Cannabidiol (CBD) has been a buzzword the last few years because it has a laundry list of suggested health benefits, including relief from pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and more. Another potentially appealing quality of CBD is that it’s risque in nature. CBD is a cannabinoid that comes from the Cannabis Sativa L. plant, which can consist of hemp stalks and flowers of marijuana. The easiest way to discern hemp from marijuana is through the THC content (the intoxicating compound in cannabis).

Though CBD can come from either source, marijuana-derived CBD products are only legal at the state level where recreational marijuana is also legal. For this reason, most products on the market use hemp-derived CBD, though there are still very complicated regulations about incorporating it into consumable products. Even hemp-derived CBD is currently illegal for use in food and beverages because the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) A ct prohibits adding approved drugs to human or animal food in interstate commerce, and CBD is an active ingredient in GW Pharmaceuticals’ epilepsy drug Epidiolex.

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