Is CBD safe to consume?

In Ireland, there has been a lot of controversy as to whether CBD is safe to consume since a law was passed legalising CBD in Ireland in 2018. CBD is up and coming so a lot of people have some concerns before they try it. The main factor that encourages confusion is the amount of THC within the CBD product. THC is Tetrahydrocannabinol which has been related to euphoria symptoms (“the high”) which is illegal in Ireland. Therefore, CBD at HempWell is completely safe as there are no traces of THC in any of the products – thus making it completely legal. In fact, HempWell Director, Phil James, who looks after the extraction process for HempWell says “We extract the CBD from the hemp flower biomass in Poland and the extract, which could contain up to 0.2% THC – the legal limit in the hemp plant, then goes through a process called chromatography, where the THC is removed to non-detectable levels. We test this in the lab before shipping the final product to Ireland”.

Another important point here is that CBD has been deemed as Safe by the World Health Organization. In November 2017, the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) came to the decision that CBD “does not appear to have abuse potential or cause harm.”. The New England Journal of Medicine has run controlled studies on both humans and animals that suggest:

There is currently no evidence that recreational use of CBD is connected to any health problems. In fact, it is considered to have many health benefits and is used to treat many health difficulties including stress, sleep difficulties, anxiety, other mental health difficulties, and chronic pain. 

Are high doses of CBD safe?
People also question whether CBD at high doses is safe and whether there are any side effects of CBD. The recommended daily amount of CBD is 70mg, however this dose can be exceeded if necessary as you can’t over dose on CBD. Therefore, high doses are completely safe to take. HempWell oils can reach a dose of 4000mg, which is 133mg of CBD per 1ml dose. So if someone was to take this oil, they are nearly doubling the recommended amount but this is completely safe! From research there doesn’t seem to be any side effects of CBD, however some people have reported having an upset stomach from taking a CBD oil. Although, this is believed to be more related to the other substances contained within the oil rather than the CBD itself. If taking a dose that is too strong for someone who hasn’t built up their CBD tolerance, there is research that exists which implies that symptoms such as drowsiness can occur. But this is extremely uncommon. A news article released in November 2022 discussed how CBD is ‘exceptionally safe’ and is more efficient in higher doses. Click here to read to article.

Is CBD the future?
Other new articles express their opinion in how they are unhappy with CBD being legalised in Ireland, but the downfalls seem to more related to that people simply don’t know enough about CBD. Therefore, some people consider CBD as having a long term future in the food supplement industry because unlike over the counter or prescribed medication, CBD virtually has no side effects. Also, some people have found CBD’s pain relief qualities are so effective that they can reduce their prescribed medication doses, like morphine. So people do imply that CBD is the future, regardless of all of the controversial opinions that are common within Ireland. Additionally, with CBD’s versatile qualities, it can be used for all sorts of different physical or mental disorders too. For example, it can encourage sleep for insomniacs, it can help regulate mood for those with depression or other mental disorders, it can also enhance motivation when attention is shifting. Therefore, it can help with lots of other issues that is separate to physical pain. So yes, CBD can be considered as the future as it is so versatile and is very safe to consume with minimal to no side effects.