You’ve most likely heard of the hemp-derived compound CBD before. It’s been the talk of the town in the realm of alternative medicine for quite some time and has really developed a reputation as a natural route to the relief of many conditions or their symptoms.

But there are some other herbs besides hemp, that have also been growing in popularity for their therapeutic properties. In this article, we will take a look at kratom and how it really compares to CBD.

Some people claim kratom can be an effective substitute for CBD. But, is this really accurate? On the surface, they may appear to have some common ground. As you begin to dig deeper it becomes more apparent that they’re really quite different.

Table of contents

• Introduction to CBD
• What is kratom?
• Comparing uses for CBD & kratom
• Side effects of CBD vs. Kratom
• CBD, kratom and the law
• Bottom line: Two very different supplements

An Overview Of CBD

Nowadays, you can find CBD or cannabidiol in many different types of consumables.

You can find it in traditional forms like CBD tinctures or capsules and even more creative products such as CBD coffee. The main role of this compound is to create internal balance, through its interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system. Part of what makes CBD so special is that it’s non-psychoactive, unlike the well-known THC, the main active ingredient in psychoactive cannabis (“marijuana”). CBD can help you improve your mood, deal with anxiety, and even support pain relief, all without experiencing mind-altering effects.

CBD also shows the potential to treat many more serious conditions. As scientists conduct more research, even traditional doctors increasingly support the use of cannabidiol.

What Exactly Is Kratom?

Kratom, also known as “mitragyna speciosa,” is a tree that originates from South East Asia. It grows naturally in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. People from these areas have used kratom for thousands of years. Traditionally, natives of these areas chewed the leaves for their stimulant-like properties. Kratom has a long history of use as an opium substitute and in more recent times has become popular as a recreational drug.

The plant’s main active ingredients are mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7HMG). These two compounds induce their effects by interacting with the body’s opioid receptors. Mitragynine is the chemical thought to be responsible for the therapeutic effects, whereas researchers attribute psychoactive effects to 7HMG. The clinical research on kratom is still very limited. This lack of research also prevents kratom from catching on like CBD.

“Despite a vocal community of supporters, and numerous anecdotal testimonials of effectiveness, these treatment practices using kratom have not been rigorously studied as either safe or effective,” noted Peter Grinspoon, M.D., a doctor who teaches at Harvard Medical School.

CBD vs Kratom: How Each Supplement Gets Used?

CBD has a relatively long list of applications. It’s most commonly used to help with anxiety, sleep disorders, chronic pain, and inflammation.

Although many consume it to feel more relaxed and manage stress-related symptoms, it is also becoming quite popular in the fitness community to help with recovery and pain management. Apart from those practical uses, CBD is also being researched for its potential to treat more severe ailments such as cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, diabetes, and many others.

When comparing CBD vs. Kratom, one major difference is that CBD is non-addictive and appears safe even at relatively high doses, while kratom can pose risks of dependency and other side effects.

Kratom is used mainly to reduce anxiety, relieve pain, and help with opiate addiction. As research surrounding the herb seems to still be in the early stages, no solid conclusions can be drawn as of yet.

Based on user accounts, and the native peoples who’ve grown the herb for centuries, there’s likely some truth behind some of the promoted benefits. Some individuals have claimed it is particularly effective in breaking dependency on stronger opioids like heroin and oxycodone. However, more clinical trials need to be conducted before it can be recognized as a reliable treatment.

CBD vs. Kratom: Side Effects Of CBD And Kratom

CBD is great not only because of its numerous benefits, but because CBD has limited side effects. The versatile cannabinoid is proven to be non-addictive and is still safe to consume even in large quantities. To date, there have been no CBD-related deaths ever recorded. Some mild side effects that may be experienced by users include nausea, dry mouth, and drowsiness.

Kratom, however, starts to a lot look less appealing when we begin to examine the side effects. Although it’s promoted to be a solution to opiate addiction, there is also the risk of becoming addicted to kratom. Frequent use is generally not recommended, as it increases the chance of dependency and also exposes the consumer to other potential risks.

Some relatively common kratom side effects include vomiting, nausea, and constipation. But the list doesn’t stop there, as there are even more severe symptoms that may arise from kratom use such as seizures, psychosis, respiratory depression, liver toxicity, and increased blood pressure. When we consider all these side effects, they could heavily outweigh the benefits.

