Getting drunk with CBD? Mixologists and brewers are now mixing alcohol and cannabinoids. Step inside a trendy West Coast bar and you might see a drink like “Pineapple Express” on the menu, an infused, fruity concoction. With these new drinks, dosing your body with CBD doesn’t have to feel like taking medicine.
CBD is sourced from cannabis plants,with the exception that you won’t get high. That’s one of the reasons why breweries are so interested in the compound. Combining alcohol with a hallucinogen like THC is fraught with legal challenges. The mixture is too intoxicating; and there’s no way to determine how your body will react.
But because CBD is non-psychoactive, you don’t have to worry about the mental effects of mixing it with adult beverages.
“On CBD, you’re very chill, very lighthearted, mellow. The alcohol will make it that more intense,” James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, explained. “For some people, it makes them very, very sedated.”
Consumers report that CBD has a relaxing effect and unlike THC, you don’t experience the euphoric head high, but you may feel slightly calmer or less anxious. Research indicates that CBD can blunt some of the negative effects of alcohol.
The Research
A study published by Psychopharmacology discovered that people who consumed a CBD capsule before drinking alcohol had lower blood alcohol levels than expected. However, the subjects still experienced some of the disorienting symptoms linked with alcohol intoxication.
Researchers have also performed studies on rats. One study found that ingesting CBD before consuming alcohol had a protective effect on the rodents’ livers. Although there is no guarantee that humans experience the same benefits, the results are promising nonetheless.
The Law
The law surrounding CBD is still murky. A bill legalizing hemp nationwide is on the verge of becoming law but it’s not quite there. Hemp is a specialized form of cannabis that’s been bred to have a very low THC content. The plants are usually still rich in CBD.
Alcohol and THC are a forbidden combination in every state, although the law looks at CBD more favorably. In states with explicit, legalized cannabis markets, thriving CBD breweries are popping up.
Mixing CBD oil into cocktails is perhaps even more popular.
As consumer interest in CBD continues to soar, people shouldn’t be surprised to see the cannabinoid appear on a bar menu.
