SHOULD TEENS USE CBD SERUM

CBD has slowly been gaining acceptance among the general public and some factions of medical practitioners over its acclaimed health benefits. However, this comes with a risk of abuse by teenagers and the youth who might explore it for recreational use. This article explores the safety of CBD in teenage use.

To date, there are over one hundred and fifty cannabinoids that have been identified and classified from the hemp plant with CBD and THC making up the majority of the cannabinoids present. In particular, CBD is a phytocannabinoid, i.e. it is naturally obtained from the leaves, stems, flowers, and buds of hemp through various localized methods such as ethanol extraction. This cannabinoid interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body to modulate some of the body functions. CBD can interact with various ECS receptors to boost body immunity response, regulate the production of sebum, improve mood and sleep and offer relief to pain and inflammation. However, it is important to assess its safety among teenage use, does it have addiction issues, and does CBD causes highness? This article aims to address these concerns among others.

Should Teens Use CBD Serum

CBD is unique in the way in which it is processed and utilized by the human body.  CBD is considered non-toxic to all mammals and was declassified as a class I drug by the FDA. The endocannabinoid system is the reason why this is the case.  The endocannabinoid system is a complex body system that binds cannabinoids like CBD with cannabinoid receptors that are spread out within the body.  Different cannabinoid receptors are in charge of regulating an adjacent bodily process, and feeding the body cannabinoids gives these receptors the energy that they need to accomplish their tasks optimally. Gonçalves et al. (2019) explained that the endocannabinoid system stores excess cannabinoids in body tissues and fats for later use.  This prevents individuals from overdosing on CBD as the body can always store the excess CBD in body tissues, specifically the adipose tissues. While CBD is considered non-toxic, everyone's body is unique, and a person can have an intolerance, allergy, or severe reaction to pretty much anything that exists in the natural world.  Technically, it is impossible to say that CBD is 100 percent safe for teenagers, or anyone for that matter.  But, neither can one say that chocolate, coffee, or any other widely popular product is. According to Stuyt (2018), CBD has no addictive issues among its users making it safe for use among teens and children. Generally, CBD is safe for use with teenagers, but they have to be supervised when they are being administered for safe use. This is to also help them administer the correct dosages and timely administration of CBD serum. However, there is still a lack of enough research to provide clinical evidence of its safety in teenage use.

What To Consider When Using CBD As A Teenager

There are several important factors to get acquainted with before allowing your teenager to use CBD. These are:

CBD And THC Are Different

CBD and THC are mainly different in the way they interact with ECS receptors in the body. THC interacts with CB1 and CB2 receptors whereas CBD interacts with TRPV1, delta, and gamma receptors in the body. CB1 and CB2 receptors bind with THC to cause highness whereas the latter binds to other receptors which induce different body changes such as boosting immunity response towards foreign bodies. Subramaniam et al. (2019) stated that THC can cause addiction among its users making it potentially harmful to not only teens but also generally adults. It is prudent to check the amount of THC present in the CBD serum especially if made using full-spectrum CBD extracts. This can be done using by accessing third-party lab reports from reputable laboratories which indicate the amount of THC present.

The Legality Of CBD In Your State

There are States in the United States in which CBD is still considered illegal and therefore its use is prohibited. Therefore, being found in possession or distribution can land one in trouble with law enforcement. More so, it can lead to more charges if administered to children. Always search for whether it is legal to use CBD and its related products through credible online sources and consulting various legal practitioners. In addition, it is always advisable to walk with your documentation regarding how you purchased the CBD, your doctor's prescription, and your certificate of analysis of the CBD you are using. These documents might be useful especially when you are considering traveling using flights.

High-Quality CBD Serum Is Not Cheap

According to Perucca (2017), CBD is useful especially in persons with epilepsy as it can reduce the number of seizure attacks during the day. This can lead to parents opting for CBD to manage epilepsy in their teenagers. However, high-quality CBD serums are expensive. Fifty milligrams of CBD may range from fifty dollars up to two hundred dollars depending on the strength, purity, and method of extraction utilized to acquire CBD. This makes it an expensive form of medication. In addition, many health insurance companies do not offer insurance coverage for CBD purchases thus one has to dig into their own pockets to acquire the CBD. Therefore, one can always consider utilizing other options in addition to CBD to reduce these costs. However, it is important to seek a medical practitioner’s advice before embarking on using CBD with teenagers.

There Is Still A Need For More Research

Much of CBD's success story stems from research done a while back. Moreover, much of this research was done on small sample sizes that were made up of mostly adults. This in effect did not capture its effects on teenagers as effects can differ from person to person. In addition, the amount of dosages is not well defined for kids as most dosages are given in terms of body weight but not the age of the user. This may harm teenagers or have no impact at all considering other effects such as the basal metabolic rates, which are higher in teenagers than in mature adults. Therefore, always consider that there is still room for more research.

Conclusions

CBD exhibits no addiction and psychoactive effects on its users and can therefore be considered generally safe for use among teenagers. In addition, CBD can be used to combat some of the effects of addiction among drug addicts. However, everyone has a unique endocannabinoid system that interacts differently with CBD. Parents should consider the legality of CBD in their states, the age of the teen, the quality of CBD serum being used, and a doctor's advice before employing CBD on their teenagers.

References

Gonçalves, J., Rosado, T., Soares, S., Simão, A. Y., Caramelo, D., Luís, Â., ... & Duarte, A. P. (2019). Cannabis and its secondary metabolites: their use as therapeutic drugs, toxicological aspects, and analytical determination. Medicines, 6(1), 31.

Perucca, E. (2017). Cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy: hard evidence at last?. Journal of epilepsy research, 7(2), 61.

Stuyt, E. (2018). The problem with the current high potency of THC marijuana from the perspective of an addiction psychiatrist. Missouri medicine, 115(6), 482.

Subramaniam, V. N., Menezes, A. R., DeSchutter, A., & Lavie, C. J. (2019). The cardiovascular effects of marijuana: are the potential adverse effects worth the high?. Missouri medicine, 116(2), 146.