderful natural remedies it requires responsible usage.
Please consider the importance of Sarah’s message here. Her science is correct and her warnings are correct. Not only is irresponsible distribution and use of CBD oil dangerous to adults and children alike, it is also dangerous to the reputation of CBD oil. Such remedies are to be respected and used wisely, as our elders have done for millennia.
Well done Sarah.
Sarah, I wholeheartedly disagree with your assertions and in fact believe that CBD oil is safe, certainly far safer than any pharmaceutical on the market! And, it is not a drug; to call it such is incorrect. I believe in God’s Pharmacy, and this fits in quite literally within that paradigm.
The potential side effects that you list are unfounded, and I believe it irresponsible to make these assertions without having real facts and anecdotes from those who use it for themselves and their children. Of all the people I know who use or have used it, I have never once encountered anyone experiencing any of these effects, not even a hint of them!
Your information is, I believe, very biased and as someone else pointed out, may be coming (indirectly) from the pharmaceutical industry that wants to discredit its use in order that they can capture, patent, and sell the important constituents. Think, “Reefer Madness”, which used unfounded scare tactics to convince the public many years ago to abandon even the production of hemp as a fiber. It worked then and these crazy assertions will work now, if we allow it. I am one of many millions who stand by CBD’s safety and efficacy, and will not tolerate this kind of slander against an effective, safe, natural product!
Hi Maureen, we will have to respectfully disagree on this issue! CBD oil when ingested (doesn’t matter if from hops or cannabis or certified “pure” or “THC free”), some of it can convert to THC within the acidic digestive process which has the potential to permanently alter the brain of a developing child. In addition, adults are being exposed to THC some of whom (if they were properly informed) would never agree to take CBD oil due to the potential for THC exposure. Again, CBD oil certified “THC free” is no protection.
There are numerous studies on the dangers of THC for some genetically susceptible individuals. Some people are fine, but others are very damaged. Hence the need for a warning label on CBD oil at the very least to inform people properly before they buy it. There is plenty of evidence in science and in clinical settings to suggest caution regarding its dangerous side effects. This is why some pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop transdermal CBD to avoid the risks.
I find your columns so helpful. (forgive me if I repeat myself – I’d written to you last week but was interrupted and don’t remember if I actually sent it. ) The particular study you referenced at the beginning of your paragraph listing Side Effects for CBD/CBD oil does NOT conclude that Psychoses are a side effect. Other studies may conclude, even prove that, but not the one in the “journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research” as listed in that paragraph. I have not had time to read all the other comments – this one may be redundant.
Hi Kathy, as I mentioned in response to another comment, CBD is not psychotic in and of itself. It is because CBD can be converted in small amounts of THC in the digestive tract which where the psychosis side effect comes from. NUMEROUS studies indictate that THC is psychotic. Hope that helps!
Search for Granny Storm Crow’s List, it is a compilation of ALL cannabis related research.
There is NO proven cause, and effect relationship between cannabis, and psychosis. There is no more connection than between cannabis, and tobacco use. There is evidence of a connection, but NOT that cannabis causes psychosis. It is just as likely that people who experience psychotic episodes, use cannabis in some form to self medicate.
I appreciate your caution, but you obviously have a prejudice against cannabis. I rarely comment because your information is typically much more balanced.
Personally, I’m completely sick of the demonization of cannabis! I watched my sister die, in horrible pain, because she had serious side effects to the pharmaceuticals given her for her pain, and cancer. Why?!? In ALL of recorded history, no one has died of cannabis poisoning. If you think it damages children, what about the fact that most of us grew up breathing lead, from gas fumes. That another new study claims that pollution lowers IQ. There is plenty out there to work at avoiding, cannabis is NOT such a Hazzard! No, I would not give it to a child for recreation! But I most certainly would give it to anyone with medical issues, regardless of age!
I do not think you have grasped the purpose of this article. It is not anti-cannabis.
I voted for legalized medical marijuana in my home state of Florida by the way.
