If you’ve been following the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship as closely as we have, you probably feel like you’re auditing some kind of university course for general studies in science, law, chemistry, physics, mass communications, and even organized labor. You’re also probably enjoying more good racing and drama than we’re used to seeing on the dirt-covered floors of our nation’s biggest stick and ball stadiums. The first half of this 2019 season has been full of both learning moments and pure entertainment.

Let’s start with some science and chemistry. Seems like only last semester we were talking about Adderall and methylhexanamine and other performance-enhancing drugs. Now it’s all about cannabidiol (CBD) oils and their medicinal benefits and legality. CBD oil is extracted from hemp, which is a form of cannabis, a flowering plant that’s been around forever. It has multiple uses and byproducts, some legal and some illegal. Of course, marijuana is the first thing most people probably think of when cannabis is mentioned, and for most of our lifetimes, it’s been mostly illegal. But you don’t have to subscribe to High Times to know that the world’s views on cannabis are rapidly evolving, especially when it comes to CBD and hemp (which has less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, aka THC, aka the stuff in marijuana that gets you high). And according to USA Today, “The least processed form of the cannabis plant is hemp. Hemp contains most of the CBD that people use medicinally. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant (cannabis) but the two are very different.” CBD doesn’t get you high like marijuana does, but both offer natural pain relief and have anti-inflammatory properties.