The federal Farm Bill of 2018 sewed the seeds for the legalization of products
from industrial hemp to be made available to the general public.

The product is known as cannabidiol (CBD), and is the second most prevalent
of the active ingredients found in cannabis, also known as marijuana.

Earth Works, a new Mountain business venture, will have its grand opening
Saturday, June 22, in the Hoodland Center of Welches, next door to Mogul
Mountain Pizza. Regular hours will ensue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday
through Saturday.

Devin Houston is the Earth Works owner, while Michael and Cheryl Budd along
with John Conley are investors in the business. Michael and Cheryl Budd also
own and operate The Mt. Hood Cannabis Company in Rhododendron.

“Two years ago, Cheryl and I purchased The Mt. Hood Cannabis Company and
brought our family to the Mount Hood area,” Michael Budd wrote in an email
to The Mountain Times. “Our children moved here last summer and we have
made the Mountain our home. We love the people here and feel lucky to be a
part of the future of this growing and progressive community.”

CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly
from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant, Michael added.
“While CBD is a component of marijuana (one of hundreds), by itself it does
not cause a ‘high.’”

“In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence
potential,” according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated
with the use of pure CBD.”

The WHO pointed to the benefits of CBD citing the strongest scientific
evidence of its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood
epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome,
which typically do not respond to antiseizure medications. In other studies,
CBD was able to reduce the number of seizures and in some cases was able to
stop them altogether. Further, CBD is commonly used to reduce anxiety and
for patients who suffer through the misery of insomnia, studies suggest that
CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep.

With the current opioid crisis, a study by the European Journal of Pain
showed, using an animal model, CBD applied on the skin could help lower pain
and inflammation due to arthritis.

There remains opposition to the use of CBDs, focusing on the lack of clinical
trials – although now that the Farm Bill has become law more clinical trials are
taking place.

“We may be relying on anecdotal evidence of the effect of CBD,” Michael Budd
wrote, “but we know the downsides of the cost and addictive properties of the
current pharmaceutical solutions.”

One of the first clinical studies of CBD’s effect on opioid addiction has been
completed by the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study included 42
adults who had a recent history of opioid use. After being administered CBD,
those given CBD had a two-to-three-fold reduction in cravings relative to the
placebo group.

“This is an extremely significant paper. We need to utilize every possible
treatment in helping people with chronic pain to find other ways to manage
their symptoms and in people with opiate addiction to find relief,” said Dr.
Julie Holland, a psychiatrist in New York and former assistant professor of
psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.

Earth Works will carry a full line of CBD products, including tinctures, topical
lotions, salves and edibles. All the company’s products are derived from

industrial hemp. At the June 22 opening, Earth Works will have food and
drinks provided by its neighbor, Mogul Mountain Pizza.

There will be speakers throughout the day discussing CBDs, current clinical
studies, and uses and product demonstrations. The event is open to the
public.