By Jane Bokun
This holiday season, the Easter Bunny may stop at your house with gifts filled with CBD, but do you really trust him?
First off, according to a Schererville Your CBD Store, owner. CBD products are good for everyone. Parents also buy the products for their young children.
The store is part of a new chain of Your CBD Stores that have sprung up across the country. It is located at 2171 US 41 in Schererville. Inside the store, there are CBD-based gummies, topical pain cremes, bath balms and even honey sticks.
The store’s customers are not alone in their use of CBD infused products. A study of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll on behalf of HempFusion, a CBD company with more than 3,900 retailers across 47 US States,saw 82 percent agree their opinions on cannabis and related products have changed in recent years. Of respondents who completed some form of U-turn, 46 percent strongly agreed that it was due to the rise of CBD products.
The CBD products are made of Cannabidiol, which is a compound found in industrial hemp plants. Companies that manufacture CBD remove its THC, (or tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects. Businesses then add plant-based terpenes to increase the potency of the CBD.
“Okay, now what are terpenes?” you ask. Terpenes are compounds in cannabis that give it distinctive aromas and flavors. They give marijuana that, “who’s smoking pot?” distinctive smell.
If all of this sounds like a new foreign language, you’re absolutely right and therein lies the problem. Not all the products are considered safe and those putting together gift baskets should be aware of drug interactions.
“Some of the products like gummi bears shouldn’t be taken with things like warfarin or coumadin,” McIntire said. “It’s important to let your doctor know what you’re adding to your regimen.”
Amanda Lukasiewicz, who works at Vyto’s Pharmacy in Highland, also sells a plethora of CBD products for the holidays and she recommends asking your pharmacist about drug interactions.
“You should be careful of products like CBD shampoos and lip balms,” Lukasiewicz said. “If you have a CBD question go to your pharmacy instead of places like smoke shops and gas stations.”
Indeed, Vyto’s Pharmacy even made up a packet of information about CBD which tells the difference between Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum and Isolates. Full spectrum products contain a hint of THC at 0.3 percent; Broad-Spectrum products are THC free; and Isolate CBD does not have any of the compounds present. A higher dose of Isolate will be lower than a lower dose of Full-Spectrum. The CBD packet that Vyto’s offers is so comprehensive; it even tells whether you can take CBD in the case of renal failure. Hint, you can.
According to Ash Rahmany, a sports nutrition consultant with Vyto’s, even though CBD is natural, it’s still considered a drug, like caffeine.
“People were using CBD early on until 1937,” Rahmany said. “After that it was outlawed.”
For the holidays he recommends products like beauty balms, and beauty serums. All of these products are made with hemp derived CBD and include less than .3% THC.
What’s on the Easter Bunny’s list of presents for Rahmany this year?
“I would love the soft gels,” he said. “They have 15 milligrams of CBD.”