As discussed in Chapter 4 of the book, much of the\u00a0controversy surrounding marijuana\u2019s purported benefits and harms has stemmed\u00a0from THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid commonly found in the cannabis plant. However, another non-psychoactive cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), has been drawing increasing interest, because it purportedly generates its own distinct medical benefits (e.g., in calming seizures)\u00a0while producing none of the\u00a0harms attributed to THC (e.g., in impairing driving).<\/p>\n
Tapping into this interest, suppliers now produce a variety of products that contain CBD — but very little or no THC — extracted from the cannabis plant. The question (see page 27) is whether these products are still considered \u201cmarijuana\u201d for purposes of federal (or state) law.<\/p>\n
Under federal law, \u201cmarijuana\u201d includes, the flowers, leaves, stems, and germinating seeds of the cannabis plant and any products made from those parts of the plant, regardless of whether\u00a0they contain THC (see Chapter 2). While this definition is expansive, however, it does not cover all CBD products on the market. In other words, federal law does not consider all CBD products to be prohibited \u201cmarijuana.\u201d\u00a0This may be why some mainstream retail outlets like Amazon.com and Wal-Mart have offered CBD products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n