CBD is becoming more popular with each passing day. While a persistent lack of regulatory oversight is preventing CBD from becoming a first-line treatment, even mainstream medical practitioners are having to admit that this non-psychoactive may be more effective than conventional medications for conditions like depression, anxiety, migraines, and inflammatory pain.
The CBD industry is currently caught in a convoluted web of legal complexities. While cannabis-derived CBD is certainly more legal now than it ever has been before, cannabis and hemp investors are right to be cautious. Hemp-derived CBD may remain legal for general market sale for years to come, but it’s just as likely that every hemp-based CBD product in the country will be pulled from shelves tomorrow.
Recently, pioneering CBD scientists have succeeded in deriving the cannabidiol molecule from natural citrus terpenes. Since this type of CBD doesn’t come from cannabis, it isn’t affected by the legal uncertainty that threatens the hemp CBD industry. Learn all about the citrus-derived CBD in Citrus CBDTM and why this new form of cannabidiol offers more stability in both domestic and worldwide markets.
What Is Citrus-Derived CBD?
If you think it’s impossible to derive CBD from anything other than cannabis, that’s only natural. After all, cannabis-derived CBD has been the only option on the market until now. While companies have claimed to derive CBD from sources other than cannabis before, these claims have been heavily scrutinized, and all previous “non-hemp CBD” products that arrived with so much fanfare have gradually skulked their way into nonexistence.
Citrus-derived CBD, however, is the real deal. And no, nobody’s claiming that you can extract ready-made CBD molecules from citrus peels. On the contrary, the process behind the CBD in Citrus CBDTM involves a technique called Cyclic Terpene Assembly (CTA), which reconstructs terpenes naturally found in citrus into CBD molecules.
The CBD in Citrus CBDTM is bio-identical with cannabis-derived CBD, which means that it has the exact same chemical structure. Since it is molecularly identical with cannabis-derived CBD, citrus-derived CBD exerts the same benefits as CBD molecules found in any other sources.
There is, however, one important difference between the CBD in Citrus CBDTM products and the cannabidiol found in hemp: Citrus-derived CBD has nothing whatsoever to do with cannabis. CBD derived from citrus has never come in contact with a single THC molecule, and it is not legally connected to hemp, cannabis, or marijuana.
As I continue, I’ll explain exactly what this critical difference means for Citrus CBDTM customers and the future of the CBD industry. Briefly, however, I’ll point out the most important factor: All existing legislation pertaining to CBD, whether in the United States or abroad, refers specifically to a compound found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Citrus-derived CBD offers the same benefits as cannabis-derived CBD, but it’s in a uniquely liberated legal position.
The History of U.S. Cannabis Law
To fully understand the importance of the advent of citrus-derived CBD, it’s important to take a look at the history of hemp and cannabis law as a whole. Throughout the vast majority of the history of cannabis use within human societies, people have viewed this plant quite favorably. Cannabis is an high-yielding food and fiber crop, and its medicinal quantities have been documented for at least 3,000 years.
During the last century, however, a sweeping cannabis prohibition initiative has taken place worldwide, and in the eyes of the public, Cannabis sativa has transformed from a useful crop and beneficial medicine into a public menace. Marijuana certainly isn’t as harmless as cannabis sector lobbyists would like you to believe, but as toxic drugs like Xanax and Percocet have flowed freely into the arteries and veins of the American people, marijuana prohibition has landed countless otherwise law-abiding citizens in prison and greatly diminished the public reputation of Cannabis sativa in general.
The most significant casualty of cannabis prohibition has been the systemic overlooking of this plant’s potential medical benefits. Since the 1940s, medical researchers have been aware that cannabis contains dozens of different plant-based phytocannabinoids, and one of these cannabinoids, CBD, has gotten the lion’s share of attention despite the anti-cannabis attitude caused by prohibition.
