Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound extracted and separated from the cannabis plant’s specific strains, known as hemp. The particular strains usually chosen are low resin agricultural hemp crops grown from pedigree seed.
The reason hemp tends to be used over traditional cannabis drug plants is that CBD is the second most abundant compound in hemp. It is typically representing up to 40% of what is extracted from the plant.
That’s why some people believe that CBD oil can make you experience the ‘high’ associated with cannabis, but this isn’t the case.
Fact: CBD is wholly isolated from THC during the extraction process to comply with federal legislation mandating CBD oil to contain less than 0.3% THC to be considered legal.
Hemp plants are favored for CBD oil because they have lower resin levels. It is in line with the prevailing federal law from the 1970s that states resin from any part of the marijuana plant is strictly out of bounds. Interestingly, most hemp farmers consider CBD oil to be a byproduct of industrial hemp that is initially grown for other purposes.
Many will even sell unused hemp biomass to businesses that specifically want to extract CBD oil from leftovers. However, a few are now attempting to invest in this “dual-purpose” practice of extracting CBD oil themselves.