Cannabigerol or CBG is the next big thing, which could shake up the cannabis industry. It’s gaining immense popularity in countries where cannabis is legal in one or the other form. As countries that allow the use of CBG like Mexico, Canada, the US, and European countries open up to medical and recreational marijuana and other cannabis forms like hemp, CBG has found genuine interest among stakeholders. Although research is still at a nascent stage, producers are not leaving any opportunity to come up with innovative CBD-based products.
Best branding practices, coupled with genuine products, are buzzing the cannabis market. But most people still wonder about the legal status of CBG. People want to explore it but ambiguity on its legal status and health benefits are some of the hurdles stakeholders are facing. Why is CBG still unknown in many countries but some sell various CBG strains and isolates? Let’s try to understand the legal status of CBG in countries that allow the use of it around the world.
Let’s dive in!
When was CBG discovered?
Marijuana researchers Yehiel Gaoni and Raphael Mechoulam had first discovered CBG in 1964 in Israel. They managed to extract CBG, along with CBD and THC, from a marijuana plant. Although their discovery did not lead to widespread use of CBG due to interest in CBD and THC, it certainly has emerged as a promising compound in the present scenario. People now want to explore its properties just like CBD and THC to understand its effects on the human body.
So, what is a CBG compound? Well, it holds many similarities with CBD. It does not cause high or intoxication like CBD. It possesses similar medicinal properties to CBD. It’s in higher concentrations, like CBD, industrial hemp, and more potent plants. People have so far overlooked CBG as compared to the two other more popular compounds. But researchers have realized that it’s high time to conduct high-level studies and research to understand it better.
Legal status of CBG
CBG is the “mother” of all cannabinoids as many of them including CBG, CBD, CBN come from it. Apart from CBG, there are over 100 cannabinoids in a cannabis plant. CBD and THC are two of the most prominent cannabinoids, which are widely being exploited by the industry. But experts say CBG is even better than these two because of its health properties and less complicated legal status. How? As you would know it’s illegal to add CBD strains to many products, primarily due to the US Food and Drug Administration’s “drug exclusion rule”.
CBG has still not approved by the US FDA, which helps producers to market this by combining it with various hemp strains. The other positive fact around CBG production is that hemp production is fully legal in the US. This allows producers to procure as well market hemp and allied products without any legal hurdle. Many CBG producers also deal with international business and it seems there are little to no risks in exporting CBG.
Bright prospects for CBG in countries across the world
The industry stakeholders are quite positive that CBG will pick up the pace similarly to CBD. But before it happens, people must take equal interest in it, which seems to be a possibility given its ‘no entanglements’ with the US FDA. Even though there’s more anecdotal evidence than scientific when it comes to CBG, it’s still immensely popular among people looking for natural ways to treat stress, inflammation, pain management, and cancer cell growth. The CBG industry is very small as compared to that of CBD and THC.
Also, it’s more expensive than other cannabinoids due to its scarce nature. That’s the reason you won’t find too many CBG product variations in the market. Only huge research fundings and incentives on large-scale hemp production can help the CBG industry grow to the level of CBD. As the quantity grows, the prices will automatically drop. CBG distillates still are about six times more expensive than CBG distillates. Also, procuring hemp at early stages to get maximum CBG may reduce FDA scrutiny around cannabinoid-based products.
CBG’s interaction with the body
All cannabinoids in our body combine with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is based on two main receptors in our body called CB1 and CB2 receptors. The entire endocannabinoid system is made up of three things — CB1 and CB2 receptors, chemicals called endocannabinoids, and enzymes. CB1 receptors are present in our nervous system. CB2 receptors are found in the immune system cells.
Endocannabinoids like anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)) are the two main Endocannabinoids that can bind with these receptors. AEA binds with CB1 receptors, thereby affecting cognitive functions, while 2-AG combines with both CB1 and CB2 receptors and generates anti-inflammatory effects.
Cannabinoids found in a cannabis plant can also combine with these receptors as they have similar shapes like AEA and 2-AG. While THC binds with CB1 receptors and gets you high or intoxicated, CBD does not bind with either of the two but can influence the functions of both receptors.
Similarly, CBD also combines with CB2 receptors. It can also alter the effects of other cannabinoids if taken in higher quantities. Scientists have also discovered that the combination of all three compounds can have a greater impact on our body than using them alone.
The Bottom Line
We at Healthmed.Org will continue to track CBG’s journey as it gains wider acceptance among the cannabis industry stakeholders. The year 2021 is definitely going to be better than 2020 when many businesses had to face closure because of the coronavirus crisis. The need of the hour is to scale up the research around CBG and explore it further to gain maximum benefits from its magical medicinal properties. Its legal status may fall in the grey area because of the lack of clarity on part of the administration as well producers and consumers but that could change soon. As the world progresses, CBG may soon emerge as a favorite cannabinoid option among users and more countries might allow the use of CBG.