This article is not about weed at all. It is about CBD oil which can come from hops just as well as it can come from cannabis. I would suggest re-reading.
Sarah, I am so very disappointed in this article; it could have come straight from a pharmaceutical company’s anti-natural campaign even as they work to develop a salable and profitable form of what is found in nature. Then I read in the comments regarding your references, and this only seems to verify what I was already sensing.
I have been using a high quality CBD oil for several years, organically grown and free of solvents or other toxic additives. Actually, I have used several and found then beneficial for several problems, including inflammation and skin cancer.
Some of the side effects you list are actually very beneficial and exactly why people take CBD oil, including longer-lasting sleep, reduced sensation (pain!), and even reduced body temperature. And as to interaction with seizure medicines, people are wanting an alternative to those terrible meds, and are turning to CBD because it works, far better and without the very harmful side effects of those pharmaceuticals!
In fact, the reason why my mind opened up to CBD was the experience of an old family friend whose twin autistic boys, in their early 20’s, went from experiencing dozens of seizures daily (often violent), to one or two mild seizures per week. Their anti-seizure medications had many complications, but not the CBD oil-it worked, and without negative side effects! This poor mom finally is able to sleep at night and begin enjoying life for the first time in 20+ years!
My father used CBD oil and wished for THC-containing oil also, as he wanted the natural and calmer pain control than the opioids he was prescribed, and hated.
CBD oil is helpful in controlling the inflammation involved in my husband’s rheumatoid arthritis.
Of any of these examples and so many more that I personally am aware of, never, EVER, has a “high” developed; I am definitely not believing the research quoted regarding this in your article.
God gave us many good things for food and medicine. I am a firm believer that this special herb was given to us as medicine and is far preferable to pharmaceutical drugs; I trust God’s/Nature’s Pharmacy far more!
I’m so glad CBD oil is working for you Maureen. It does help a lot of people. I’m not advocating to take it off the market. What I AM suggesting is that people are giving it to their children without much thought and that it is dangerous to do so. It also should not be consumed by pregnant women and otherwise healthy people. It is powerful medicine as your friends with autistic twins discovered. It is not a healthfood or nutritional supplement.
This stuff is everywhere and a lot of people are consuming it frequently and sometimes unknowingly. CBD oil needs a warning label just like any other drug with the potential for psychosis (as a side effect from the conversion to THC in the gut- see references above). This point is confusing I realize since CBD itself is actually nonpsychotic according to some research.
I’m not sure why anyone would find issue with toughening up its availability and ensuring that people are fully informed before they use it. Right now, it’s being pushed on social media and in the healthfood community like it’s the silver bullet to immortality. It’s quite ridiculous and very concerning to see literally any ailment mentioned in a FB post with comment after comment suggesting “CBD oil!”. Seriously? It honestly reminds me of the essential oil mania a few years ago.
I would suggest trying to view CBD oil from the perspective of the whole community, in this case, widespread availability that easily falls into the hands of those to whom it can serious and permanent harm. I don’t find that viewing it solely through the lens of our own personal experience is as helpful.
I didn’t know that CBD from hemp could convert to THC in the gut. Regardless, I have a medical marijuana card in my state, related to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I tried a CBD Marijuana strain as a tincture a few years ago. (Its aprox 2 to 1, CBD to THC) I take a half a dropper at bedtime, and it does its job after I fall asleep, so no getting high from the small dose I take. For those who know lab work, CRP ( C Reactive Protein) measures inflammation. Under 5 is a good lab result for CRP, my best after some time on Embrel and Methotrexate (LDN did not work after 14 months) CRP was 4.7, my Rheumatologist was thrilled after my levels hit 65 once. After a year on the CBD marijuana tincture my CRP dropped to 0.2, and the next 2 labs also were the same. The tincture was the only lifestyle change. So, the Anti inflammatory affect of CBD marijuana is helpful, in my case anyways.
I am not defending marijuana usage, and when I go to the dispensary, I usually don’t see many people limping in like I have at times related to pain, they are just using the system to get a “legal” high.