The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the 2018 Farm Bill) removed hemp from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substance Act (CSA).
This means that cannabis plants and derivatives that contain no more than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis are no longer controlled substances under the CSA.
However, FDA-regulated products containing hemp must still meet applicable requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act.
The FDA has approved one drug, Epidiolex, that contains a highly-purified form of CBD for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox‑Gastaut syndrome (LGS), Dravet syndrome (DS), or tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in people one year of age and older.
Cannabis is a plant of the Cannabaceae family and contains more than eighty biologically active chemical compounds. The most commonly known compounds are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
THC is the component that produces the “high” associated with marijuana use.
Much interest has been seen around CBD and its potential related to health benefits.
Marijuana is different from CBD. CBD is a single compound in the cannabis plant, and marijuana is a type of cannabis plant or plant material that contains many naturally occurring compounds, including CBD and THC.
It is currently illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supplement.
The FDA has warned companies to stop selling CBD products they claim are intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, mitigate, or cure serious diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders and diabetes.
CBD has the potential to harm you, even before you become aware of it.
CBD can affect how other drugs you are taking work, potentially causing serious side effects.
Use of CBD with alcohol or other drugs that slow brain activity, such as those used to treat anxiety, panic, stress, or sleep disorders, increases the risk of sedation and drowsiness.
- Changes in alertness, most commonly experienced as somnolence (drowsiness or sleepiness).
- Gastrointestinal distress, most commonly experienced as diarrhea and/or decreased appetite.
- Changes in mood, most commonly experienced as irritability and agitation.
