There are many myths about CBD.
And while most of them are innocent…
Some myths are outright dangerous.
For example:
If you’re regularly drug-tested, you can easily fail a drug test by taking full-spectrum CBD products.
But there are more myths. We’ll start with the most impactful myths, and end with the more innocent myths.
Let’s get started.
Quick note: If you’re looking for a high-quality CBD oil, check our list of best CBD oils.
Table of contents:
You Can’t Get High with CBD Oil
It’s true that CBD can’t get you high.
But most CBD products contain a little bit of THC.
Especially THC-sensitive people can get high with even small amounts of THC.
In our experience, taking 2mg of THC can already be enough to feel a slight buzz. It won’t be a real ‘high’, but it can feel different than ‘normal’.
Once you start increasing the THC-dose, your chances of getting high increase as well. Some people don’t feel anything with even 15mg THC. But others feel something with only 1mg THC.
Therefore, if your CBD oil contains THC, it’s always important to know how much THC you’re ingesting with every dose.
The best way to calculate this, is by calculating the CBD-to-THC-ratio.
For example:
If this ratio is 20:1, then for every 20mg CBD, you’re ingesting 1mg THC. Note how you feel after taking this much THC and adjust your dose or even product accordingly.
If you notice you’re very sensitive to THC and you don’t enjoy the effects, try to go for a THC-free CBD product.
For a full example on calculating how much THC you ingest, read:
You Can’t Fail a Drug Test with CBD Oil
And the fact that a small amount of THC is present in most CBD products means you can also fail a drug-test after taking CBD products.
Drug-tests always screen for metabolites of THC. And it doesn’t take a lot of THC to find its metabolites in your urine, for example.
If you’re regularly subjected to drug tests, it’s best that you avoid THC-containing CBD products. THC-containing CBD products are usually called ‘full-spectrum’.
If you truly have a THC-free product, you won’t fail a drug test.
But the only way to truly know whether your product is THC-free is by checking your product’s certificate of analysis (COA).
And even then, you need to be 100% sure that that specific COA is for your specific batch of products.
If you want to completely avoid THC and really want to avoid any risk of failing a drug test, but you’re still interested in CBD, I recommend checking out CBD isolate products.
Read more:
CBD Oil is Legal EVERYWHERE
Hemp-derived CBD is federally legal in the U.S. But CBD is still illegal on the state-level in some states.
So what U.S. states is CBD currently illegal?
CBD is currently (2022) illegal in Nebraska, Idaho, and South Dakota.
If you’re caught with CBD products, and especially CBD products with any THC, you risk getting fined or even jailed in these states.
But CBD and cannabis legislation is changing rapidly, so always keep a close eye on current legislation.
CBD is also illegal in some parts of the world.
In most European, countries CBD products are legal, as long as they’re derived from pre-approved hemp strains and have less than 0.2% THC.
But even in Europe, some countries have different regulations.
For example:
CBD is fully illegal in Lithuania and Slovakia. CBD is restricted to medical use in some other countries like Finland.
So every country has its own specific rules in Europe. Make sure to thoroughly verify the current applicable laws and regulations.
When it comes to continents outside North America, you have to be very careful with CBD products. Especially in Middle Eastern and Asian countries.
The bottom line:
CBD isn’t even legal in every state in the U.S. and definitely not everywhere in the world.
Read more:
CBD Can Cure Diseases
Although CBD has been associated with many benefits…
There’s very little clinical evidence indicating that CBD can cure any disease.
Currently, the only CBD-dominant FDA-approved medicine is “Epidiolex”. And this medicine is only approved for treating hard-to-treat forms of epilepsy.
There’s limited evidence showing that CBD may help ease symptoms in:
- Pain-related conditions,
- Inflammatory conditions,
- Anxiety-related conditions,
- Sleep-related conditions.
But there’s no evidence showing that CBD can cure any of these types of conditions.
So if you see any marketing claiming that a CBD product can cure cancer or something similar, avoid that product.
Brands that conduct illegal marketing practices, probably don’t sell the most trustworthy product either.
There are a few case studies, for example related to cancer, where a CBD user became cancer-free in the same time-period as using CBD oil (1). But there’s no evidence that CBD was the cause of this cure.
Full Spectrum CBD Oil
‘Full-spectrum’ is simply a marketing buzz-word in the CBD industry.
Most so-called full-spectrum CBD products aren’t truly full-spectrum.