For decades, scientists have been aware that CBD may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and this substance’s potential antidepressive, antiepileptic, and antipsychotic benefits have also been researched thoroughly. Due to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, however, all cannabis-derived compounds have, up until recently, been considered to be constituents of the Schedule I drug marijuana.
In recent years, however, significant legal changes have allowed the CBD industry to blossom outside the confines of state-sanctioned medical or recreational marijuana programs. CBD is now widely-available as a general market, over-the-counter product, but how did these changes come into being, and what bearing do they have on the legality and future of citrus-derived CBD?
Recent Changes to CBD Law
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the benefits of CBD became more widely known. However, use of this beneficial cannabinoid was restricted to drug-using populations; CBD-rich strains of cannabis were limited or nonexistent, and the only way to use CBD was to ingest it alongside relatively high concentrations of psychoactive THC.
In 2014, however, everything changed as the federal government quietly changed its definition of marijuana. Practically overnight, dozens of CBD companies appeared on the internet, and it became possible to purchase cannabidiol products anywhere in the country and have them shipped directly to your door. The changes to American CBD law, however, had only just begun.
The 2014 Farm Bill
During President Obama’s second term, the U.S. Congress passed the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). Like farm bills before it, this piece of legislation set aside funding for agricultural activities and made various amendments to existing farming law. The section of the 2014 Farm Bill that drew the attention of the cannabis industry, however, was the passage relating to industrial hemp.
The purpose of this section of the Farm Bill was to resolve legal complexities surrounding industrial hemp research. Prior to 2014, universities and other research organizations that wanted to learn more about hemp had to jump through various bureaucratic hoops, which impeded the acquisition of new knowledge regarding hemp and its practical uses.
In effect, however, Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 reclassified any cannabis product containing less than 0.3% THC from “marijuana” to “industrial hemp.” Previously, all Cannabis sativa had been legally classified as identical with marijuana, but with the passage of the Farm Bill, CBD products containing less than the legally-defined maximum THC concentration were suddenly eligible for general market sale.
Almost immediately, the federal government realized it had made a mistake. While the letter of the law made it clear that the 2014 Farm Bill wasn’t intended to establish government-sanctioned domestic CBD trade, the bill’s new definition of “industrial hemp” served as an iron-clad loophole that manufacturers could use to start selling CBD products directly to American consumers.
The 2018 Farm Bill
The years between 2014 and 2018 weren’t without their scares for the safety of the fledgling CBD industry. More than once, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) actions and veiled threats to CBD manufacturers led to fears that a widespread crackdown on general market CBD was imminent.
At the same time, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex, a CBD extract, as a prescription drug treatment for certain types of seizures. Clearly, there was a disconnect within the federal government regarding what to do about CBD, and as discussion began regarding the expected contents of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) during the waning months of 2018, the government’s next course of action regarding CBD became clear.
To clear up any potential ambiguity, the 2018 Farm Bill stripped CBD from the DEA’s list of scheduled drugs altogether. Cannabis-derived CBD is no longer lumped in with marijuana as a Schedule I drug, and as far as the federal government is concerned, you can no longer face prosecution for use or possession of CBD.
Many within the CBD industry greeted this news with elation. It’s true; removing CBD from the DEA’s definition of marijuana is a huge step in the right direction. Industry veterans, however, immediately hit the books to determine what this move meant for the evolution of the CBD industry in coming years.
The Future of CBD Law in the USA
Since the beginning of its surge in popularity, CBD has been troublesome to the federal government for a number of reasons:
- As a simple plant extract, it’s hard to reap the enormous profits from CBD that pharmaceutical companies are used to deriving from prescription drugs. Therefore, there’s not much incentive to research this substance.
- CBD is related to marijuana, which has genuine health risks and has historically been a principal target of the War on Drugs.
- CBD could replace the market for a variety of drugs designed for conditions for which CBD may be a safer and more effective treatment.
In recent years, however, CBD has become an even greater thorn in the government’s side, but for a different reason: It isn’t taxed or regulated. The FDA is used to serving as the gatekeeper of drug access in American society; if the FDA hasn’t approved a substance, this agency can’t bear the thought of that substance ending up in the hands of U.S. consumers.
