There’s a lot the world doesn’t know about when it comes to the cannabis plant. In the 20th century, the U.S government banned the plant and categorized it with other harmful drugs, deeming it a psychoactive drug due to lack of knowledge, but as the 21st century came along, more time and research was spent on studying the plant and its natural fibers. One being cannabidiol (CBD) oil.
With the recent demand for CBD oil originated from hemp, the state of Georgia has sent House Bill 213, the Georgia Hemp Farming Act, to Governor Brian Kemp. House Bill 213 will allow cultivation of hemp in Georgia. If Kemp signs the Bill, the University of Georgia (UGA) is at the forefront to conduct research in the best ways to grow the newly legal crop. This is a big deal, considering in 2014 the U.S. government prohibited against growing hemp.
The need for CBD oil stemmed from its natural ability to treat many conditions and illness that overwhelm the state. CBD oil, not to be confused, is derived from the non-psychoactive compound in hemp. An example of this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently accepted the first CBD-based drug, called Epidiolex to treat seizures caused by epilepsy. In addition, an Israeli research paper stated CBD is being used to treat multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, anxiety, obesity, and anorexia.
Not only is the plant benefiting the human body, but it is also becoming very lucrative. “The Brightfield Group, a Chicago company that conducts research and marketing for the legal cannabis industry, projects dizzying growth for the industry, with sales increasing 40-fold in five years, from $627 million in 2018 to $22 billion in 2023.”
However, critics raise the question(s), will scientists prove the benefits of CBD oil in treating all these conditions? And how will farmers keep the plant from surpassing the legal limit of 0.3% THC, the element of the plant that gets the user high?
Researchers at UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences will be diligently finding those answers since no research has been done in the last 80 years. The students and professors there will make sure everything is set to ensure a good crop, just in time for when the Bill passes.
