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CBD oil, or cannabidiol, comes from the cannabis plant but it doesn’t get you high.
“There is no psychoactive effect from CBD,” said Brent Morrison, a sales and laboratory associate at Medicine Wheel Natural Healing in Alderville First Nation.
“I kind of equate it to something like an Advil. If you have a headache, you take one and you don’t feel the Advil but you feel the headache get reduced and that is how CBD kind of works,” he said.
READ MORE: Health Series: THC vs. CBD
It is typically either ingested, a couple of drops under the tongue, or infused to everyday products like lotion. It is used to treat a number of ailments.
“The primary things that people take CBD for is inflammation in the body, arthritis and joint pain,” said Morrison. “Stress and anxiety would be the next two.”
He added that it is also used to heal cuts and bruises and to help with digestive issues.
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MJ Milloy, a canopy growth professor of cannabis science at the University of British Columbia, said people treat it as kind of a cure-all.
“It has become this year’s panacea,” said Milloy.
He said evidence from some pre-clinical and preliminary studies has suggested that CBD may have certain benefits when it comes to pain, anxiety and addiction, but that further clinical medical research is still catching up. Mainly because cannabis was, until 2018, illegal.
“CBD holds the promise of that sort of treatment,” said Milloy. “But us scientists have to do the work to find out what its benefits might be and what the risks of CBD might be as well.”
READ MORE: CBD promising but more research needed: Sask. drug expert
The product has made its way into a number of industries, and is growing in popularity in the wake of legalization.
Julia Coombs, a spa therapist in Peterborough, says she uses CBD-infused oils and salves for massage.
“I have found it takes the benefits of massage to the next level,” said Coombs. “Especially for chronic pain and conditions like arthritis.”
Morrison said they even sell CBD products for pets, and CBD peanut butter and jam.
WATCH: Health Series: THC vs. CBD
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