The FDA serves a critical role in protecting public health, but this agency has also increasingly become the stalwart defender of the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma makes up a significant portion of the U.S. economy, and any disruptions to the flow of drugs from factories to pharmacies to consumers could reduce America’s economic strength and, as an extension, the country’s national security.
What does all this mean? In a nutshell, it means that the federal government isn’t done with CBD. While recent legislative changes may seem like nods to a CBD industry that’s become too large to control, it’s far too soon to say whether the federal government’s stance toward cannabidiol will continue to be so permissive.
In fact, recent remarks from the FDA unequivocally indicate that this agency is likely to crack down on cannabis-derived CBD edibles sooner or later. During a recent public hearing held to discuss the future of the CBD industry with stakeholders, FDA representatives clearly stated that drugs shouldn’t be in the food supply, which indicates two things:
- The FDA is beginning to look at CBD as a pharmaceutical drug rather than a supplement;
- The FDA plans to take action to control the presence of CBD in the food supply.
As with all other bureaucracies, the FDA takes forever to get anything done. As a result, many CBD manufacturers still have the attitude of, “make hay while the sun shines,” but it’s pretty clear that the sun won’t shine so brightly on the cannabis-derived CBD industry forever.
In the end, hemp-derived CBD’s relationship with marijuana is too problematic to ignore, and as CBD becomes more and more popular, the FDA will be under increasing pressure to simply cut the Gordian Knot and eliminate cannabis-based CBD from the general market altogether. As the cannabis-based CBD industry faces ever-greater volatility, entrepreneurs and consumers are turning toward cannabis alternatives that offer all the benefits of hemp-derived CBD.
CBD Legislation is Globally Unstable
It’s not just in the United States that the CBD industry is in turmoil. All around the world, governments are struggling to determine how to deal with the CBD phenomenon, and many countries are making the unfortunate mistake of coming down on the side of restricting access to this natural, beneficial compound entirely.
In Canada, for instance, CBD law is a mess. As one of the first counties to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use, you’d think that Canada would have some of the most progressive CBD laws. While it’s true that your chances of getting arrested for CBD in Canada are about as likely as finding a naturally-occurring palm tree in Quebec, Canadian legislators still can’t decide if CBD products are legal if they aren’t sold through state-sanctioned recreational marijuana stores.
In the European Union (EU), the only country to boast an unrestricted CBD market is Bulgaria. In other European countries, CBD law is in a state of flux, and citizens of these countries aren’t sure whether or not it’s okay to use this cannabis-based substance.
Nations like Japan and China, which have some of the strictest penalties for drug possession, offer no room for people to try the benefits of CBD, and most other countries around the world impose similarly restrictive cannabis-derived CBD policies.
Citrus-Derived CBD Sidesteps Legal Concerns
At present, the growth potential of the CBD industry suffers from a fatal flaw: Cannabis-derived CBD is inextricably tied together with marijuana, and meaningful reform to the status of CBD won’t be achieved until Western society changes its stance toward cannabis in general. Just as important to note, however, is the equally fatal flaw inherent to all modern CBD legislation: Lawmakers around the world seem incapable of defining CBD as anything other than a cannabis derivative, and any CBD not sourced from cannabis is not regulated under existing CBD laws.
Just to break it all down: All existing cannabis legislation pertains to CBD-rich hemp (cannabis) oil, not to the CBD molecule itself.
I won’t lie. It’s entirely possible that, somewhere along the road, current efforts to regulate CBD will need to “do a 180” and re-address CBD that isn’t derived from cannabis. At the current stage of the game, however, going back and altering existing laws to deal with CBD itself instead of CBD-rich hemp oil would simply introduce more volatility into the CBD market at the same time that various governmental organizations around the world are trying to stabilize and profit off this mounting trend. Until major governments settle on how to regulate cannabis-derived CBD, which will take years, the CBD molecule itself will remain free from regulatory scrutiny.
