Unfortunately, there exists a lot of misinformation surrounding both CBD & THC, propagated in part by interests that seek to promote one substance over the other. Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two most abundant Cannabinoids found naturally within the Cannabis plant.
…Classified as Phyto-Cannabinoids, both CBD & THC interact upon different Physiological Systems
at the cellular level within our body. Both CBD and THC have a wide range of applications and are similar at the molecular level. This has led the public to often confuse them, and even the scientific community believed that CBD and THC
were in fact the same substance until relatively recently. However, the chemical properties of CBD and THC vary widely enough that THC is classified as a Psychotropic drug that is strictly controlled by federal authorities, while CBD is regarded as legal and safe worldwide.
The issues of legality for both CBD and THC in the United States are evolving regularly as several states have made recreational use of marijuana and THC legal. It still remains illegal federally. The laws are changing; be familiar with the laws in your state. In states where marijuana is legal for recreational or medical purposes, you should be able to buy CBD legally. In some states, legislatures have passed laws that make CBD for medical purposes legal. CBD does not need to be made from marijuana and is legal when made from hemp.
Before you try to buy either product, be aware of your state’s laws. If you possess cannabis-related products in a state where they’re illegal or don’t have a medical prescription in states where the products are legal for medical treatment, you could face legal penalties.
There is considerable confusion, even among people who are intimately involved with marijuana, about the difference between hemp and marijuana. The difference is very important, because in the U.S. when the CBD oil is extracted from research-based hemp plants (less than 0.3% THC) it is considered a nutritional supplement, legal and over-the-counter in all 50 states. However, when the same CBD oil is extracted from non-research cannabis sativa plants it is a Schedule I drug, with significant criminal consequences. So the exact same oil can be either an over-the-counter nutritional supplement, or a Class I narcotic, along with heroin, LSD and PCP.
Both hemp and marijuana, refer to the plant cannabis sativa. However, it was arbitrarily decided that if cannabis sativa that is less than 0.3% THC by weight, it is hemp and if it is over 0.3% THC then it is marijuana. Hemp has historically been used for millennia for industrial purposes. The plant fiber is used for fabric and rope, and the hemp oil for nutritional and industrial purposes. Whereas, marijuana is used for the oils from the flower or bud, for medical or recreational purposes.
Hemp oil, is the oil that is extracted from non-euphoric hemp plants. This is high in CBD, and very low in THC. CBD oil, is hemp oil that has been further extracted and refined so that there are even higher levels of CBD (3%-99%) and less of the other cannabinoid and terpene oils.
Both CBD and THC interact with cells within our bodies by activating the Endocannabinoid Receptors. Some Cannabinoids are capable of beneficial / desirable effects and others cause undesirable Psychotropic effects such as getting “high” & or Paranoia.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is very safe. It is essentially a plant oil, not unlike sunflower or olive oil. The main difference is that CBD interacts with ECS. It blocks an enzyme that ends up increasing the amount of our naturally produced cannabinoids in our body. So it is safe, and natural.
Currently, there are no documented studies that show undesirable effects from CBD, which is why this particular Cannabinoid is legal worldwide. Not only that, but CBD has also illustrated to protect against the negative effects of THC.
CBD is legal and available in all 50 states without a prescription only if it comes from low THC hemp plants, that were grown under the auspices of the 2014 Farm Bill. When it is extracted from these low THC cannabis or hemp plants it is considered by the federal government as a nutritional supplement that is ‘generally recognized as safe’ (GRAS) by the FDA.
Like THC and the other cannabinoids, CBD works by impacting the body’s Endocannabinoid system (ECS) in several different ways. The ECS is a natural system in our brain and body. It is a system that is present in all animals and fish, and evolutionarily dates back 600 million years. The ECS’s job is to modulate other systems in the body that can become overheated. It is like a braking system, that can slow down a wide variety of systems in the body, including pain perception, gastrointestinal motility, memory, sleep, response to stress, pain and appetite, to name a few. The ECS has unique functions throughout the body, but especially in the brain and the immune system. In fact, ECS receptors are the most common receptors in the brain and the second most receptors in the body, showing exactly how important is the ECS.
