Cannabidiol oil gains ground as an alternative to medications

Source:  Primera Hora

More and more people resort to cannabidiol oil (CBD) throughout the country to remedy from arthritis pain to epileptic seizures and some even consider it an option for people with autism.

People like José Corona and Naiara Páez, both diagnosed with autism in childhood, who claim to have experienced the benefits of using this oil in their own flesh.

The benefits they claim to have experienced with the CBD have led them to become entrepreneurs and promote this product especially among the Latino community in Arizona.

"I know there are many people who need help, who need to feel better," he told Efe Corona, 21.

The young entrepreneur says that since taking the oil you can focus more on things, enjoy greater concentration and feel more relaxed.

"When I take CBD I feel much better, it has made a difference in my life," he added.

The medicinal properties that cannabis derivatives and their components have been the center of multiple scientific research and debates, which have increased as more states in the country have passed state laws to legalize the use of marijuana and its derivatives both medicinally as recreational.

At the end of May, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) changed its rules to allow passengers to take a child epilepsy medication containing cannabidiol on airplanes.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the main components of the marijuana plant. Unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the other main component, CBD is not a hallucinogen.

"When I learned about CBD oil, I saw a new door for my son, I saw a clearing before and after," Estela Esperanza, Corona's mother, told Efe.

He indicated that his son used to spend it isolated from the world, locked in his room, from which he only went out to eat.

"He didn't socialize, he was in his locked world, he didn't sleep very well, he couldn't have a fluid conversation. Now he's more sociable, he looks me in the eye when he talks to me and he promotes CBD himself," said Esperanza.

Both mother and son work for the company Eternal Spirit Beauty, one of several companies that last month gave testimony to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the use of CBD oil.

Last year the FDA first approved the first cannabidiol CBD medication for the treatment of seizures related to two common and severe types of epilepsy.

However, the use of CBD oil continues to be very controversial, not to mention the legal aspect, since laws and regulations vary according to each state.

Currently, the CBD is legal in states where medical and recreational consumption of marijuana has been legalized, as long as its THC levels are less than 0.3%.

However, there have been cases where people have been arrested for using this type of oil in public places.

"We know that there is a lot of controversy about the use of this product, we in no way tell people to stop going to see their doctor or to stop taking their medications," said Efe María Aguilar, national director of Eternal Spirit Beauty

He acknowledged that there are still quite a few questions about the use and regulations that apply to CBD oil and indicated that a special permit is not required for the use they promote, since it contains 0% THC.

Along with Corona, Páez, 31, has also started selling CBD oil and says that since he started using it some of his autism symptoms have improved.

"I feel better, more focused," he says.

Although multiple studies have been carried out in different parts of the world, there is still no definitive proof of the possible benefits of using CBD oil in patients with autism.

In statements sent to Efe, the Society for Autism Research (INSAR) said that the investigations that have been done to date on CBD oil and autism are in an "initial exploratory phase."

So far, existing research has focused on results that are important for people with different levels of the autism spectrum, such as reducing irritability or behavioral problems.

However, they have not touched the symptoms of "central social communication" that people with autism usually have and.

INSAR indicated that at the moment the effectiveness of this type of treatment cannot be concluded.