How CBD Can Help First Responders and Police Officers?

CBD products have numerous therapeutic effects making them one of the most popular items in the market today. With the increased use of these natural products, scientists are looking at how CBD can help police officers and first responders. Herein we discuss the amazing benefits essential service providers like police officers and first responders can gain from CBD.

Legalizing hemp products like CBD in the 2018 Farm Bill changed how most people viewed hemp-derived supplements. Nowadays, more people are opting for CBD to better their overall wellness. CBD has many uses, including lowering stress and anxiety, easing pain, and promoting better sleep and overall health. Studies show that police officers and other first responders like firefighters and A&E services are among the people using and ready to incorporate CBD in their daily routines. The recent heightened traction of consuming CBD products can positively impact individuals who offer essential services and improve their normal operations.

Understanding CBD

CBD has less than 0.3% THC and hence cannot impact your mental health negatively in any way. THC is responsible for the high and psychoactive effects in hemp products. CBD is considered legal due to the low amounts of THC, implying you cannot fail a drug test or experience any negative after effects when taking CBD, unlike THC. This has contributed to the change in stand on whether police officers should use CBD or not.

Should First Responders and Police Officers Use CBD?

Over the past years, CBD has been termed illegal and believed to exhibit psychotic impacts. The government strictly regulated first responders or police officers in taking CBD. The zero-tolerance policy disqualified or led to the immediate layoff of any essential service provider screened with CBD. Currently, most government agencies are changing their opinions on using CBD products among police officers and first responders.

Several studies have reported the therapeutic effects police officers and other first responders experience after using CBD supplements. For instance, impending police candidates claim to notice soothing effects from taking CBD. While it's not a regulated medical supplement, CBD can help better the lives of the people responsible for key societal issues. Being a legal supplement, police officers should be allowed to take CBD for the greater good.

Many agencies are changing their stand on screening police officers or first responders for CBD screening during the hiring process. Over-the-counter CBD supplements are slowly being considered legal and allowed in most first responder sectors like paramedics, firefighters, and EMTs. However, the legality varies across countries, but we hope to see an increase in the allowance of CBD consumption with more research ongoing to prove the stated benefits.

According to Shakya et al. (2021), medical marijuana and CBD can induce dense benefits in individuals working in these departments. More police officers and first responders are opting for CBD to relieve their work's impacts on their physical and mental health. It's high time the government lowers their strict regulation on CBD use among the key group that ensures you get the right services and help while endangering their lives. Here are some profound benefits police officers and first responders can get from using CBD. Learn more about cbd and its effects on multiple sclerosis

How CBD Can Help Police Officers and First Responders

CBD is an ideal remedy for almost all daily troubles people face, affecting their overall wellness. The increased number of consumers shows that the claimed CBD benefits are true. The users include police officers and first responders looking for natural supplements to improve their working conditions.

Police officers and first responders play a huge role in the community, which demands full commitment. Their work comes with lots of risks which can take a toll on their mental or physical health. People working in these departments are at a higher risk of stress, depression, work-related anxiety, insomnia, or PTSD. CBD provides an all-round solution and can induce the below benefits; Learn more about cbd for lyme disease

Reduce Stress

Police officers and first responders deal with high stress due to their job's nature. Their work is among the most stressful as they deal with issues that can have a long-lasting impact on their brain. These experiences can heighten the stress as you respond to things that you can't determine the outcome. Police officers risk their lives at times or can get injured on duty, might need to bear the loss of workmates, or face negative commentary from society. All of these can heighten personal stress and mental health.

CBD products are effective in lowering stress. The cannabinoids attach to the ECS in the central nervous system to improve your circadian rhythms, which alleviates stress. CBD can lower the risk of long-term mental health problems from working in these stressful environments. It can help treat anxiety disorders, social anxiety, and panic disorder or lower the risk of PTSD. Cannabinoids have a soothing effect on your brain cells, lowering stress and anxiety problems and making you more effective as you attend to essential services, according to Elms et al. (2019).

Relieve Pain

Field operations put police officers and first responders, such as firemen, at risk of physical trauma. Some might encounter injuries on the body in the course of duty. Their jobs are highly unpredictable, increasing the chances of having physical injuries. The common injuries can include bruises, damaged tissues, bullet wounds, back pain, especially due to the prolonged hours they spend standing or on the desks, and other activities that can heighten chronic pain.

Taking CBD can provide quick relief to our key service men and improve their function. CBD provides a great alternative for first responders and police officers looking to ease the pain. According to Casey, Atwal & Vaughan (2017), it can relieve back pain, preventing chronic disorders such as sciatica

Improve Sleep Quality

Most researches show that police officers and first responders can have sleep disorders at one point in life, with sleep apnea and insomnia being the most prominent. The high stress they face and irregular sleep patterns due to changes in their work schedules can lower their sleep quality. Having irregular sleep/wake cycles can significantly affect your overall sleep quality, impacting your work efficiency.

CBD supplements are ideal for police and first responders looking to better their sleep quality. According to Winiger et al. (2021), CBD can significantly improve your sleep-wake patterns, help you fall asleep faster, increase your sleep duration, promote daytime awakeness, and fight stress, anxiety, or other cognitive issues contributing to poor sleep.

The Bottom Line

CBD can positively impact the mental and physical health of police officers and first responders. It can improve their sleep and lower stress and pain, improving their daily function. We expect to see a change in CBD regulations that hinder the usage of these products in active duty individuals. CBD has no psychoactive effects on the brain and cannot negatively affect our key personnel.

References

Casey, S. L., Atwal, N., & Vaughan, C. W. (2017). Cannabis constituent synergy in a mouse neuropathic pain model. Pain, 158(12), 2452-2460.

Elms, L., Shannon, S., Hughes, S., & Lewis, N. (2019). Cannabidiol in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a case series. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 25(4), 392-397.

Shakya, D. R., Upadhaya, S. R., Neupane, H., & Subedi, R. (2021). Considerations for the use of medical cannabis: an overview of benefits and harms. Biomed J Sci Tech Res, 36(4), 28746-28753.

Winiger, E. A., Hitchcock, L. N., Bryan, A. D., & Bidwell, L. C. (2021). Cannabis use and sleep: expectations, outcomes, and the role of age. Addictive behaviors, 112, 106642.