Perhaps you aren’t surprised about this headline? It wouldn’t surprise me considering all the information, news, researches and new businesses that have emerged for the last year. All these explains why the CBD industry is becoming a multibillion business.
However, the ancient people already knew about cannabis and its properties. On one hand, they knew about its entheogenic properties and it was widely used by many civilizations for ritualistic purposes. On the other hand, way back to ancient China, cannabis was already catalogued as a medicinal plant to treat many different ailments.
Sadly, cannabis was ostracized and demonized for much of the twentieth century. Believe it or not, there’s not a logical reason for the ban of cannabis and it was mainly banned because back in the 1930’s, cannabis was associated with the jazz culture and black people. Later, it was associated with Mexicans. In conclusion, a lot of racism involved.
It’s insane, but some people were jailed for just being caught a couple of times with a marijuana joint.
Nevertheless, there are many countries that have legalized medical cannabis and recently, some countries such as Canada, Uruguay or South Africa have even legalized its recreational use.
According to Business Insider, Wall Street thinks that the CBD industry could generate up to 16 billion USD by 2025.
Most importantly, it can help many people to deal with their anxiety problems or epileptic seizures.
As matter of fact, recent reports estimate that CBD will have a larger growth than expected estimating more than 22 billion USD.
Endocannabinoid System
Many people don’t know that we actually have receptors in our body that are built for CBD, the cannabinoid receptors or the endocannabinoid system. To sum up, we have two receptors called CB1 and CB2. CB1 is a cannabinoid receptor for THC and CBD2 is a cannabinoid receptor for CBD.
Why is CBD so important and useful?
We already know that CBD is useful for the treatment of epilepsy (Epidiolex is FDA approved) and anxiety. However, there are many ongoing researches about other benefits and CBD uses.
1. Reduces Aggressiveness
I’m a person that likes to apply a logical thinking. it doesn’t make any sense that alcohol is legal, but cannabis is illegal. Why alcohol, a very destructive drug is legal? The short answer is that it is not based on any scientific data but just about cultural and social aspects.
I have met people that were physically and mentally deteriorated after years of heavy drinking. Alcohol doesn’t only destroy your liver, but it also leads to depression and neurologic deterioration.
Moreover, there are so many crimes associated with alcohol affecting the offenders and their families.
Firstly, CBD isn’t a recreative drug, but a medicine. Besides its uses to reduce anxiety or to treat epilepsy, CBD reduces aggressiveness.
THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid, is known for being a “friendly” substance and the consumers emerge in a state of laughter, creativity and brotherhood. However, don’t confuse CBD with THC, as CBD effect is completely different in your body.
CBD apparently doesn’t just attach to CB2 receptors, but it has a direct impact on your whole body to use our own cannabinoids. Yes, you’ve heard right, our body produces cannabinoids.
Recent studies have found that CBD reduces aggressiveness in mice. Therefore, CBD could be used to treat aggression associated with psychiatric disorders.
2. CBD as an Opioid Alternative
It’s very common for many people to take sleeping pills to fall asleep. However, the sleeping pills, which are generally benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines known as the Z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone, eszopiclone, zaleplon) can cause withdrawal symptoms and you will generally need to increase the dose after a prolonged use.
CBD, on the other hand, can help many people to fall asleep and not rely on sleeping pills that cause physical dependence.
No wonder that some sources estimate that the CBD industry is going to displace more than 2.5 trillion USD of existing markets.
CBD as an opioid alternative means that millions of people won’t need opioids anymore to treat insomnia or anxiety.
3. CBD to Treat Acne
CBD is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. However, a study from 2014 found that CBD can also help reduce the production of sebum, which is one of the main causes of acne.
Acne is influenced by many factors. For instance, stress can also lead to more sebum production. CBD helps to reduce acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, reduction of sebum production and for its stress-relieve properties.
4. CBD and Neurological Benefits
Although researches are still ongoing, there are some preliminary researches about CBD and its neuroprotective properties. Apparently, CBD help to reduce the productions of inflammatory cytokines.
Moreover, CBD also helps the cerebral circulation in post-ischemic events. Furthermore, it’s important to emphasize the low toxicity that CBD has in humans. In other words, it will distribute in our body very fast and its principally excreted in the urine.
5. CBD as a pain reliever
Many athletes are using CBD as a pain reliever. Perhaps you remember the UFC fighter Nate Diaz, he’s a cannabis activist and claims to use CBD after his fights to help him with the recovery.
You can use CBD to reduce after workout pain or to help you deal with muscular injuries.
It’s a trend and a huge business opportunity for many people, but, above all, it’s a substance that can help millions of people with different kind of ailments or problems.
Conclusion
CBD has helped many people that struggle with anxiety and epilepsy. Moreover, there are many ongoing researches about CBD to treat aggressiveness, anxiety and even as a replacement for opioid drugs.
We have all heard about the opioid crisis or opioid epidemic in the US, where many people reported opioid addictions and problems with more than 70000 drug overdose deaths in 2018. In conclusion, CBD could be an effective replacement for opioids.
The CBD industry will become very important by 2025 and many more products will be available on the market.