The absorption of cannabidiol – or CBD – into modern life has been nothing short of spectacular.
Less than a year ago, the substance was illegal.
It’s legalization only went into effect on December 20, 2018, when President Trump signed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018.
Yet, today, it’s everywhere: in creams … and beers … cookies … and pizza.
Seriously, if you can conceive of a way to consume or apply it, I bet you’ll find a CBD product to match. Of course, not all forms of CBD are created equal … but we’ll save that topic for another day.
Suffice it to say, approval, use, and acceptance of CBD continues to grow rapidly. Still, there is some stigma and skepticism surrounding its use … and that will take longer to overcome because it’s embedded in our cultural story.
Time to Reframe
Recently, I’ve seen news reports of companies firing employees who take CBD. And almost daily I read about one professional or another warning that the science doesn’t back the claims … which is nonsense (as I’ll prove another day).
All of this will change … but it helps if we reframe the story for the non-believers.
Perhaps the best example of this is viewing CBD as the “caffeine of the 21st century,” as Benjamin Witte recently said. He’s the founder and CEO of a CBD- and adaptogens-infused sparkling water brand based in New York. I have no idea what that even means – adaptogens – but his analogy is perfect.
Since the Stone Age, people have consumed caffeine by chewing seeds, bark, and leaves of certain plants.
Sound familiar?
They didn’t know they were getting their caffeine fix. They just knew that when they chewed that stuff, it eased their fatigue, stimulated their awareness, and elevated their mood.
Long before “modern man” knew about cannabinoids – thanks to Dr. Roger Adam’s discovery in 1940 and later the work of Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, known as the Godfather of Cannabis Research – people would chew or brew leaves from the hemp plant because it helped reduce pain or improve sleep … and was just generally therapeutic.
Yet, misinformation and a mountain of lies about CBD, as Martin Lee of Project CBD calls it, led to the compound being criminalized and vilified. This was done for political reasons, among others … but we’re only now letting CBD’s life changing properties see the light of day again.
No one (at least that I know of) has been fired for drinking coffee at work … or snacking on chocolate … or swigging from a can of Red Bull.
Yet CBD is better for you than caffeine.
It eases joint pain – particularly when rubbed directly onto the skin.
It vastly improves not only the ability to fall asleep, but the quality of sleep when you drip a drop or two of CBD oil under your tongue.
It reduces inflammation and improves quality of life when you swallow a capsule.
Come on! It’s time these people get with the program.
However you (or your family or friends) use CBD oil, be proud of it.
And the next time anyone looks at you a little sideways when they hear you take CBD, tell them you’re consuming the “21st century’s caffeine” … and it does more for you than coffee or Red Bull ever could. |
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