We are proud to support the UPA in the goals they tireless work towards - if you are interested in hemp and cannabis advocacy and want to know more then please do read about them and click through to them on their link here. below is thier aims and mission statement and part 1 of their CBD information page. We hope you enjoy reading about the UPA and CBD and learn more about them both.
Aims
- Removal of cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act. To be moved to an appropriate schedule - ideally Schedule 4 alongside Sativex.
- To make cannabis legally accessible to all patients who wish to consume it for therapeutic reasons.
- Patients granted the right to grow their own medicine at home without intervention from the law.
Objectives
- Campaign toward legal access to all varieties of cannabis and cannabis products in the UK.
- Reinstate the defence of medical necessity for cannabis related legal proceedings.
- Ensure that patients can access a safe and regulated supply of their chosen medicine, including the ability for doctors to legally recommend cannabis to their patients where appropriate.
- Facilitate awareness of the benefits of medical cannabis within the community.
- To use education to fight the stigma which exists around being a person who consumes cannabis.
- Provide education and information to patients, medical professionals and other healthcare stakeholders.
- Create a patient community for the nurture treatment of best practice and information exchange.
- Offer advice and support to patients who experience legal difficulties as a result of prohibition.
- Encourage innovation and research in the UK with regard to medical cannabis products and their distribution.
From their Website regarding CBD
CBD may treat a wide range of medical conditions and can be taken with minimal side effects.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in cannabis that has significant medical properties but does not get consumers high.
Recently, CBD has become a topic of interest for patients and researchers, who are quickly learning more about its therapeutic benefits.
This guide will take a look at how CBD is different from THC and review the scientific evidence behind CBD’s efficacy and safety.
What is CBD?
(Photo: Ed Ogle/Flickr)
Cannabidiol is one of over 100 naturally-occurring chemicals known as phytocannabinoids (“phyto” means plant) that can be found in the cannabis plant.
Along with THC, CBD is one of the most plentiful cannabinoids, accounting for up to 40% of phytocannabinoid content. In fact, strains of cannabis are usually identified by their relative composition of THC and CBD. For example, Purple Kush or Skunk #1 are high-THC, low-CBD strains.
Unlike THC, CBD does not have significant psychoactive effects or produce a “high”, and as a result had been historically overlooked in the cultivation of cannabis.
In recent years, CBD has been propelled into the limelight as scientific and medical communities begin to find evidence for its use in treating many conditions.
More recent strains of cannabis developed for medical purposes, such as Charlotte’s Web and Avidekel, contain almost exclusively CBD, and only trace levels of THC.
How CBD Works
(Photo: Nature Reviews Cancer)
CBD has a different chemical structure than THC and, as a result, has different biological effects. To understand these differences, one needs to understand the body’s receptor systems.
The human body uses a network of receptors and compounds that bind to these receptors to control various organ systems.
As it turns out, the body produces its own cannabinoid compounds, called endocannabinoids. These compounds act on an existing system of receptors called the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system is present throughout the body, including in the brain and nervous system, in the digestive tract, and in immune cells. Phytocannabinoids like THC can also interact with the endocannabinoid system — as well as other receptor systems — to produce their various effects.
For example, THC activates a type of receptor called CB1 that is concentrated in the nervous system and produces a psychoactive “high” when turned on. THC also binds to a receptor called CB2, which plays a significant role in the body’s immune system.
On the other hand, CBD does not directly bind to CB1 or CB2 receptors but can indirectly affect endocannabinoid receptor signalling by interacting with no less than a dozen different types of receptors, including those in the immune system, the pain signaling system, and the musculoskeletal system.
In short, CBD’s effects are wide-ranging and different from those of THC. Some of CBD’s effects have proven to be useful in the treatment of medical conditions, discussed in more detail in the next section.
to be updated shortly - please note we take no credit for any of this info, it is the work of the UPA and not us - we are just making the info available to our users, if they wish yo read it. As usual Quintessential as sellers of CBD do not advise using CBD products as cures or items of medical intent. we are not doctors and make no claim as to the effectiveness of the products we sell for anything other than food supplementation use.