Although more and more products are being offered with this substance extracted from cannabis —such as oils, gums or creams—, in Chile it is only legal to buy them with a prescription and in authorized pharmacies. In order not to be mistaken, we explain here its uses, its benefits and why not everything that is hemp contains CBD.
Lately, the supply of cannabidiol (CBD) – a chemical that comes from marijuana (cannabis sativa)—has become widespread and popular in the domestic market. Gums, oils, and creams are some of the products that contain it and can be easily found in face-to-face storefronts and especially digital storefronts today. It is promoted for its effects on controlling anxiety and fighting insomnia, among other benefits, although it is best known as an anticonvulsant. However, what many people do not know is the lack of certification of these products.
There are parts of the United States, such as California, where it is legal to use medical marijuana, including CBD. Three years ago, Forbes Magazine estimated that the CBD market would reach 1.8 billion euros by 2020, with a growth of 700%.
Regarding the case of Chile, according to estimates by the consulting firm Euromonitor, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 27% over the next five years, which could accelerate if its use in adults is legalized or eased. “ If this happens, sales in Chile could even surpass the $1 billion mark by 2025, as has happened in other countries. IMPULSE.
What is CBD?
According to the Institute of Public Health (ISP), CBD “is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in the flowering tops and leaves of the cannabis plant.”. It is not the same as the seeds of this plant, which contain linoleic-linolenic fatty acids”.
“Cannabis plants – like marijuana or hemp – have over 100 active compounds (cannabinoids), the most important of which is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which most people know because it’s the substance that gives you leaves ‘high,'” says Peter Grinspoon, a professor at Harvard Medical School in an article by The country . The second important component is CBD, discovered and identified in 1940, which, unlike THC, “does not create or cause addiction”, he specifies..
The only legal CBD product sold in Chile is Cannabiol, which is sold in some pharmacies and only by prescription. “The other way is through a master book of recipes,” says Nicole Halçartégaray, Doctor of Biotechnology and Director of Research at the Daya Foundation. For now, there are only two pharmacies in Chile that can make a primary prescription: Knop pharmacies Yes bioformula .
Therefore, “all other products you find on the market that claim to contain CBD oil are illegal, either because they are made illegally – without ISP permission – or because they are abused” .
Uses and effects
In December 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “in its pure state, cannabidiol does not appear to be harmful or pose a risk of abuse”, although he does not recommend its medical use either. According to the analysis of the studies, the first data obtained “reveal that it may have some therapeutic value in epileptic seizures and related diseases”.
Among the effects it produces, it is known as antiepileptic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic and anti-inflammatory. “Children can take CBD: many doctors even prescribe it to those on the autism spectrum or who suffer from seizures.” As an analgesic, “it can help adults cope with pain — in some countries it’s used in patients with certain cancers or multiple sclerosis — and it’s also used in pets” , adds Halçartégaray. However, research so far into its effects indicates that the best results are achieved when CBD is combined with THC.
It’s not come and buy
In Chile, as we have said, there is a wide range of products containing CBD, although most are marketed today as “hemp oil” or hemp oil, to avoid legal problems. However, these oils are not FAI approved, making them questionable products for your health.
“These CBD or hemp oil companies that you see may have different origins: there are people who grow plants and it is assumed that the seed catalog says that they contain CBD, but we know that this does not is often not the case,” he says. . .
The biotech expert mentions that these oils are made from CBD crystals. exactly in Daya Foundation analyze these crystals by “chromatography” and other special techniques which determine the quality of this material by analysis.
“Many of the samples that come to us come from patients or people who have purchased these crystals and want to corroborate their content. Analyzing them, we see that instead of coming with 99% CBD, they only bring 50%; that is, they come combined with something”, he says. This is precisely the danger: not knowing what one is actually consuming, which can have an undesirable effect on the person’s health.
The same is said in the prestigious Mayo Clinic, where they say that “a recent study of 84 cannabidiol products purchased online showed that more than a quarter of the products contained less cannabidiol than was indicated on the label. Additionally, THC was found in 18 of these products.
“It may not be the seller who has bad intentions, but rather the individual who brought the glass and sold it to the seller and the seller has no idea what he is selling”, warns Halçartégaray. Given their experience, it is unusual for ordinary people to pay to analyze the CBD they consume. On the contrary: they trust the product despite the fact that it does not have health authorization or nutritional information on the outside.
“From the Daya Foundation, we do not recommend buying any CBD product that is not purchased with a prescription at the pharmacy. No gummies or oils or anything, because you don’t know how it got in, or how it was made or what is its quality, ”he communicates.
How to acquire CBD responsibly in Chile?
Obtaining CBD treatment requires medical monitoring and a prescription, as suggested by the Daya Foundation. In this same organization they guide people about it and the process is simple: you have to request an hour with a therapist from the foundation, who advises you on cannabis medicine, in addition to taking note of certain key points of each nobody. Then it continues with a doctor who will analyze whether or not it is really advisable for the patient to get involved in this type of therapy. If this is the case, a dose of CBD oil will be prescribed to you through a master recipe whose proportion will vary according to each case and individual.
“It has a super high therapeutic margin”, details the biotechnologist. “There are people who get the desired effect with 15mg, but there are others who need a much higher amount.”
When it comes to adverse or side effects of CBD, there are liver processing issues, “as well as interactions with other medications, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, or clobazam, which is an antiepileptic.” But all this must always be planned by the doctors,” he adds.
medicines and products
“Any product which claims to be composed of CBD and which does not currently have a health registration granted by the ISP, corresponds to a counterfeit pharmaceutical product and it is not possible to guarantee its quality, safety and effectiveness to the population”, they express from the National Medicines Agency FAI.
“Most of these products without health registration are offered on the Internet on unauthorized sites or are promoted as food supplements in the media”, they point out, the call of the health entity is therefore to consume only those which are prescribed and obtained from licensed pharmacies.
“Regulations are a bit of a mess here in Chile, because CBD is considered by the FAI to be a pharmacologically active molecule, and since it is regulated as a drug, it can only be sold in pharmacies with a primary prescription,” explains Halçartégaray. . “According to ISP regulations, CBD cannot be mixed with food.” Faced with this, gummies “are doubly forbidden”.
“In the United States, for example, CBD is more lax than here,” analyzes the biotechnology specialist. Despite the fact that the legislation is somewhat contradictory – the sale of hemp and hemp extracts is legal, but the use of CBD as an ingredient in food or dietary supplements is illegal – the range of alternatives is there. immense, since in addition there are also creams, chocolates, soaps and even intimate lubricants in dropper oils or gummies. “It’s a regulatory issue, it has nothing to do with the physical or chemical characteristics of the molecule or with the undesirable side effects; it’s just a matter of law,” he says. From his point of view, the Chilean ISP is a “strict and conservative” entity.
Current regulations do not prevent the medical use of cannabis and its derivatives, provided that the corresponding authorizations are obtained. In February, the Commission for Fundamental Rights of the Constitutional Convention globally rejected the popular initiative of the standard “Cannabis in the Constitution now”, with 21 votes against, 10 for and 2 abstentions.
Source: Latercera
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
