There's a form of marijuana that I'm calling marijuana lite.  It comes in products infused with cannabidiol (CBD).  CBD is the second most active ingredient of cannabis (marijuana) and is derived from hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant.

CBD is de facto legal.  That is, it is available in most parts of the U.S., though its exact legal status is a mishmash.  According to Harvard Health Publishing, all 50 states have laws legalizing CBD with varying degrees of restrictions.  The federal government, however, still considers CBD in the same class as marijuana, thus making it technically illegal, although Washington does not enforce against it.

Here's how I first became aware of CBD.  Driving through town, I saw a road sign in front of my local Family Video store saying, "Get Your CBD Here."  Having no clue what that meant, I stopped in to ask.  The girl behind the counter gave me an explanation of the various CBD products they sell along with some literature, as shown here.  On walking out, I thought it ironic that CBD was being sold by a store with "Family" in its name.  But this is the year 2019, after all, and I guess I'm behind the curve in a number of ways.

Looking into it further, I found that the CBD product selection offered by Family Video was minuscule compared to what one can get from Amazon.  It has thousands of CBD products — oils, creams, gummies, pills.  You name it.

CBD is sold, if not with the overt claim, then the strong implication, as helping with aliments such as chronic pain, inflammation, insomnia, anxiety, arthritis, back and muscle pain, cognition, and movement disorders.  All this could be true.  I can't say.  The Food and Drug Administration is actively studying both the health claims for CBD and its side-effects, so we'll see...someday.  One red flag comes from the Navy.  It has admonished its sailors and Marines to steer clear of CBD.  So has at least one Air Force Base:

But lack of FDA approval has not stopped the public from jumping on the CBD bandwagon.  According to a story in the Washington Free Beacon, CBD is more popular than marijuana.  It cites statistics from Gallup on the percentage of the population that has taken various "drugs" in the past month and found CBD outpaces all the illegal ones.  The results are cigarettes (55.4%), alcohol (19.4%), CBD (14.0%), marijuana (9.5%), cocaine (0.8%), meth (0.3%), and heroin (0.2%).

The allure of CBD is powerful.  Who doesn't want a better night's sleep, relief from pain and arthritis, and less anxiety?  FDA approval or not, CBD is going mainstream fast.  And as the 2020 election approaches, CBD would be worth its weight in gold to society if it could help relieve those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) of their paranoia, anxiety, and anger.

Graphic credit: Shaw Air Force Base.