CBD vs Kratom: Understanding the Legality and Regulatory Frameworks

The 2018 Farm Bill forced the Drug Enforcement Administration to remove hemp-derived CBD from its list of illegal drugs. The bill formally legalized industrial hemp with a THC content of 0.3% or lower as an agricultural commodity, rather than a controlled substance.

In general, CBD is accepted and consumers are generally safe from legal repercussions when using it, especially in extracted form (CBD tinctures, CBD gummies, capsules, etc). Stories of misguided police action against CBD consumers are extremely rare and growing less common all the time.

The legality of kratom remains a bit more undefined. Lawmakers in Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. passed laws banning kratom. In 2016 the DEA threatened to classify kratom as a schedule I substance. In 2018, the Department of Health & Human Services also called for a kratom ban.

That ban hasn’t happened yet. This may be, in part, because kratom advocates raised a massive public outcry over the impending ban. Even so, the government hasn’t fully backed down.

While we don’t support the war on drugs, users should be aware they could lose access to this supplement with only minimal warning.

“Generally, it’s not a good idea to use something for pain or addiction which is about to become less available and less safe,” Grinspoon noted.

Even the FDA issued a statement warning of kratom’s adverse effects. The FDA attributed 36 deaths to kratom in 2017. In 2018, there was a salmonella outbreak related to kratom products which affected 199 people across several states. The nationwide controversy led to a massive recall, and once again shed a negative light on the herb, which may eventually lead to its restriction on a larger scale.

Final Verdict: Two Very Different Herbs

Just because a remedy comes from plants doesn’t make it automatically safe. Consumers require research and education to use them safely.

While some people compare kratom and CBD as herbal supplements, they’re in two completely different lanes. CBD is a lot more recognized, with a strong backing of user testimonies and scientific research. It’s also extremely unlikely to cause dangerous side effects.

Due to minimal research and a growing list of concerns, the U.S. might ban kratom before it reaches widespread acceptance. As Dr. Grinspoon notes, kratom can’t be considered safe without more research, consumer education, and better quality control. Although some similar issues exist with CBD, the potential consequences are more grave.

While we don’t support the legal prohibition of natural substances, users of kratom must be aware of the risk of dependency and other potentially harmful side effects. While some risks of kratom may have more to do with drug prohibition and tainted products than the plant itself, that should still cause consumers to think twice before starting it.

Kit O’Connell contributed to this report.

The post CBD VS Kratom: Comparing Two Popular Natural Remedies (UPDATED) appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

It’s time for another Question and Answer show where the MOH team answers questions from listeners. For the first time on a Q&A show, our host Matt and Editor in Chief Kit are joined by Drew, who manages our brand partnerships and helps us with our CBD reviews, both behind the scenes and as a writer too.

While we’re not doctors, Drew explains what the latest research suggests about CBD during pregnancy, though there’s still a lot we don’t know. The panel also talks about CBD dosage and how to read CBD labels, and using CBD with dogs.

Kit also answers a listener’s questions about the differences and similarities between kratom and CBD. Finally, the trio have a lively discussion of “ditch weed” and whether it was just wild hemp, based on some research into wild hemp in Kansas by our recent podcast guest Kelly Rippel.

You’ve got hemp questions? We’ve got hemp answers!

Send us your hemp questions and you might hear them answered on one of our Hemp Q&A episodes. Send your written questions to us on Twitter, Facebook, matt@ministryofhemp.com, or call us and leave a message at 402-819-6417. Keep in mind, this phone number is for hemp questions only and any other inquiries for the Ministry of Hemp should be sent to info@ministryofhemp.com

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CBD During Pregnancy & Other Questions Answered: Complete episode transcript

Below you’ll find the complete transcript of episode 51 of the Ministry of Hemp podcast, “CBD during pregnancy”:

Matt Baum:
I’m Matt Baum and this is the Ministry of Hemp podcast, brought to you by ministryofhemp.com, America’s leading advocate for hemp and hemp education.

Matt Baum:
Welcome back to another episode of the Ministry of Hemp podcast. I apologize, I missed last week. Life gets in the way sometimes, but here we are. And today on the show, I’m going to make it up to you by answering your hemp questions that you guys leave on our voicemail. You can call us at any time, 24 hours a day, 402-819-6417. Now I just want to stress we’re not selling hemp or CBD or anything like that, so don’t call asking how to buy it. Now if you want any advice on brands and whatnot, you can find that all over ministryofhemp.com and I encourage you to go there and use it that way. But we’re not selling CBD.

