Industrial Hemp vs Marijuana
BREAKING DOWN THE DIFFERENCES
THERE’S 7, AND THEN THERE’S EVERYTHING ELSE
Industrial hemp and marijuana both come from Cannabis sativa plant species. Even though they come from the same species, they have distinctive biochemical compositions and uses. Industrial hemp is grown specifically for industrial products including CBD oil. Commercially it has been used for hundreds of years, but in modern times it’s most often used in paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, cosmetics, nutritional supplements and animal feed.
Cannabis sativa contains over 100+ phytocannabiniods (cannabinoids), the more well-known being TCH and CBD or cannabidiol. Industrial hemp used in production of nutritional supplements and topicals typically has high amounts of CBD, while marijuana has high amounts of THC, which is responsible for the ‘high’. Unlike TCH, CBD is devoid of any psychoactive effects, and according to many researchers may be the single most important cannabinoid ever discovered.
The Farms Bill passed in July of 2019 legalized the use of CBD in products across the United States as long as they are within legal limits of THC content [<0.3% US, <0.2% EU]. Anything higher, while technically legal in some states, is still considered illegal in the US under Federal law.
Once CBD was recategorized as a legal substance it opened the market to a flood of new companies and products. According to business analysts the rapidly growing CBD market is expected to hit $23 billion by 2023. PurHealthRX, the parent company of 7 and Med 7, (a clinical line of CBD products available only through licensed healthcare professionals), has been manufacturing CBD products since 2016, with 2 years of product research and development prior.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR?
Like grocery produce and other natural foods and supplements, the quality and consistency of CBD varies from care and knowledge of the farmers producing it, to the environmental conditions of where it’s grown.
CBD is sold either as a full spectrum oil or an isolate. Full spectrum means that the CBD is produced and packaged together with all the plant’s cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. The full spectrum of compounds acts as an entourage effect, working together for optimal efficiency and impact of CBD and other cannabinoids to the body. An isolate CBD is either a laboratory synthetic, or an organic version that has been separated from all the other plant’s other compounds, and is often labeled as ‘pure CBD’. An isolate in either form does not benefit from any of the entourage effects.
Products containing CBD oil – either isolate or full spectrum – typically come in either a natural oil state or as a liposome – a semi-water soluble form. It is well documented that orally administered oil-based ingredients have a bioavailability of 6%, which means only 6% of what’s ingested is absorbed into the blood stream before it’s flushed out of the system. As a result of the time required to break oils down in the body, CBD oil has an onset of action of 60-90 minutes, meaning you might not feel or notice anything for up to an hour and a half.
Liposomes have a greater bioavailability than standard oil of 18-24% but still require 60-90 minutes before onset of action and full effect. Liposomes are also unstable and break down or have little to no effect in temperatures higher than 83 degrees.
In order to meet Federal regulations for THC content, most naturally grown CBD must go through a process of either diluting the CBD oil with other oils and ingredients, or removing THC, which often involves stripping out the CBD along with it, which is then reintroduced back into the mix as an isolate, degrading the quality and effectiveness of both the CBD and total mixture.
WHY 7?
7 is a full spectrum hemp CBD oil made with Purzorb® technology, which breaks the oil down to a true, water soluble state without changing its form or structure. The result of this process gives 7 a bioavailability rate of 85% and onset of action of 15 minutes. 7 also sources its hemp oil from the best growers in the world using only supercritical CO2 to extract the full spectrum hemp oil from the plant, and post column chromatography extraction to remove the THC while preserving all the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids in their natural state. As a result, 7 is the purest form of natural full spectrum hemp CBD oil you can buy!
*While all 7 Full Spectrum Hemp CBD oil products meet or exceed all Federal regulations for industrial hemp including THC content, 7 has not been systematically studied for effects on drug testing. Please consult a physician before using CBD products containing hemp oil.