Here’s the bottom line:
- Citrus-derived CBD is legally unrelated to cannabis, marijuana, or hemp;
- Current CBD legislation regulates CBD-rich hemp oil, not the CBD molecule itself;
- Therefore, citrus-derived CBD is not regulated under any existing laws, which makes it available in regions where sourcing cannabis CBD is difficult or impossible.
The advent of citrus-derived CBD opens up incredible opportunities within the global CBD market. Many countries have far stricter marijuana laws than those enforced in the United States, which has made CBD access all-but impossible to the majority of the global population. Due to the unique legal status of citrus-derived CBD, however, it is possible to market this product anywhere in the world without facing the legal hurdles surrounding cannabis-based substances.
CBD-Rich Hemp Oil and the CBD Molecule: Is There a Difference?
Is citrus-derived CBD different from cannabis-derived CBD in a chemical sense? No. Are citrus-derived and cannabis-derived CBD different legally? Yes.
In my time observing the evolution of the CBD industry, I’ve been floored more than once by unexpected innovations that have gone on to change the future of CBD forever. The CBD industry is in a constant state of flux, and in my opinion, things won’t begin to settle down for at least another decade. In the meantime, however, citrus-derived CBD is poised to provide safe, reliable access to CBD to people who would never have had a chance to try this cannabinoid otherwise.
I’ll say it again: Independent lab reports confirm that the CBD in Citrus CBDTM products is molecularly identical to cannabis-derived CBD. It has all the same atoms as CBD sourced from cannabis, which means that it affects the body the same way. In fact, preliminary results show that the citrus-derived CBD in Citrus CBDTM products may actually be more inherently bioavailable than CBD found in cannabis.
Even though it seems too good to be true, Citrus CBDTM is the real deal. After years of rumors about non-cannabis CBD that ended up fizzling out, the scientists at Citrus CBDTM have succeeded in delivering the world’s first viable alternative to CBD derived from hemp. Citrus CBDTM is real CBD, it works just as well, and it’s far more legal than any compound with ties to cannabis or marijuana could ever hope to be.
Enjoy CBD Worry-Free with Citrus CBD
Science has unequivocally determined that there are a lot of potential benefits of CBD that should be examined further. However, there are just as many reasons for consumers to be skeptical about this modern-day miracle cure. Despite the best assurances of any company offering full-spectrum CBD, which contains up to 0.3% THC, there’s no guarantee you won’t fail a drug test when you ingest THC in any quantity, and the legal status of hemp-derived CBD is still up in the air in every state in the Union and around the world.
Many consumers understandably don’t want to have anything to do with any product that’s connected with marijuana, and this position isn’t just based on backward views and silly phobias. Marijuana is a seriously dangerous drug; it slows brain development in teens, it contributes to psychosis, and it’s highly addictive. There’s a good reason marijuana hasn’t yet been fully accepted into the fabric of American society, but CBD’s connection with this illegal drug is preventing too many people from experiencing this non-psychoactive cannabinoid’s healing benefits.
It’s the firmly-held mission of the Citrus CBDTM to provide, safe, reliable access to cannabidiol products that have no relationship with marijuana whatsoever. In the past, choosing to use CBD required running a precariously-balanced cost-benefit analysis; is the risk of ingesting THC, pesticides, or solvents worth the benefits of using CBD? Will I be arrested for using this apparently harmless, non-psychoactive compound?
With Citrus CBDTM, the impressive benefits of CBD have been released from their prison of legal complexities and sourcing concerns. It’s now possible to enjoy the benefits of CBD without having to worry about getting high, failing a drug test, or using illegal drugs, and the Cyclic Terpene Assembly process eliminates any possibility of the presence of contaminants. With super-bioavailable transdermal patches and extended-release capsules available, you can now enjoy the benefits of CBD worry-free with citrus-derived Citrus CBDTM.