Matt Baum:
We’re also not the phone number to call if you want to network with us or perhaps you’re a brand that wants to work with us. That’s not the place to do it. This phone number is for people that want answers to their hemp questions. How much do I take? What’s a good brand? Will this help me sleep? Did I buy garbage? These are all great questions you can ask. Call and leave your question. Don’t leave me your phone number and asked me to call you back. I’m not going to do that, but what I will do is I will answer your questions on the show. And today, I’m super excited because I don’t just have Kit O’Connell, our editor in chief, answering questions, we are also joined by Drew De Los Santos. I affectionately refer to her as our brand ambassador, but you’ll hear she has an actual title and she’s really good at it. So let’s get into it.

Introducing Drew

Matt Baum:
Okay. I am back with our editor in chief, Kit. Say hello, Kit.

Kit O’Connell:
Hey, everybody.

Matt Baum:
And we have a new guest that’s going to help us out today. This is Drew, and we were discussing her title before this because we wanted to sound really professional, so we decided on brand ambassador. Was that it?

Drew De Los Santos:
Brand manager, thank you.

Matt Baum:
Brand manger. Okay.

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah. But hey everybody-

Matt Baum:
Ambassador makes you feel like royalty, right?

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah.

Matt Baum:
So what do you do at Ministry of Hemp? Just a quick, little breakdown.

Drew De Los Santos:
I basically work with all of the brands that we review and make sure that we get all of our products tested as well as just helping along the flow of the magazine to make sure from start to finish things get tied up nicely. And sometimes I also do product reviews.

Matt Baum:
That’s awesome. You’re going to help us today in answering some questions, but as you’ve heard, Drew works directly with the brands. We are not a brand. And I’m just saying that because we get a lot of calls for people saying, “I want to buy something.” We’re not selling anything. We are pushing education. So there you go. And if you are a brand, call and ask for Drew. We’ll get you set up.

Drew De Los Santos:
I will say happy to talk with them and happy to be here.

Understanding CBD dosage and labeling

Matt Baum:
Awesome. Let’s get started. Our first one comes from Gregory in Florida.

Gregory:
Yes. My name is Gregory and calling y’all from the state of Florida here. I was just wondering if you can give me some additional information with regards to CBD oil. It’s very confusing when you look at the 2,000 milligrams of hemp and then they have at the bottom of that bottle 66, I don’t know exactly, 66 milligrams of the extract. So I was just wondering, how does that equate from a 2,000 to 66 milligrams? And then also I found out that the CBD oils, some of them are very thick and others are watery. So I know that there are lots of different compounds that are being put into these oils. I was just wondering if you can address some of these issues.

Matt Baum:
Okay, I’m going to stop him there, because he gives his phone number and we don’t need everybody calling our friend Greg. But basically, this is a great question. And we have done this one before, but I think it’s really good to reset, because CBD labels can be very confusing if you don’t know about this stuff. And it sounds like he has got a 2,000 milliliter bottle, basically.

Kit O’Connell:
Milligram.

Matt Baum:
Pardon me, milligram bottle. Thank you, Kit. And it also says 66 milligrams on it, which is confusing him. Kit, can you help clear this one up a little bit?

Kit O’Connell:
Yeah, it is confusing. And the first thing to say is that there are no standards in CBD labeling currently. There’s no authority. The FDA hasn’t issued any standards for CBD. We’re waiting on that as of right now. So brands are left up to themselves how to do it. But in this case, 2,000 milligrams, what you probably have there is a one ounce or 30 milliliter bottle, and each dropper full out of that, each dropper if you fill it to the top that’s one milliliter. So there’s 30 of those in the bottle. So if you divide 2,000 milligrams by 30, you get 66 milligrams, which is how much you’d get if you took a full dropper-full of CBD, which for some people is a normal dose. Some people it’s a high dose. We always of course say, start low and go slow.

Matt Baum:
Right?

Kit O’Connell:
The other half of the question was about the consistency of the oil, and that’s an interesting question. I don’t think that has much to do with what your actual CBD extract in there. It could be good, it could be bad, but they take that extract and then they mix it. The majority of what you’re taking is a carrier oil, and that can be hemp seed oil or it could be something called MCT, which is like a coconut-based oil usually. Occasionally it’s still palm based. And so when you’re looking at that, that’s just, it’s based on how they’ve taken an extract and mixed it into an oil, and it’s just personal preference whether you like a thicker or a thinner oil.

Matt Baum:
It’s not necessarily a mark of quality is what you’re saying.

