Earlier this year, AVLtoday — a sister market of RALtoday — shared that Asheville City Schools decided not to prohibit the use of CBD — or cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive extract from plants in the cannabis family — in their official drug and alcohol policy. This means staff and students can consume CBD gummies, beverages, or use CBD creams and lotions on campus, however, this does not mean individuals can smoke or vape CBD on campus as smoking and vaping are prohibited.
The Background
Last year, the NC School Board Association changed its policy on drug + alcohol use to include CBD in its list of prohibited substances, specifically because of issues distinguishing it from THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana and what produces the “high”). Forty-seven out of 115 NC school districts adopted the revision.
What is CBD?
CBD, is one compound (of over 500 compounds and 100 cannabinoids) derived from plants in the cannabis family. CBD (and CBD oil, what you’ll normally find in stores and in products) contains less than .05% THC, and therefore you can’t get “high” from it. For reference, the average THC level in legal marijuana in Colorado is 18.7%.
CBD is being used more commonly for medical reasons because it interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body, which helps regulate functions including the immune system, pain regulation, and sleep. Some of the most common uses for CBD include epilepsy treatment, arthritis pain relief, cancer treatment relief, insomnia, and anxiety.
And while both hemp and marijuana are part of the cannabis family, they aren’t identical. The important difference? The THC content in each plant — marijuana’s THC content is much higher (more than 20%) than hemp’s (which is less than .3%).
In both NC and SC, there is specific legislation in place allowing the sale of products with THC levels found in CBD (minimum to none). Within that vein, industrial hemp farming has been legalized in both states under a federal pilot program. (More on the NC + SC programs here.)
And, while the state legislature proposed a ban on smokable hemp, a spokesperson from Asheville-owned Franny’s Farmacy told us that there is no scheduled vote and the ban is currently off the table.
Your thoughts
Would you like to see this in Wake County schools? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below and we will share your responses in an upcoming newsletter.
Contributions from Trevor Peters + AVLtoday Intern
