Most medications for anxiety and chronic illness come with a list of side effects; however, according to owner of Vibe Organic Juice Bar Amber Thielen, cannabidiol oils are often therapeutic and effective for individuals that suffer from a variety of disorders.

“It’s a great alternative to being on medication. A lot of times those pills and things you go on for anxiety have a lot of other side effects,” Thielen said. “The great thing about (cannabidiol) is you don’t have any side effects from it.”

According to the New York Times, cannabidiol (CBD) oil is legal under federal law if it has under 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In addition, both chemicals are produced from the cannabis plant.

Sophomore Izzy Lien said the oil is becoming popular among teens because, even though it comes from the marijuana plant, it is an effective stress reducer.

According to Thielen, people have reacted well to the CBD oil used in her store.

“It has probably been about five months. It’s been great,” Thielen said. “We sell it also, so if you want to try it before you buy a bottle, you can get it added to any menu item to see if you notice an effect. If you do, we offer it in two different sized bottles.”

Junior Sam Sietsema said CBD is an easier form of treatment for mental health conditions like anxiety.

“CBD is more for medicinal purposes. It is legally regulated, you can get it at a pharmacy,” Sietsema said. “It’s becoming more accessible. It’s also working better than a lot of other treatments. It helps with people who have anxiety.”

Thielen said many people use it to help with anxiety but it takes time to work.

“In order for it to work with anxiety, you want to keep getting a build up in your system. So you want to have it every day, five to 10 drops of this a day, just to keep a good buildup of it in your system,” Thielen said.

According to Lien, more observations should be taken to know the long term effects CBD can have on people even though it is helping some right now.

“It could have unknown health risks. I think more long term studies (should) be done for it, but I know CBD helps people with Parkinson’s and other illnesses,” Lien said.

Thielen said Vibe discovered the use of CBD oils from other health places and decided it fit in their philosophy and began offering it in December of 2018.

“In looking at other juice bars, and keeping with (the) health and wellness industry, it’s something that’s been really popular,” Thielen said. “It’s all oil extracted from a plant, we’re a plant-based restaurant, so it just made sense to offer it to our customers.”

Sietsema said there are a variety of other dangerous substances surrounding us in our daily lives, but there are no obvious dangers currently associated with CBD.

“If your main reason for being anti-CBD, anti-THC or (anti)-weed, in general, is because of the health (risks), you need to look at everything around you — like alcohol and cigarettes and walking outside in the sun,” Sietsema said.

According to Thielen, CBD has worked in certain instances; however, it should be watched and everyone should make sure they are using it correctly.

“With anything, you have to monitor it really carefully. I don’t believe it’s addictive in any way. I have heard many success stories,” Thielen said. “I think it’s a really great thing if you use it correctly, and you just monitor what you’re doing.”