Kit O’Connell:
Right, exactly. Yeah.

Matt Baum:
Okay.

Kit O’Connell:
You can have a thick oil or thin oil and that’s just a qualitative thing about it, but you still could have a really good quality oil that could be thick or thin.

Matt Baum:
So the most important thing to really look for is one, is there some type of dosage map on the label? And it sounds like this one is, and you cleared that up really well. Thank you. Two, do they have results, lab results that are available for this product? And it might be a QR code or a website you can visit on the bottle. But those would probably be the two biggest things you want to look for, right?

Kit O’Connell:
Exactly. And beyond that, it’s going to be personal preference. It’d be like those ones that tastes a little thin or the ones that have a thicker consistency.

Matt Baum:
Right. Or like different flavors are added to some of them. Other companies use a very natural flavor. That can turn some people off. I kind of dig it, personally.

Kit O’Connell:
I feel like a hemp sommelier sometimes, coming up with ways to describe all the different hempy flavors like [inaudible 00:07:44] or earthy, or greater grassy. I love all the flavors, too.

Matt Baum:
Drew, where do you come down on flavors?

Drew De Los Santos:
I definitely love a lemony, terpene-heavy type of flavor, but then of course, every so often a brand will come out with one that has a good overlay of some other flavor. I mean, I really do like citrusy, but I don’t mind the hempy flavor either.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, I really like it, actually, and I feel like some of the brands when they get out there with like the mango strawberry and stuff, I get a little … It freaks me out. It starts to taste really fake, you know?

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah. It can be too much if they add too many different flavors.

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Drew De Los Santos:
I was going to say, though, I haven’t really tried an oil that’s very liquidy. So if it’s super watery, that’s a little concerning to me, just because I haven’t really tried a brand that has that type of consistency.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, I’ve had some that are thinner, but I don’t know that I would describe them as liquidy. I suppose that could worry me a little bit. But then again, maybe that’s just the adjective that he chose.

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah.

Matt Baum:
I think more importantly, research the company, make sure that they have lab results, find something that tastes good to you, and know what your dosage is and you’ll be okay.

Kit O’Connell:
Yep.

Matt Baum:
All right. Moving right along.

CBD and dogs

Speaker 5:
Hey, guys. I heard your recent show about CBD and about dogs with arthritis. Are there any brands you would suggest and what kind of dosage would you suggest for an 80-pound dog? Thanks a lot. Keep up the good work.

Matt Baum:
Okay. I really like this question and we just did a show about CBD helping dogs with arthritis because of the anti-inflammatory properties. Now, with that said, there isn’t a whole lot of studies out there about animal pain and CBD yet. The story that we just talked about on the show, this would have been our last episode, was a very promising study, and so promising that they’re doing more and it looks like they’re going to be able to publish some real results, which is great. Now that doesn’t necessarily help you. I would say again, if you’re looking for a CBD product for an animal, be it a dog or a cat or whatever, look at the company. Do they make a quality product for people? And same rules apply, lab results, is it clear labeling, do you know what you’re giving your pet? Stuff like that? You probably won’t have to worry about the flavor as much with most of your pets that you’re just going to put on their food, but dosage is really tough. Do you guys have any thoughts on dosage for an animal?

Kit O’Connell:
You know, people ask what’s the difference between a pet and a human tincture and one of the biggest differences, of course, is the pet tinctures usually come in a lower dose, and that’s part of it is it’s just you want to start really small.

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Kit O’Connell:
You want to start with a really low dose on your animals. And usually a good brand is going to have some advice for pounds for what that product is. The ones I’ve been using recently with our animals, like HolistaPet, they’re a brand that we reviewed recently, and Populum is another great brand that has a pet tincture. And they usually have some guidance on where to start, but it’s usually just it’s start real small. You’re not going to hurt your animal, but there is a risk that you could make them pretty drowsy if you give them a little too much.

Matt Baum:
Definitely.

Kit O’Connell:
So it’s not dissimilar from us. Just remember to … They’re real small compared to our body weight, and so adjust your dose accordingly.

Matt Baum:
I have a pug named Mabel, and Mabel she lost her … She didn’t lose her back legs, but they’re paralyzed, and she was in a lot of pain and so we started using the Populum as well, and it’s worked really well. But I will say when I started, I was definitely giving her too much and she ate her dinner and she wasn’t in pain and she was so comfortable that she just went straight to sleep. And I was like, “Oh, okay. That might be a little heavy.” But I did talk to my vet about it and they said, what you said. It’s not going to hurt the animal, but yeah, you could knock it out. So if that is happening, I mean, if your pet is having trouble sleeping, maybe that’s a good thing, but maybe you want them to be around and enjoy their life and stuff. So again, low and slow. Go very light. Make sure you have a reputable brand. You said a HolistaPet was one.

