3 Essential Tips for Talking with Your Family About CB
CBD and other hemp products have become an essential part of many people’s daily routines. Whether it’s used to find better sleep, to alleviate anxiety or depression symptoms, to promote overall wellbeing as a daily supplement, or to relieve chronic pain, CBD is widely used throughout the country.
But despite its growing popularity, CBD is still working through stigmas and misconceptions, making its use a potentially difficult topic to discuss with family and friends.
Here are a few essential tips to consider when talking with your family about the use of CBD.
1. CBD is NOT Marijuana
If you are already using CBD as a supplement, chances are you know that it is not marijuana. It is just one cannabinoid found in cannabis. And unlike the more popular THC, cannabidiol (CBD) won’t get you high. Not to mention the CBD found in most supplements doesn’t even come from cannabis – it is derived from hemp and contains zero psychoactive THC.
However, the difference between CBD and the stereotyped view of marijuana may not be common knowledge with people who have traditionally tried to stay away from all cannabis related substances.
It might seem that you are already at a disadvantage when talking with your family and friends about your CBD use, but facts are on your side. Calmly clarify the difference between CBD and cannabis and explain what CBD actually is (and what it does for you) using reputable resources like Health.com and WebMD.
To briefly summarize:
- CBD stands for cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound that is different from THC
- CBD often comes from hemp, and it is one of dozens of other compounds within the plant.
- CBD is present in marijuana, but CBD is not a controlled substance, nor does it alter one’s ability to make decisions.
Perhaps your family or friends still associate CBD with marijuana, drug dealers, or crazy parties, but it simply is not used in this manner. The World Health Organization has stated that CBD is not an addictive substance, and that its use does not pose any public health threats.
All this is to say that CBD is not dangerous. Like many common vitamins and supplements, cannabidiol is used by people genuinely seeking relief to pain and other ailments.
2. Cannabinoids are Naturally Found in the Body
Another strong point to make in your discussion about CBD is the fact that certain cannabinoids occur naturally in the body.
That’s right!
The same kinds of substances found in cannabis and hemp are made within your own body!
Specifically, and pardon the technical-speak, Anandamide (AEA) is an endocannabinoid neurotransmitter responsible for neurological communication throughout the body’s central and peripheral nervous system.
Translation: AEA is naturally occurring and serves as a messenger throughout your body for things like appetite, digestion, pain, sleep, and even liver function! This is exactly why researchers have started with the endocannabinoid system to discover and prove all the different ways cannabinoids, like CBD, can benefit the body.
Cannabinoids are natural: without cannabinoids like AEA, the body cannot function. And many believe that other cannabinoids like CBD aid the body in the same way as AEA.
If you can find a trustworthy manufacturer, you can be sure you are getting a pure CBD intended to work with the body to soothe aches and pains (not a synthetic drug intended to rile up the street youths).
3. Don’t Make CBD a Big Deal (Because It’s Not)
Try not to think about this as how to have a difficult conversation with family. This isn’t a dramatic scene in which everyone sits around the living room, awkwardly anticipating some grand confession. I brought you all here today… This is more pressure than CBD deserves. Put simply, it is a completely natural supplement that is showing promise in helping people sleep and find relief from pain.
Whether you hope to convince your father to give it a try to ease his chronic arthritis pain or to explain your own use of CBD to help you sleep, keep in mind that these conversations could be ongoing. As mentioned before, cannabinoids are only recently beginning to overcome decades of misunderstanding, thanks in part to brands that have prioritized third-party testing and consumer education. But that doesn’t mean talking with family needs to be difficult or tense.
Be patient! The research is on your side.