Full-spectrum by definition means that almost all hemp compounds are inside the final product.
In practice, the type of compounds that are most important for a product to be qualified as truly ‘full-spectrum’ are:
- Cannabinoids, and,
- Terpenes.
So a true full-spectrum CBD product contains CBD, plus many other cannabinoids and terpenes.
The only way to determine whether a CBD product is truly full-spectrum is by checking the certificate of analysis (COA).
What should you look for when checking a COA?
The most important and most-tested minor cannabinoids are:
- CBC,
- CBG,
- THC,
- CBN,
- CBDA,
- CBDV,
- THCA,
- CBGA.
The most important and most-tested terpenes are:
- Limonene,
- Linalool,
- Caryophyllene
- Humulene
- Pinene,
- Terpineol,
- Myrcene,
- Bisabol,
- Guaiol,
- Eucalyptol.
When you see many of these cannabinoids and terpenes present in detectable levels, you can be sure it’s a true full-spectrum product.
In all high-quality full-spectrum products that we’ve reviewed, minor cannabinoids like CBG and CBC, were always present in higher concentrations than 0.1%.
If you see these minor cannabinoids present in much lower concentrations than 0.1%, it’s technically still full-spectrum. But the quality is much lower than the higher quality full-spectrum products.
Organic CBD
While CBD products can be organic, the CBD molecule itself can’t be organic.
CBD can be extracted from organically cultivated hemp plants.
CBD can be extracted from industrially cultivated hemp plants.
In both cases, the CBD molecule itself is exactly the same. It has the same molecular structure. This means the effects are also exactly the same.
A CBD molecule extracted from organically cultivated hemp plants isn’t higher quality than a CBD molecule extracted from an industrially cultivated hemp plant.
If you’re using a purified CBD product, like any CBD isolate product, then it isn’t really important if your CBD comes from an organically cultivated hemp plant or not.
But if you’re using a full-spectrum CBD product, or even a broad-spectrum CBD product, the organic vs non-organic distinction starts to become important.
Here’s why:
A purified CBD product is filtered to such an extent that only the CBD is left. All the other beneficial hemp compounds are filtered out, and so are any potential contaminants.
But with full- and broad-spectrum CBD products, many other hemp compounds stay inside the extract. There’s significantly less filtration than with purified products.
So the first reason why the organic vs non-organic distinction matters when it comes to full- and broad-spectrum CBD products is that:
Organically cultivated crops are generally healthier and of higher quality (2). While I haven’t found any study that proves the same for hemp plants, it’s likely that organically cultivated hemp plants have better cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles than non-organically cultivated hemp plants.
So if you have a CBD product extracted from organic hemp plants, it’s likely that your product has a superior cannabinoid- and terpene-profile.
The second reason why the organic vs non-organic distinction matters when it comes to full- and broad-spectrum CBD products is that:
These types of products can’t undergo an extensive filtering process as purified CBD products. This means any pesticides and other contaminants may end up in the final extract. Organically farming has much stricter rules with regards to the use of pesticides and soil quality.
Full- and broad-spectrum CBD products made from organic hemp plants are less likely to be contaminated with pesticides and soil contaminations than non-organic hemp plants.
The bottom line:
CBD products can be organic. But the CBD molecule itself can’t be organic.
Conclusion
So there you have it. The 5 biggest CBD oil myths.
Education means power. You now have the power to avoid various CBD marketing scams.
These myths extend to other types of CBD products as well.
To recap the 5 biggest CBD oil myths:
- You can’t get high with CBD oil;
- CBD oil is legal EVERYWHERE;
- CBD oil can cure various diseases;
- ‘Full-spectrum’ CBD oil;
- ‘Organic’ CBD.
What’s Next…
Go to our CBD Hub to learn more about CBD-related topics.
Scientific References:
- LIKAR, R., KOESTENBERGER, M., STULTSCHNIG, M., & NAHLER, G. (2019). Concomitant Treatment of Malignant Brain Tumours With CBD – A Case Series and Review of the Literature. Anticancer Research, 39(10), 5797–5801. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.13783
- Reeve, J., Hoagland, L., Villalba, J., Carr, P., Atucha, A., Cambardella, C., Davis, D., & Delate, K. (2016). Organic Farming, Soil Health, and Food Quality: Considering Possible Links. Advances in Agronomy, 319–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2015.12.003