Kit O’Connell:
Yeah, and Populum is another brand that we like, too.

Drew De Los Santos:
PhytoLogica also has good pet drops.

Kit O’Connell:
Also, I’ve been giving our cats … Mission Farms has a beef-flavored CBD and they love that.

Matt Baum:
Oh, nice. Yep. That could be one that’s a little weird on the human palette, but yeah, I can see your animal digging that. What is the … Pure American Hemp as well. They have Bane’s Bites, which are treats that are named after the guy that started the company. He was a first responder that I interviewed on the show. Super cool guy and they’re little CBD treats. And I will say they came in handy when we were raising our other pug who was a puppy and he’d get a little too spastic and I’d be like, “Hey, what if we had a treat at the end of the day?” And he’d be like, “Yeah,” just kind of chill out and do his thing afterward. I was like, “[inaudible 00:13:07].”

Drew De Los Santos:
My family has a little dachshund, miniature dachshund, and also a big German shepherd. And they both have their own issues. The dachshund has teeth issues.

Matt Baum:
Oh, yeah.

Drew De Los Santos:
And the German Shepherd is really anxious and they both use CBD. I really liked the treats, you know?

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Drew De Los Santos:
Because then you don’t have to worry about dosing. It’s usually two milligrams to five milligrams and you can just give them the treat real easy, like a normal treat. It’s great.

Matt Baum:
Yeah. I think the Bane’s Bites were something like two milligrams per treat, which was great, because it was like I could give it to Mabel as well and it wouldn’t knock her out and you know exactly what you’re giving them, which is pretty cool. So there you go. That’s a great one. All right. This is one that this is a cool question. And this is a question that we will make us say, “Hey, we’re not doctors, so don’t take any medical advice from us,” but we can talk about this.

Is it safe to use CBD during pregnancy?

Speaker 6:
Hey, I just had a quick question about using CBD while I’m pregnant. I was using CBD oil before I was pregnant for cramps, and I just want to know if it is safe to continue to use that during my pregnancy. Thanks.

Matt Baum:
So Kit and I got this question before, and we both kind of went, “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t do it.” At the time, there wasn’t a whole lot out there. Is there any new info that you guys know about pregnancy and CBD?

Drew De Los Santos:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, I mean, the research is still ongoing, but lately, most recently, there was a study that was published in Nature Scientific Reports, and it seems like cannabis used early in pregnancy can cause major malformations in both the face and brain development.

Matt Baum:
Oh, wow.

Drew De Los Santos:
So yeah, and we already know that THC is not good for babies.

Matt Baum:
Right.

Drew De Los Santos:
So it doesn’t seem recommended. And even the American Academy of Pediatrics had recommended against cannabis use. So I know that there’s some people who have been using CBD, but it seems like overall it’s like use caution and maybe look towards other … Work with your doctor, work with your doula, or whoever, to find another alternative for if you have symptoms that you need relief from.

Matt Baum:
It’s like your mileage may vary, and we’re not going to sit here and say, “It’s going to kill your child,” but there is evidence out there, like you said, with THC that yes, it can be bad for fetuses. So play it safe is basically where we’re at. Play it safe. I would say don’t do it. There’s other stuff out there that’ll help you with cramps and pain and stuff like that, and this might be the one case where … We say a lot CBD is not going to hurt you. You can’t overdose on it and stuff like that. Pregnancy is just a whole different animal, if you will.

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah.

Matt Baum:
And play it safe. I think that’s [crosstalk 00:16:13]

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah. And it’s hard to do research on it, because it involves a baby and a pregnant women and it’s very sensitive, so there’s not a lot of … There’s no human trials. They just do it on mice and zebra fish, because I guess they have the same kind of development as a human embryo.

Matt Baum:
Weird.

Drew De Los Santos:
But yeah, I know. But even in those cases, it’s not good. It’s leads to deformation, so yeah, use caution.

Matt Baum:
Yeah. That’s one of those things that we don’t really think about, but yeah, you’re not going to get a lot of pregnant women going, “Yes, I’d like to sign up for a experimental drug trial on my unborn baby. That sounds great. How much does it pay? I’m in,” you know?

