What is Cannabis?

Cannabis is the scientific, botanical name for a plant Genus which falls under the plant family Cannabaceae and which contains 3 generally recognized species: Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis. These species consist of annual, flowering plants that are predominantly either male or female (dioecious) and are wind pollinated. These plants have distinctive, palmately-compound (hand-shaped) leaves with 5, 7 or 9 leaflets. For thousands of years, humans have crossbred the Sativa & Indica species to enhance desired plant characteristics such as fiber & medicinal content. The Ruderalis species seems to have been mostly ignored. Today the word Cannabis is often indiscriminately used to refer to plants which contain significant amounts of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC, which can cause a “high” if taken internally.

What is Hemp?

Hemp is the name that has been used for hundreds of years in the English language to refer generally to plants of the Genus Cannabis. In the 1970s a Canadian researcher proposed that the word “Hemp” should be more narrowly used to refer to cannabis plants that contain less than 0.3 % THC by weight. This recommendation was adopted by regulatory agencies in North America who then created the legal term “Industrial Hemp” to identify those cannabis plants containing less than 0.3% THC. Today the terms “Hemp” and “Industrial Hemp” are used interchangeably and are legal, not botanical, terms.

What is Marijuana?

The word Marijuana seems to have joined the English Language lexicon in the early part of the 20th century when Mexican immigrant laborers brought high-THC cannabis plants to the US for their personal recreational use. They called these plants “marijuana”, and that term has persisted as a name for cannabis plants which contain significant amounts of the cannabinoid THC, which is the compound that “gets you high”. In the 1970s a Canadian researcher proposed that the term “marijuana” should be used to refer to cannabis plants containing more than 0.3% THC by weight. This recommendation was adopted by regulatory agencies in North America, and today the term “Marijuana” is a legal, not botanical, term.

What is Hemp Oil?

The oil pressed from the seeds of the hemp plant is often referred to as “hemp oil”. It contains almost no CBD and is commonly used for skin care and as a dietary supplement.

What is Cannabis Extract oil?

The oil extracted from the flowers and leaves of mature, female hemp plants that are grown for their CBD content, is commonly referred to as hemp-extract oil. This oil contains CBD as its principal ingredient, along with some 80 or more minor cannabinoids, most of which are present in quantities so small as to be non-measureable with routine quantitative laboratory tests. The cannabinoids (including CBD) in freshly extracted oil from the hemp plant are biologically inert. For them to become biologically beneficial they must be converted to their bioactive forms by the application of heat for a short period of time in a process called decarboxylation. Non-bioactive CBDa becomes bioactive CBD in this process.

What is CBD?

CBD is the commonly accepted abbreviation for Cannabidiol which, along with THC, is one of the two main cannabinoids in cannabis extract oil. It has long been known for its medicinal properties. Pure CBD, in the form of a drug named epidiolex, has been FDA approved to prevent or lessen the incidence of seizures associated with certain forms of epilepsy. Anecdotally, in both its pure and “full-spectrum” forms, CBD is widely touted for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and topical-antiseptic properties. CBD is non-psychoactive (it won’t get you high) and is most commonly extracted from “high CBD” industrial hemp plants.

What is THC?

THC is the commonly accepted abbreviation for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol which, along with CBD, is one of the two main cannabinoids contained in the oil extracted from cannabis plants. THC-containing cannabis plants have been used medicinally and recreationally by humans for thousands of years. THC is the only cannabinoid in cannabis plants that can cause a “high”, and because of this property it is said to be “psychoactive”. THC is most commonly ingested by smoking the dried leaves & flowers of the marijuana plant, during which process the high temperature of the burning plant material instantly decarboxylates the THC, thus removing the CO2 molecular insulation and enabling THC absorption through the lungs.

What is Fractionated Coconut Oil?

