When thinking about how to live a green lifestyle we have to make many difficult decisions. These range from whether a certain type of transport is worth it to how to keep warm in winter while not exacerbating environmental problems. All this while trying to keep life affordable and as decent as possible.
Our health and green living
One of the areas of our lives we neglect the environment is with our healthcare. This can be divided into our lifestyles, our preventative healthcare, and professional healthcare.
For example, what products can we use which are good for the environment? One area where this is being discussed in depth is vegan CBD products. As with other natural remedies, the true benefits of CBD oils, tinctures, gummies, and so on are not yet known. It is believed they may offer help with issues such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Epilepsy
- PTSD
- Pain relief
- Addiction relief
- ALS syndrome
- Diabetes
- Neurological disease protection
- Arthritis
This is a broad range of ailments that may or may not be prevented, or alleviated by CBD products. Before using anything made with CBD it is worth consulting a professional and it is worth remembering that this is a new area of study. Being so new, the answers as to whether it does or does not help is still uncertain.
Is CBD vegan?
The vegan CBD question stems from the belief that plant-based products are inherently more moral and environmentally friendly than animal-based ones. This article will not weigh in on this debate except to say that companies such as Marry Jane do offer vegan CBD products.
Given vegans believe no items we use, wear or eat should contain any kind of animal product, there is a high bar for CBD. CBD is short for cannabidiol and is an extract of the cannabis plant – one of many. This makes it a natural compound that has no effect on animals when being cultivated and extracted.
CBD and the green life
Even though we can say that vegan CBD is a non-animal product this does not mean it is green. An airplane is not made of animals and yet it is highly polluting. Therefore we need to ask what the effect of cannabis cultivation on the environment are by looking at areas such as:
- Pest control
- Erosion
- CO2 emissions
- Agrochemicals
- Water usage
Many believe hemp to be one of the most eco-friendly crops possible. For starters, the plant uses less water than most crops and is not a fussy grower – a lot less fussy than marijuana which needs heat, humidity control, and a lot more water.
Now let’s look at pest control. Hemp is resistant to many diseases and insects which means fewer if no pesticides. In addition, it can prevent most weeds from growing around it. Pound for pound, hemp also absorbs more CO2 than trees and grows much faster. It’s a good carbon dioxide offset plant.
While no product is perfect, the hemp plant used for cultivating most vegan CBD products is far greener than alternatives. If it proves effective, it’ll be a good, environmentally friendly product and one which is a benefit to the environment.