Drew De Los Santos:
In these times, maybe.

Matt Baum:
Yeah. Who knows? I’m not going to judge you if you do whatever. You know, times are tight, but …

Drew De Los Santos:
It’s true.

Matt Baum:
Ministry of Hemp says don’t do it. Play it safe. So there you go. Moving right along here.

Is ‘ditch weed’ just wild hemp?

Rinell:
What’s up, man? My name is [Rinell 00:17:08] and I was calling, had a question about ditch weed, that stuff that we found and smoked as kids. Hemp or marijuana?

Matt Baum:
I love this question.

Kit O’Connell:
Great question.

Matt Baum:
I think he said his name was Rinell, but I couldn’t really hear him. I love this question, and we did a show not too long ago where we talked to … What was the name? Kelly Rippel, sorry, from Kansas. And Kelly was talking about how back in the day, the University of Kansas literally strapped poison to students’ backs and sent them out into fields to try and kill hemp plants, because they were trying to eradicate it, basically. And they couldn’t do it. They literally could not do it. Now. This is probably leftover hemp from stuff that grew along the river, right? Back in the day?

Kit O’Connell:
Most likely, yeah. That’s probably what you’re getting. Of course, you know, hemp and marijuana, they are the same plant. The big difference is the chemical composition, but they are dramatically different. We always used to joke that you’d smoke that stuff and just get a headache.

Matt Baum:
Right.

Kit O’Connell:
And that’s because it just really, it was probably being grown for food or fiber back in the day, maybe even World War II when they encouraged farmers to grow hemp, and it just stuck around. It is such a hardy plant that it’s not good hemp growing on the river, but it’s hemp. It’s managed to survive and reproduce itself, most likely.

Matt Baum:
It’s like feral cats, right? Like at one point, yes, it was controlled and it was this thing and then this cat escaped and it made cat babies in the wild and now they are not pets anymore. They are feral.

Kit O’Connell:
There’s a famous case where a there’s a Valley in Australia where they spent a decade just trying to eradicate. It was just full, wall-to-wall, full of cannabis and all the local students famously would go hike in there and smoke this type of weed that was growing there. And that was clearly also hemp used to grow all over Australia and they are starting to grow it again. So the funny thing is we’re bringing it back to all those lands.

Matt Baum:
The chances are that someone was growing. Is there a chance, I should say, that someone was growing weed and it got out and got wild? Possibly.

Kit O’Connell:
Possibly.

Matt Baum:
Is there a much better chance that this is just hemp that was left over that was growing amongst other plants? I feel like ditch weed is a lost term. Drew, do you know ditch weed?

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah.

Matt Baum:
I mean you’re-

Drew De Los Santos:
No. Yeah. We were talking about it. I was like, I think I’m a little young to experience the legend of ditch weed. Skip school to go look in a ditch for weed or anything, unfortunately.

Matt Baum:
It’s old guys like Kit and I. We grew up and there were guys slightly older than us and they’d be like, “Check this out, bro. It’s totally marijuana.” And you’re like, “What? It’s just here? It’s just growing by the Conoco? Oh my God.” And yeah, it wasn’t marijuana. It never was. And as many times as we tried to smoke it or whatever, we just got a headache and chances are it was unfortunately just hemp. Now, like you said, that’s testament to how hardy this plant is. It’s very hard to kill, and once it gets going and takes root, it’s going to be there. So little something for the farmers there. It’s easy to grow. It’s a weed, okay?

Drew De Los Santos:
It’s also like you can’t control seeds, you know what I mean?

Matt Baum:
Right.

Drew De Los Santos:
You can’t control a plant. The wind’s going to take it. It’s going to grow. It’s going to find a way to grow one way or another.

Matt Baum:
Absolutely. And like Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, any of these southern states, it’s perfect weather for this stuff. It’s hot, it’s humid, and it just grows and it flowers and it spreads spores and it makes hemp babies. And again, this is not the beautiful hemp that you probably want to make CBD out of, or maybe even fiber. This is feral, leftover hemp, if you will. Okay, next question here.

What’s the difference between CBD and kratom?

Speaker 8:
Hi there. I had a quick question for the show regarding the differences between kratom and CBD. My understanding is that they basically do the same thing when you take them, and my question was why is CBD so much more expensive than kratom, and if I’ve got it wrong and they’re different, what are the differences between the two? Thanks a bunch, take care.

