Cannanabid (CBD) oil has become incredibly popular over the last couple of years. This is because the benefits of CBD oil have become more widely known.
Essentially, you can get many of the benefits of cannabis without the high. Some of these benefits include:
The reason you don't get high from CBD is that the THC, the compound that gives you a high when you consume marijuana, is not present. That means you can tap into these benefits without the high and do so legally.
There are a few ways you can consume CBD including edibles, ingestible oils, and vaping. In this article, we're going to discuss vaping CBD oil, its benefits, and why it might be the best option for you.
Not all forms of CBD are created equal. While you should always look for the best quality CBD products, we're instead talking about the form CBD can take.
Different forms of CBD have different levels of bioavailability or the percentage of the substance that can enter your system and produce its effects. Certain types of CBD products will have more potent effects than others.
Bioavailability is important for the effectiveness of CBD. Cannanabid oil is hydrophobic which means that its molecules "fear" water, causing it to not be very water-soluble. Think about how oils in a salad dressing separate from water or vinegar in the dressing.
Because CBD is not very water-soluble, it means it does not like to stay in your bloodstream which can reduce the effect the bioactive CBD has on your body.
You must also consider that organic compounds that enter your body through the gut have to first pass through the liver. In the case of CBD, the liver significantly reduces the amount of CBD that will eventually enter your bloodstream.
To avoid the liver's first-pass at reducing the amount of CBD that enters your bloodstream, consider using a CBD vape as your delivery mechanism.
When CBD is vaporized and inhaled, it bypasses the gut and enters the bloodstream via your lungs. Inhaled vaporized CBD oil is 31% bioavailable whereas edibles can be anywhere from 13-19% bioavailable.
Vaporized CBD oil also has the added benefit of having a more immediate effect because it travels almost immediately to your bloodstream.
We briefly touched on the benefits of CBD oil but let's explore them more in-depth.
If you do your research, you'll notice that are many preliminary studies that have been done and are being done on CBD and its effects on the body. These studies cover a wide range of effects including neurodegenerative diseases, anxiety, and inflammation.
Despite all these studies, the FDA has only approved a specific type of CBD found in Sativex for the use in anti-epileptic medications for seizures. If you do suffer from epileptic seizures, consult with your doctor to see if a CBD-based treatment could work for you.
There are promising findings for CBD beyond treating seizures.
One widespread problem vaping CBD oil may be able to help is in anxiety. Anxiety affects over 40 million Americans each year, and only about 37% of those with anxiety seek help. Vaping CBD is a discreet and easy way to help you manage your day to day, mild anxiety.
Studies on CBD have also shown promising results for pain management use. Individuals with chronic pain from nerve damage or inflammation have found pain relief through various CBD products.
If you pursue CBD as a treatment for any of these medications, do first consult your doctor. Also, consider the fact that vaping CBD oil makes it more bioavailable for your body over edibles.
There is still some controversy remaining around substituting vaping for smoking for tobacco products and cannabis products. That being said, preliminary studies suggest the pros outweigh the cons. An overarching concern about vaping is that it's a gateway tool that can eventually lead to smoking or real drug use.
The most risky items in vaping any product would be the base used and the equipment itself. For a base, it is a good rule of thumb to not use PEG, or polyethylene glycol, which is NOT in any of the products we carry. The parts used for the manufacture of your vaping device. For instance, if it uses a wick, is that wick made of organic cotton, or is it from traditionally farmed cotton, which is one of the crops that are most heavily sprayed with pesticides? None of the equipment we carry in our store uses cotton wicks, and most will be some sort of a ceramic heating element.
UPDATE 12/19: It has come to our attention that in recent months, there have been numerous news reports about the safety of vaping. Some products were found to use a synthetic form of vitamin E, called Vitamin E Acetate, in their formulations to change the consistency of their e-juice. The FDA believes this ingredient to be the culprit at this time, and no products we carry will contain this questionable ingredient.
When it comes to vaping specifically, one study has revealed that vaping CBD reduces the amount of tobacco individuals smoke. This is a huge upside considering how much harm tobacco smoke does to your lungs.
Something you do need to keep in mind is that there is still some aspects of vaping CBD that need to be clarified like health effects in the long run. Since the vaping industry blew up so quickly, its growth has far outpaced state and federal regulation. What this means is that there haven't been any government-funded studies into the safety and quality of juice ingredients and any effects of inhaling CBD.
As we start to understand more about CBD, expect that government regulations will start to catch up.
When asking about the legality of CBD oil, it's best to ask where it comes from rather than a simple yes/no is it legal. By source, we mean the type of plant the oil was derived from.
This way of determining legality comes from the federal government's classification of cannabis. Marijuana used for medical and recreational purposes are considered Schedule I drugs by the DEA. On the other hand, CBD is an exception to this rule.
However, CBD oil can also be derived from hemp, a legal agricultural product which is regulated as such.
This delineation comes down to the THC content. Hemp, which contains no THC, is legal across the U.S. while cannabis does. Even though CBD oil without THC can be derived from cannabis, it is a highly charged political topic.
When shopping for CBD oils and edibles, you will want to ensure that they are derived from hemp products, not cannabis products. This is especially the case if you are ordering to a state where medical and/or recreational marijuana is not yet legal.
In short, CBD oil derived from hemp is 100% legal.
If you've been looking for a reliable, discreet way to try CBD, vaping CBD oil could very likely be right for you.
Vape pens are small and hardly noticeable in social situations. CBD is also a very safe chemical compound that can help you manage pain and anxiety.
Find out more about our CBD E-Juice here if you're ready to take the next steps to vaping CBD.