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CBD is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. In fact, the cannabis plant contains more than 100 of these compounds, which are called cannabinoids. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it is found primarily in the flowers and leaves of the plant.

Hemp refers to the plant cannabis with a THC concentration of less than 0.3% THC. The terms hemp and marijuana can cause confusion. Hemp and marijuana are two different varieties of the same basic plant: Cannabis sativa. However, they look different, grow differently, and have different uses and benefits. Both hemp and cannabis can produce CBD products, but hemp has very low levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), less than 0.3%. Marijuana is the term generally used to refer to cannabis that contains higher levels of THC, which produces a psychoactive effect. Hemp, aka industrial hemp, is grown and used to produce textiles, nutritional supplements like hemp oil, biofuels, and even biodegradable plastics. The difference between them is their respective concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC. Upaya’s CBD products come from hemp producing varieties with <0.3% THC, not marijuana producing varieties with much heavier THC concentrations.

CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are present in both hemp and marijuana. Marijuana contains much more THC than hemp, while hemp has an abundance of CBD and minimal quantities of THC. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. It's what makes people feel "high". CBD products are not psychoactive, so they cannot make you high.

CBD interacts with what are called cannabinoid receptors in our body. These receptors are located primarily in the brain and in the central nervous system. This ability to interact with our nervous system is what links CBD to many benefits.

Each of these CBD product types differs in the way it is extracted and formulated, what it contains, and how it reacts with the body. CBD, or cannabidiol, is just one of over 100 cannabinoids that can be extracted from hemp. CBD and THC are the best known and have long been recognized in the scientific community. Other important cannabinoids include CBN (Cannabinol) and CBG (Cannabigerol).

Full spectrum CBD uses the full range of phytochemicals found in hemp, besides cannabidiol: plant terpenes, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and other cannabinoids, including THC (usually under 0.3 percent, as required by U.S. law). There is scientific evidence that these plant compounds have a better effect on the body when working together, rather than individually. When these compounds and cannabinoids work synergistically in this way, they produce what is called the “entourage effect.”

Broad Spectrum CBD products use cannabidiol and all the other compounds found in hemp, just like full spectrum CBD products. However, after further processing, one active ingredient is removed – THC. Because they retain the other compounds which work together more effectively, broad spectrum CBD products still create the “entourage effect.”

CBD Isolate is pure CBD and is created by removing all other molecules, except CBD, from the full spectrum extract. This is the most concentrated form of CBD. It does not, however, provide the entourage effect described above.

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act.

The growth, production, and manufacturing of hemp and some hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3 percent THC became federally legalized. On the other hand, CBD products containing more than 0.3 percent THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them federally illegal but legal under some state laws. Marijuana is cultivated to have higher THC concentrations and so is still federally illegal.

While the FDA has not yet approved nonprescription CBD products, it did, in April 2018, unanimously approve the first CBD-derived prescription drug in the United States, Epidiolex. Epidiolex is a treatment for several severe forms of rare childhood epilepsy.

While highly unlikely it is always possible that consuming certain hemp products may lead to a positive drug test via the detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Full spectrum CBD products do contain very
small quantities of THC, which is inherently present in small, trace amounts in hemp plants. In the U.S. the legal limit of THC in hemp is no more than 0.3 percent.

If you are likely to undergo drug testing, you should consult your health care provider before consuming hemp-derived products. Individual biochemistry and the potential conversion of cannabinoids within the body, as well as the possible presence of trace, but legal, amounts of THC inherent in hemp products may all affect the result of a drug test. However, if the equipment is sensitive enough, the test will show that the legal amount of THC in the body did not come from intoxicating marijuana consumption.