Matt Baum:
I love this. We recently ran a story about kratom and CBD, differences and whatnot, on our site, and I found out I don’t know anything about kratom. Literally nothing. I thought it was an upper. I had no clue. I thought it was like trucker speed or something.

Kit O’Connell:
And it’s actually, it’s closer to an opiate, which is one of the uses for it. Now this is not something that’s doctor approved, but a lot of kratom consumers say that they’ve used it to ease themselves off of opiate addiction, so that’s pretty cool. That is something also we’ve heard about CBD and cannabis is it’s been useful for people to ease themselves off of other addictions.

Matt Baum:
Sure.

Kit O’Connell:
So there are some similarities. People use kratom for pain, sometimes people use CBD for pain, but the way they work is actually very different. Kratom is going to plug into that, those opiate parts of your brain, whereas CBD is plugging into your whole endocannabinoid system. This whole part of your body runs all through your nervous system and all through your body that responds to cannabinoid chemicals. So they have a totally different method of action. But beyond that though, there’s a lot of differences in terms of the safety profile. There are people who report getting actually addicted to kratom, which is not something that we’re going to see with CBD, of course. There’s nothing to get addicted to there really. And we’ve even seen some reports of people dying from taking kratom supplements. Now those were probably very impure supplements, but that’s not something we’ve ever seen with CBD. People have died.

Matt Baum:
So not like a kratom … Can you overdose on kratom?

Kit O’Connell:
I don’t know the answer to that. It’s possible. I’m not sure that it might be, but you certainly … It’s more likely that you could than with CBD, but I really don’t know the answer to that.

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Kit O’Connell:
My understanding those people didn’t necessarily die from kratom overdoses. I can’t really speak to that, but there was impurities, they were poorly made supplements, which probably also brings us to the other point to make is that cheap kratom that you’re seeing at the gas station, just like CBD at the gas station, it’s not good.

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Kit O’Connell:
Good kratom is also going to cost you some money.

Matt Baum:
That’s one thing like … I always saw Kratom at the check cashing place where you can also buy cigarettes and a burner cell phone or something, and always just thought, well, first of all, I had no idea what it was. Is it a plant? What is kratom?

Kit O’Connell:
It is a plant. It was a plant that actually I believe had ritual uses originally and just had cultural uses, commonplace cultural uses. I think people chewed it if I’m not mistaken in leaf form.

Matt Baum:
Really? Wow.

Kit O’Connell:
Yeah. But what you’re going to get over here is a powdered form, basically, which people, they mix it into stuff or they take it like a capsule. So it’s usually like a greenish powder and there’s different varieties of it, which are supposed to help out in different ways, but I can’t speak to that. I know it’s just like that with cannabis, there’s different strains of it.

Matt Baum:
Sure, sure. So kratom, like CBD, I assume it seems to have been around a lot longer, like kratom has been in these gas stations and quick shops for years now. CBD is just popping up in those really cheap markets. It’s garbage. I’m not saying go buy it, do not buy it, okay? But it seems like kratom had a much easier time. Do you think that is because the only difference is kratom doesn’t look like marijuana?

Don’t buy any supplements in gas stations

Kit O’Connell:
Yeah, that’s probably it, and I mean, that is one of the reasons that I’ve seen some that go into that, that they have considered banning it recently. Especially since those deaths, they FDA’s raised concerns and the DEA has considered scheduling it. So that’s something to consider before you start taking kratom. If you feel like it helps you, it might go away, which it doesn’t really look like CBD is going to go away anytime soon.

Matt Baum:
Right.

Kit O’Connell:
It looks like it’s becoming more and more available. So even if kratom helps you, just keep in mind it’s something the government’s trying to ban and while we don’t necessarily agree with it, I wouldn’t want my painkiller to disappear.

Matt Baum:
Totally.

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah. I remember one of my friends was trying to kratom, and I feel like it has a way more intense effect on people than CBD, in terms of that elevated feeling or feeling a little drunk versus CBD, where it’s just like, “Okay, I’m getting a supplement type of feeling or feeling calm.” So that’s something that’s interesting to me. Also, it reminds me of when salvia was more readily available, and then they-

Matt Baum:
Yeah, I forgot about that.

Drew De Los Santos:
Yeah, it was super intense, right?

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Drew De Los Santos:
And people would just go on these trips. Kratom is not as intense as salvia, I don’t think. But yeah. Then all of a sudden it was banned and you can’t buy it at Planet K or other smoke shops or whatever.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, there was the video of the girl that like ran through the glass window and stuff on salvia. And it’s like this is legal? Oh my God.

