About

CBD and THC are something that’s been in the news, and there’s been new questions consumers had about what the difference is between that. As the market continues to grow, you need to be educated on this, and the difference between both, what they are similar in nature, and what differs with them. Both of these are found within the cannabis plant, with CBD being taken from the cannabis or hemp plant, and of course, THC comes straight from the cannabis plant. 

While hemp and CBD are legal, it needs to have less than .3% of the THC in this, so that it doesn’t make you intoxicated. This works by binding to the receptors within our body, the endocannabinoid system. It comes in a variety of different forms. You can get gummies, topicals, extracts, oils, and even flower and a whole lot more. there are gummies too which offer relief from anxiety, pain, and depression. 

You can also get these as balms, something that you can massage directly into your affected area to help produce a lessening amount of stiffness and inflammation. THC in contrast is psychoactive, and it’s what’s responsible for the high feeling when you consume cannabis. Our bodies do absorb the CBD and THC whenever we take it in, and with the legalization of cannabis growing, offering more edibles, oils, capsules, tinctures, drinks, and even topicals there’s a lot. You can use these in capsule forms to help get a good sleep, without feeling hungover and groggy, a feeling you may get from pain meds if you’re not careful. 

The chemical makeup of this 

Both of these have similar structures, where they come with 21 different carbon atoms, 2 oxygen atoms, and finally 30 hydrogen atoms. These are adjusted depending on the product to create something with a variety of different effects within the body. 

Since our body likes to naturally create endocannabinoids, molecules to help with homeostasis and internal functions, the endocannabinoid system is kind of a bridge that offers homeostasis for this. Both CBD and THC are similar, and they do work naturally, which means they do work with the receptors in this. 

The interaction of this causes chemicals to release within our brain.  These chemicals target our neurotransmitters, which help with sending different signals and messages, helping with sleep, pain response, your immunity, and a lot more. 

The psychoactive differences 

While they do have a similar structure, THC and CBD are actually quite different in the effects of this, with CBD being way less psychoactive, so it’ll help with depression, anxiety, seizures, and also doesn’t create a high like how THC does. 

THC is something that does make you high, but it binds directly with the CB1 receptors. In contrast, the bond between this is very weak, so it will not cause the same sedative effects, and it will not create the same high and euphoric feeling. This of course, plays majorly into the legal issues.  CBD is very legal in almost all 50 states, provided it’s got .3% or less THC in it. 

In contrast, THC is not legal everywhere and is still considered a schedule 1 drug, similar to cocaine, which seems strange, but it’s something that people are definitely worried about. However, with more and more legalization, hopefully we see a major change in the legalization of cannabis, using it for a variety of conditions, and also using marijuana and THC products to help benefit your life, since they can help, they just have the stigma of being a drug surrounding it in many cases.