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Why the CBD industry should join the fight to relegalise ALL cannabis. By Simpa Carter
As I am sure the vast majority of you reading this will already be aware that cannabidiol (CBD) has exploded onto the UK market and into the collective consciousness of the British public in recent years. With thousands of online retailers, wholesalers, resellers, and white label companies popping up like weeds. It is difficult to turn around and not trip over another emerging brand seeking to capitalise on the continuing confusion around cannabis legislation and its incredible medicinal, industrial, and spiritually enlightening properties and uses. As with all wars, the first casualty is always the truth and the war on drugs is no exception. Nearly 50 years after the commencement of the war on cannabis and the average consumer remains as ignorant and confused as ever. The truth that has been so carefully hidden from the public is that there is no real difference between Hemp, Marijuana, skunk, cannabis etc.
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They are after all the same plant, Cannabis Sativa L. The only real difference is in the compounds this sub-genus’ produce. Through decades of selective breeding, cannabis was divided into these arbitrary distinctions. Hemp became the name for tall plants typically Sativa that have thick fibrous stalks and stems with greatly reduced levels of cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. Whereas prohibition has lead to an increase of cannabinoids prominently THC in typically Indica strains that are being bred to be stronger and stronger – a direct consequence of prohibition and over half a century of no regulation or consideration for the other compounds or the effects it could have on the end consumer.
