HOW TO RESEARCH CBD OIL FOR YOURSELF

1. Search for scientific studies online

First, I googled the obvious: “CBD oil and pain studies,” “CBD oil and anxiety studies,” “CBD oil and PTSD studies.”

Particularly when it came to pain, it was impossible for me to separate CBD oil from marijuana, such as in this British study: Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain.

One way to research CBD for yourself is by searching online for studies and articles about using CBD oil to treat your symptoms or conditions.

Nearly everything else I found was exactly what the MDs had told me: relatively small studies, mainly outside of the US, that were not double-blind or long enough to satisfy my science brain. Still, it was hopeful enough to make me want to try it anyway, because my butt HURT, man.

So I knew I wanted to do this.

2. Learn more about CBD oil

This wonderful article about finding the correct CBD oil helped me to understand the basic bones of the product: Top 5 Ways to Identify High Quality CBD Oil.

I knew I wanted:

• Oil distilled through pharmaceutical-grade ethanol or supercritical CO2 extraction.
• Hemp grown in the U.S.
• THC lower than 0.3 percent
• Full spectrum (the whole plant)
• Recent third-party lab results prominently displayed
• Vaping oil that did not contain Polyethylene or propylene glycol as thinning agents

3. Where to buy?

What company is reputable? How soon can I get my hands on some?

I mean by butt was on FIRE.

Knowing I wanted oral oil for pain (slower acting but longer lasting) and the vape for anxiety (shorter-lasting but nearly instantaneous), I googled Top Ten CBD Oil Companies, and I started inputting dates. Who was on several lists for multiple years? Why?

I created a list of companies that were on multiple lists for multiple years, or companies that had a long track record, and then narrowed down my search by my checklist above. I did some pricing comparisons (see ‘paycheck-to-paycheck’ above), I sent the companies I’d like to buy from questions and noted how complete and how fast their responses were, and decided who I’d buy from.