With the passing decade, CBD has seen a big change in its image. More and more people have adopted it in their daily lives, leading to the industry’s growth. CBD’s medical implications and legality have been confirmed for many countries across the world. This change of attitude and state-driven awareness drives have helped it reach mainstream acceptance.
The 2018 Farm Bill and its impact
CBD, or cannabidiol, is derived from the Cannabis Sativa L. plant (which can be either cultivated as hemp or the marijuana variety). While hemp has lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the component with high-inducing psychoactive effects, marijuana has high concentrations of it. The US Farm Bill 2018 (now, Agriculture Improvement Act 2018) removed hemp from the list of controlled substances.
Studies and Researches
The last few years have seen a significant increase in medical studies on CBD. A report by the World Health Organization gives an overview of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Psychosis, Depression and Diabetes for which it may have therapeutic benefits. Another study asserts that CBD has therapeutic properties like anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and neuroprotective effects.
Daily life uses
The medical sector is not the only one that has seen the advent of CBD as a prime contender. The CBD industry has expanded to include products like edibles (capsules and tinctures), vapes, and hair and beauty brands like Sephora. The CBD boost that our daily life products are getting is a sure sign of changing times – one that has become far more accepting of these substances.
FDA
Moreover, in a report published by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the FDA has removed CBD from the category of a Schedule 1 drug. This rule change now places cannabidiol under Schedule 5 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
In 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution as a treatment of seizures. These seizures are associated with two rare forms of epilepsy, namely Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. This made Epidiolex the first FDA-approved drug containing a purified drug substance derived from marijuana.
No Drug Dependency
In a 2017 report, WHO gave CBD a glowing report about its uses in medicinal purposes and its lack of abuse potential. The study was presented by the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. It clearly states that CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any potential dependence on humans.
Opportunities for writers
As the attitude towards CBD changes worldwide, it opens a minefield of opportunities. This field of research is still in its infancy and reliable information is hard to come by. That is the reason why, as a writer, you can benefit a lot here if you know your way around.
If you have a keen interest in cannabis and its uses, or have enough relevant knowledge, the options to expand your expertise are endless.
Below are some opportunities for you to consider:
- Cannabis Research & Education: There are countless blogs, white paper publishers, and websites that need a researcher to set its pace. If you are already pursuing medical education, or if you are a medical writer, you can look into CBD as a potential subject of interest.
- Cannabis Sales/Marketing: You can look for opportunities in cannabis sales/marketing. Writing product reviews, newsletters, press releases, and so forth are understated but much requested roles.
- Cannabis News/Current Affairs: Should news be your interest, cannabis current affairs would be a good domain to cover.
- Cannabis Business/Best Practices: Become a part of various CBD-centric businesses. Or, you can also shelve out the best practices of this industry for others to know.
- Cannabis Legality (Regulations & Policies): The legal aspect of CBD has always been under a microscope. Use your writing prowess to elucidate those regulations and policies.
- Cannabis & Technology: Technology is merging with the CBD market, leading to new and better products and services. Look into the scene and scout.
- Social Media Management: Like every brand, CBD also needs good old marketing on social media. This is a big opportunity pool if you have the know-how.
- Lifestyle: Once you are familiar with it, you can instruct others about how to imbibe CBD into their lifestyle seamlessly.
- Cannabis compliant Writing/Legal: The legal aspects and compliance for a topic as sensitive as CBD always need more writers to join the cause.
- Product reviewer: You can form your own reviews on cannabis strains and products, and blog about them.
Cannabis and derivative products are no longer a taboo subject. Whether you are personally for or against the use of these products, there is plenty of demand out there for information. That means opportunities for you – the freelance writer.
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Hannah Jones is a Contributing Writer at Crystalwind.ca. You can email her at: officialjoneshannah@gmail.com
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Thanks so much for sharing these insights! I was also thinking about writing about CBD. This is a fascinating topic and there’s much to be explored in this area. Many people still have wrong associations with cannabis within their minds. The fact is that when used judiciously, this plant can be a powerful medicine helping to heal all sorts of maladies. As a writers, and open-minded people, we bear the responsibility of bringing this news to the world!
Have you learned nothing. Cannabis in the age of coronavirus? Not for me, I love reality.
Long before I was hunkering down in the cabin of my boat, hiding from the dreaded CoronaVirus, I used to kick in doors, chase down dealers, and had close to 1000 drug arrests to my credit. So, I feel that I had the necessary knowledge and experience to accept and publish this article.
Angela and I are the furthest thing from “Counter Culture” as you can get. Neither of us relishes any notion of a stoned America. But we must keep in mind a couple of realities when dealing with this subject:
1) As the article explained, there are different types of plants in the “Cannabis” family. One type has a high concentration of THC. It is smoked to get “high.” Then there is another, called hemp, which does NOT have a bunch of THC. It is used not only for medicinal “CBD” – but also rope, fabric, paper, and cosmetics. The list goes on and on.
2) Most Americans (even those who would NEVER use marijuana) will happily take a pain killer that was produced from the poppy plant, which also produces heroine, just because a doctor gave them a prescription for it.
3) Marijuana became “evil” because our government said it was evil. Before that, there is plenty of documented history of native Americans using it, not just medicinally, but religiously and culturally.
Whether we want to admit it or not, medicine and the use of plants around us is ever changing – with someone always trying to control our viewpoint. Cocaine was once freely sold in a soft drink – called “Coca-Cola.” Now it is illegal just to possess. For a good century or so, it was “known” that Mercury cured syphilis. It didn’t. Rather it contributed to insanity in patients. Less than a century ago, it was “known” that lobotomy (knocking a hole in the back of someone’s eye sockets and blindly cutting up a part of the brain) was a wonder cure for everything from schizophrenia to bad behavior in children. It took 2 decades and 20,000 of these procedures for doctors to realize that all a lobotomy amounted to was intentionally inflicted brain damage.
Now we are at the point in history where the “evilness” of a plant is being weighed against its historical and potential medicinal value to society. In no way is WritersWeekly telling everyone to go out and smoke a doobie – any more than I would tell you to go down a fifth of whiskey just for kicks. This article very simply explains that the tide is turning when it comes to the world’s attitude about this plant that grows in nature – and as such, there is plenty of opportunity for writers to educate themselves, and then others (through their writing), about this plant. I personally am not in favor of recreational use of marijuana. But my personal opinion is this: If this plant can help a veteran with PTSD, or an epileptic stop their seizures, or people in chronic pain, without getting them hooked on opiates, what harm is is it doing to me?
There is no single point of view or position on any subject that writers write about.