Fractionated coconut oil is that portion of raw coconut oil that remains liquid at temperatures down to at least 32° F. It is often referred to as “MCT oil”, which is an abbreviation for “medium-chain triglyceride oil”. It is highly stable over time, has a neutral flavor, and has reputed benefits as a skin conditioner and as a dietary supplement. It is commonly used to dilute highly concentrated cannabis extract oil to a lower CBD or THC level that is more suited to human use.

What is Full Spectrum CBD oil?

“Full-Spectrum” CBD oil is CBD-rich cannabis oil which, even though diluted, contains all of the natural plant cannabinoids in the same relative proportions as they existed when the oil was originally extracted from the cannabis plant. In addition to its principal ingredient, CBD, it contains over 80 other distinct cannabinoids, which are individually present in rather low levels compared to the principal ingredient, but which are reputed to synergistically enhance the therapeutic effects of the CBD. This reputed enhancement to the benefits of CBD alone is commonly referred to as the “Entourage Effect”.

What is CBD isolate?

CBD isolate is pure CBD in the form of a tasteless, odorless powder. It does not contain any cannabinoids other than CBD. The CBD isolate preparation process mitigates several common quality problems associated with sub-optimal cannabis agriculture. The process is popular because it discards common plant material impurities such as heavy metals & other absorbed soil contaminants, pesticide and herbicide residuals, residues from rodent & bird droppings, and molds. The result is a substance that can correctly be called “pure CBD” and is often less expensive to produce than high-quality, full-spectrum CBD oil. Because it is practically devoid of odor and flavor it is usually an unnoticeable addition to edibles and other preparations intended for human consumption. It is soluble in oil or alcohol, but not in water. It is reputed to be significantly less effective medicinally than full-spectrum CBD oil.

What is the Entourage Effect?

“Entourage” is a French word that has been adopted, unchanged in meaning or pronunciation, by several other languages, including English. It refers to a collection of lesser entities that surround or accompany a principal object or person. The term “Entourage effect” with respect to cannabis oil was coined by Israeli researchers Rafael Menocholem and Shimon Ben-Shabat in 1998 when they proposed that the minor cannabinoids and terpenes present in full spectrum CBD oil collectively increased the medicinal effects of CBD alone. More recent studies have further demonstrated this effect: (McPartland and Pruitt, 1999; McPartland and Medivilla, 2001; McPartland and Russo, 2001, 2003, 2014; and several others). In 2014 Gallily and others demonstrated that increasing the dose of pure CBD produces an increased analgesic effect up to a point beyond which a further dose increase has no effect, whereas full spectrum CBD has a linear response such that it is analgesic at any dose and has no ceiling effect. With respect to treatment of epileptic seizures, several studies done between 2016 and 2018 have shown that epileptic seizures can be treated just as well with lower doses of full spectrum CBD oil as with larger doses of pure CBD. A 2018 study by Blasco-Benito and others demonstrated that a full spectrum THC oil extracted from marijuana was superior to THC alone at suppressing the growth of breast cancer cells.

Can a person get “high” by eating hemp leaves or flowers?

No, there is almost no THC in hemp leaves or flowers, and any small amount that might be present is in the form of THCa, which is non-psychoactive.

Can a person get high by eating marijuana leaves or flowers?

No, the THC in the raw plant material is in the form of THCa, which is non-psychoactive. Conversion of the THCa to psychoactive THC is accomplished only when the plant material is decarboxylated by smoking it or heating it to a sufficiently high temperature.

What is Rick Simpson oil (RSO)?

RSO is a full-strength marijuana extract oil, the extraction process and use of which was pioneered by Rick Simpson, a Canadian Citizen and folk-hero in the cannabis world. Rick extracted his oil from Indica-dominant marijuana plants using naphtha as a solvent. He then boiled-off the naphtha from the resulting solution in a rice cooker, leaving concentrated, full spectrum, decarboxylated, THC-predominant oil. He claims to have successfully treated over 5000 cases of cancer with the resulting oil. Today, RSO is made by a few producers using ethanol as a solvent and is available a few places in the US. Usable statistics on the claimed cancer treatment benefits are sparse, but anecdotal cancer cure claims are numerous.

