Two recent memos issued by federal institutions clarified their bans on CBD, a component of cannabis that possesses medical properties but does not cause intoxication.
The first of these memos came from the US Navy on Wednesday. According to the memo, US Navy personnel cannot consume hemp-derived CBD products — which are no longer controlled substances according to federal law — because these products are not regulated by the FDA and could contain trace amounts of THC.
“Substance abuse by members of the Armed Forces is incompatible with military standards of good order and discipline, performance, and operational readiness,” the memo stated, according to Marijuana Moment. “It is the goal of the Department of the Navy to eliminate substance abuse.”
Of course, the US Navy has no such policy against alcohol consumption, even though booze destroys brain cells, damages livers, causes cancer, and can grossly compromise one’s focus and decision-making skills.
Gallery — Feel-Good CBD Memes You Can't Get High On:
Also on Wednesday, NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, clarified its anti-CBD policy for astronauts and ground-control workers.
"Please be aware that the use of any compounds or substances not approved by the FDA cannot be used as a legitimate medical explanation for a positive drug test result," the NASA memo read, according to Forbes. "As a reminder, the use of illegal drugs by federal employees is not permissible under any circumstances, regardless of state and/or local laws; this includes the use of marijuana or products that contain THC for recreational and/or medical purposes."
Of course, the NASA memo didn’t specify whether THC from FDA-approved medicines like Marinol, or CBD from Epidiolex, would be permitted within the agency’s ranks, even though THC and CBD from these two completely legal, government-sanctioned products are identical to the THC and CBD found in marijuana and hemp.
Ironically enough, NASA is currently overseeing experiments with hemp seeds in space. So, American astronauts can take weed into space, they just can’t consume it there or on Earth.
While the US government scrambles to justify its anti-weed policies despite hemp being legal now — and legal weed currently being more popular than a $15 minimum wage, universal healthcare, or Beyoncé — an increasing number of Americans are trying CBD. One recent survey found that at least 50 million Americans, or 14 percent of the country, have taken CBD. And as the weedy compound makes its way into drug store chains and fashion outlets, that number will likely grow.
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