Nerve cells, called neurons, release chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. There are literally hundreds of different neurotransmitters released in the body depending on what system is involved. When there are too many chemical messengers being released, and a specific system in getting out of control, the ECS releases, on demand, its own specific chemical messengers to slow down the release of these chemical messengers. So the ECS keeps several of the body’s system in balance. The ECS uses two different chemicals, anandamide (ANA) and 2 arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG.) These two chemicals are called endocannabinoids, they are the innate cannabinoids made by the body naturally. These endocannabinoids work by attaching to a cannabinoid receptor on the cell. THC and CBD work by imitating the body’s naturally occurring endocannabinoids.
There are two ECS receptors that we know of, that are named simply, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2.) There are probably a few more, but these have not been discovered yet. Some systems in our brain and body have CB1 receptors, some have CB2, and some have both.
Much as a lock can only be opened once the key is put in. The lock is the cannabinoid receptor on the cell membrane, and the key, is the endocannabinoid chemical, ANA or 2-AG. Once the endocannabinoid is released, it is quickly broken down by enzymes in the area, so that the effect is only short lived, maybe milliseconds, and only when the endocannabinoids are released.
CBD and THC have many of the same medical benefits. They can provide relief from several of the same conditions. However, CBD doesn’t cause the euphoric effects that occur with THC. Some people may prefer to use CBD because of the lack of this side effect.
In June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex, the first prescription medication to contain CBD. It’s used to treat rare, difficult-to-control forms of epilepsy.
CBD is used to help with other various conditions, such as:
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychoactive component of marijuana, although the THC molecule is surprisingly similar to its non-psychoactive counterpart CBD. THC is what gets you high, and for that reason is somewhat less accepted for medicinal use than CBD.
Still, THC brags its own beneficial uses. THC has properties that have been known to help treat pain, nausea, asthma and even anorexia nervosa. However, as a psychoactive compound, its medicinal uses are still controversial.
THC is used to help with conditions such as:
There is some disagreement on the side effects of CBD. But this disagreement is only in patients using hundreds of milligrams of CBD daily, long term. This kind of dosing is only seen in severe epilepsy and neurologic disorders, where the CBD is being used under the care of a medical specialist to help decrease the other more toxic FDA approved medications.
CBD is well tolerated, even in large doses. Research suggests any side effects that do occur with CBD use are likely the result of drug-to-drug interactions between CBD and other medications you may be taking.
THC causes temporary side effects, such as:
Increased heart rate
Coordination problems
Dry mouth
Red eyes
Slower reaction times
Memory loss
These side effects are part of the compound’s psychoactive properties.
Neither compound is fatal. However, high THC use may be connected to long-term negative psychiatric effects. This is especially true for adolescents who consume large amounts of THC; the effect on the brain is more profound for teens. Use of the compound increases the risk for some psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.
CBD and THC are the two most abundant of the many cannabinoids found in cannabis. They both interact with the endocannabinoid system but elicit different natural effects.
CBD, was one of the first cannabinoids scientists discovered and is, today, one of the most researched compounds in the cannabis plant.
CBD is non-psychoactive and is responsible for many of the significant medical and therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
THC is the chemical that produces the euphoric, stimulating sensations from cannabis use we call being “high.”
Medical, health, and wellness users tend to put an emphasis on CBD, while recreational consumers tend to favor THC.
“Antidepresent-like and anxiolytic-like effect of cannabidol:a chemical compound of cannabis sativa” in CNS& Neurological Disorders- Drug Targets (2014)
“The role of the endocannabinoid system in atheroscierosis” in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology (2008)
Cannabidiol for neurodegenerative disorders: Important new clinical applications for this phytocannabinoid? In The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2013)
“Cannabidiol CBD and its analogs a review of ther effects on inflammation.” In Biorganic & Medicinal Chemistry (2015)
“Cannabinoids and pain” In the handbook of experimental pharmacology (20017)
“Cannabinoid receptors and the regulation of bone mass” in British Journal of pharmacology (2008)
Contrary to popular belief, TAKING HIGH-QUALITY CBD PRODUCTS WILL NOT RESULT IN A POSITIVE DRUG TEST. Unfortunately, this misconception stems from poor quality CBD products, which can be contaminated with higher amounts of THC then listed on the label. This contamination has resulted in many occasions where someone shows positive on drug test for THC. It is for this reason, as well as many additional safety and efficacy reasons, that it is crucial to only use high quality, lab tested, and accurately labeled CBD products. These are the standard of products found at Treevana Wellness.
Get the latest updates on cannabis legalization, politics and technology, as well as developments in medical and recreational marijuana news from around the world.
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