February 21, 2021

If you follow the world of medicinal cannabis, you know that CBD is nothing new and has been highly praised for years now for its countless medicinal uses which range from stress reliever to pain reducer and anti anti-inflammatory, but CBD was in the national limelight over the past weekend when Ultimate Fighting Championship prize fighter Nate Diaz was seen in during post fight interview after UFC 202 puffing away on a vape pen that allegedly contained a CBD oil extract.

For those who are unaware, cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of many Cannabinoids found in marijuana that have been proven to have several medicinal benefits when ingested. The main difference between CBD and its more commonly known sister cannabinoid THC, however, is that CBD delivers all the same stress and pain relief as THC without the spacey, psychoactive side effects. Simply put, CBD wont get you “high.” It’s like having your cake and eating it too. This, in theory, makes CBD the perfect solution for high profile patients who benefit from medical marijuana to do so without the possible legal ramifications.

The USADA, however, is saying not so fast....

While CBD derived from US legal hemp plants is completely legal in all fifty states, the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) are investigating to determine if what Mr. Diaz was in fact a marijuana product, and if so he could face further sanctions from the USADA if it is determined that he committed any violations.

“A spokesman for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which independently administers the UFC’s drug policy, confirmed to the Review-Journal late Monday the agency is looking into Nate Diaz’s admission he was smoking cannabidiol (CBD) oil during the post-fight news conference for his UFC 202 loss to Conor McGregor on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena,” Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote Monday.

Basically what this comes down to is determining whether or not the product Mr. Diaz was vaping was derived from Marijuana or hemp plants.

The real irony in this story is that nowadays, CBD derived from hemp plants can actually be more potent and just as pure as that from marijuana thanks to companies such as Johnny Apple CBD, who use hemp specifically bred for high CBD potency and extract it down to 99.9% purity. With such completely legal products available, there is no extra benefit to use CBD products derived from the still federally illegal marijuana plant.

Even more irony comes from the fact that had Mr. Diaz popped an opioid painkiller on stage, which have been proven time and time again to not only do extensive long term damage to the liver but also be highly addictive, nobody would have as much as batted an eye.

Follow the link below to watch the post fight interview for yourself, and check out to experience the many medicinal benefits of CBD for your self.