Kit O’Connell:
That is something that these are both plants they had a place in the cultures where they grew, where people knew how to handle them in safe and healthy ways, and then they got brought here and sold as just junk in gas stations and people got hurt.

Matt Baum:
Yeah.

Kit O’Connell:
And so I guess that there’s probably a lesson to draw from that if we want to.

Matt Baum:
I think it’s just wild that something like kratom, which is arguably more powerful, has a straight up opiate effect, had little or no problem invading America. But for some reason CBD, because it comes from a plant that looks like a marijuana leaf, we can’t have that around. Even marijuana, it sounds like it’s tamer than the kratom experience that you’re explaining to me. I know some people that have used THC, cannabis, to get off, yeah, opiates and some hard drugs and stuff like that. But I mean, this sounds like we’re talking about methadone almost. It sounds kind of scary to me.

Matt Baum:
I would assume there is high quality kratom out there. It’s probably expensive. There’s probably people that are doing it right, just like CBD. I can’t give you advice on how to buy it if you want, but I would say if you’re concerned, if you’re looking at buying CBD and making a choice to buy kratom because it is cheaper, I would argue that’s not a good choice to make, because if it is cheaper, there’s a chance that it’s garbage. I mean, absolute garbage.

Matt Baum:
And again, it’s not FDA regulated. Right now, it’s Wild West for kratom out there as well. Kit brought up kratom killed some people. CBD didn’t. Lot of good checks in the CBD boxes and a lot of bad ones in the kratom ones. I’m not trying to demonize the plan itself or anyone who’s using it responsibly and it’s working for them. Good for you. Just make sure you know what you’re getting and don’t buy it from your quick shop. Don’t buy anything, CBD or kratom or any supplement, not from a gas station. Just don’t. My rules, if they sell cigarettes there, don’t buy supplements from them, and you’re probably going to be doing good.

Final thoughts from Drew, Kit and Matt

Matt Baum:
Guys, this was-

Drew De Los Santos:
Good rule.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, right? Guys, this was great. Thank you so much for joining me and answering a bunch of questions and let’s do this again soon.

Kit O’Connell:
You got it.

Drew De Los Santos:
Definitely.

Matt Baum:
Awesome.

Matt Baum:
That brings us to the end of another episode of the Ministry of Hemp podcast. Huge thanks to everybody that called in with these fantastic questions, by the way. These were really great and a lot of fun to answer. And like I said in the beginning, if you have questions, you can call us and leave a message with your question at 402-819-6417, or you can hit us up on Facebook/Ministry of Hemp, or hit us up on Twitter, @ministryofhemp, or shoot me an email, matt@ministryofhemp.com. I would love to hear from you and I would love to answer your question. If you’re a brand, however, contact drew@ministryofhemp.com and she’ll get you taken care of.

Matt Baum:
Thanks so much Kit and Drew for joining me today. And if you need more Ministry of Hemp in your life, you can follow us at all of our social medias that I just mentioned. By the way, over at ministryofhemp.com, we have an excellent article up about CBD bioavailability and why it matters. It’s all about exploring the science of CBD, and there is science here. There’s people that are lying about it and there’s people that are doing it right, and I encourage you to go check this out and learn about the actual science behind CBD.

Matt Baum:
If you like what you’re hearing on the show and you enjoy what we do on ministryofhemp.com and you think it’s important and you want to become an advocate for hemp. I implore you, go check out our Patreon. It’s patreon.com/ministryofhemp, and become a Ministry of Hemp insider. You get access to podcast extras, extra articles, early articles, all kinds of cool stuff, but more importantly, you help us to spread the good word of hemp education. And for those of you who have already signed up and are supporting, I cannot thank you enough. Seriously, thank you guys.

Matt Baum:
Here at Ministry of Hemp, we believe that an accessible world is a better world for everyone, so we have a full, written transcript of this episode in the show notes. Next week on the show, I’m going to be talking to the CEO of HempFlax. They are one of the largest hemp producers in Europe and they are involved in so many different aspects and industries, representing literally every part of the hemp plant down to the dust that comes off it when they’re making fibers. It’s an amazing interview and I hope you’re there for it.

Matt Baum:
Right now it’s time for me to get out of here, and I like to end the show the same way by saying remember to take care of yourself, take care of others, and make good decisions, will you? This is Matt Baum with the Ministry of Hemp, signing off.

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