Can one overdose on CBD?

Possibly, but it seems extremely unlikely. Although we have not found any reports of CBD overdose in the available literature, a study published in April 2019 by Dr. Igor Koturbash & his associates at the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the University of Arkansas suggests that an internal dose of 20 mg of CBD per Kg of body-weight in 24 hours is completely safe, but that higher doses may begin to produce some liver toxicity. The study was done on mouse subjects with the results extrapolated to humans. For an 80 Kg (176 pound) person that would amount to a presumed-safe internal dose of at least 1600 mg CBD/day, far greater than the common adult oral dose range of 10 to 90 mg CBD/day, when it is used as a sleep aid, an analgesic, an anti-inflammatory, an anti-convulsant, or an anxiety reducer.

If I use full-spectrum CBD oil can I test positive on a drug test?

With occasional use it’s extremely unlikely, since the THC content of the oil blend is less than 0.3%. One should consider, however, that it takes several days for the body to completely clear itself of trace amounts of cannabinoids, so with regular use of CBD oil containing very small amounts of THC there could be a level of THC buildup over time that might be detected with a sensitive drug test. In case of doubt it would be prudent to conduct an informal test after several days of regular oil use to insure that there is no problem passing a particular test methodology. Alternatively, use of a CBD oil containing zero THC would remove all risk, assuming that the test in question does not respond to any cannabinoid other than THC.

Do you handle special orders?

Yes, we are happy to manufacture CBD oil blends to any requested CBD concentration, up to the maximum value achievable with a THC content of less than 0.3%. This criterion limits us to a maximum CBD concentration in an oil blend of around 2200 mg CBD/fl-oz. A standard set-up charge of $200 applies to all special orders unless the total order amount is $1,000 or more, in which case the set-up charge is waived. Lead time to produce a special production run is 2 weeks or less. Pricing is based upon CBD content of the oil blend. Let us know if you have special needs.

What should I look for when buying CBD oil?

We suggest that a consumer should look for and consider the following factors when purchasing CBD oil:

a. The CBD oil blend is contained in a glass bottle that is tinted so as to reduce the amount of light that can reach the contents.

b. There is a clear statement on the bottle label indicating the total amount of CBD in the bottle. (The total CBD content is what you are paying for and is the main active ingredient when the oil blend is used medicinally.)

c. The label states what diluting oil is used. (Although it is rare, some people are intolerant of fractionated coconut oil (MCT), and require a blend using an alternate dilution oil, such as olive oil or hemp seed oil.)

d. The label identifies the method by which the oil was extracted from the plant material. (Oil extracted by a simple supercritical CO2 process will contain lower terpene levels than oil extracted with a solvent such as ethanol; however a multi-step CO2 process may recover the terpenes first and then the cannabinoids in a second cycle – allowing the terpenes to be added back to the raw oil to reverse their initial loss.)

e. The label indicates whether the blend is “full-spectrum” or made from “pure CBD”. (Full spectrum CBD oil has been shown to be therapeutically superior to pure CBD oil due to the Entourage Effect of the numerous included minor cannabinoids.)

f. A dropper or other means for precisely removing oil from the bottle is included, along with information on the bottle label or in an accompanying document which allows the user to accurately measure a specific amount (dose) of CBD.

g. The label states that the oil blend contains less than 0.3% THC (the legal limit), or zero THC in the case of “broad spectrum” or “pure CBD” oil.)

hi. The label should contain a website reference or other information through which the manufacturer may be contacted.

i. The label should contain the manufacturer’s recommended storage instructions.

j. The label should indicate the manufacturer’s Lot Number. (This allows traceability in the unlikely event that a lot ever needs to be recalled.)

k. There is a tamper-proof seal on the bottle cap.