THC vs CBD | The Differences

Lots of people still believe that industrial hemp and marijuana are interchangeable plants, but a look at the difference between CBD and THC soon makes it apparent that the two are vastly different in what effects each can have on the body. By understanding how CBD vs. THC affects your body, you can better choose the right one for your lifestyle and local legal status. Cannabis offers a huge potential to help support health and wellness throughout your body and having accurate information can be the first step to making an informed decision the lets you lead a happier, healthier life.

Interest in cannabis for wellness has increased in recent years but that growth is simply recognizing a truth from recorded human history: it helps humans feel better. Signs of cannabis cultivation extend back 10,000 years to the earliest archaeological findings, and those signs point to an already mature relationship between humans and cannabis. And this is before the difference between CBD and THC were known or either of these compounds isolated!

Hemp plantations were popular in the new world, relying on both imported and domestic hemp as major cash crops. It wasn’t until the 1930s that public perception of this historically useful plant began to change. Sparked by fears that it represented a threat to their powerful industries, timber, textile, and fuel oil interests started a smear campaign to associate hemp with its sister cannabis variant, marijuana, despite the difference between CBD and THC’s effects. Funded by big industry and fueled by racist ideology, the Marijuana Tax Act set the precedent for regulating all cannabis as a single plant — a tradition continued with the 1970 Controlled Substances Act which effectively banned hemp in the United States.

As more people began to push their state governments to support their rights to manage their health and wellness, however, interest began to grow in both medical marijuana and hemp. CBD research and proponents seized on the difference between CBD and THC as a path toward renewed recognition of hemp as a separate plant. While some viewed this as an argument about CBD vs. THC, in reality, it was about getting people the help they need to support their bodies. With the 2018 Farm Bill, Cannabis sativa L. plants with a THC concentration of 0.3% or less were officially recognized as industrial hemp, a distinct plant that was federally legal.

Both THC and CBD are active compounds found in varying concentrations in cannabis plants, but they’re far from alone. There are over one hundred active chemical components, from cannabinoid to terpenes, found in hemp. The difference between cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, and terpenes, such as myrcene or linalool, is how they interact with the human body. Cannabinoids work with your body’s endocannabinoid system which has receptors throughout your central nervous system and other organs of the body. It helps regulate many of your body’s functions by signaling other systems to release hormones or perform certain actions. Terpenes primarily act on other receptors within the body, eliciting effects of their own.

The way they interact with these receptors is the cause for the difference between CBD and THC in action. THC is primarily taken in through the CB1 receptors. CBD does not directly interact with either CB1 or CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system, though some evidence suggests it may block them, pitting CBD vs. THC in a literal sense. Rather, CBD works on several other receptors. Where it encourages your body to make its natural cannabinoids while also working with other body systems to modulate their function.

When thinking about CBD vs. THC, some people don’t understand why you should choose hemp. After all, marijuana includes extra active compounds hemp doesn’t. There are several reasons people look at the difference between CBD and THC products and choose hemp:

• Legality – Marijuana, and derivatives of marijuana, including THC CBD products, are still federally illegal and are still illegal under many states’ statutes. This means that it may not be allowed in your area, may not be allowed at all if you’re participating in federal programs, such as the VA health system, or may be banned if you are traveling with THC CBD across state lines.
• Competition – Many governing bodies view cannabis as a performance-enhancing substance and ban it from use by actively competing athletes. Some do make a distinction based on the difference between CBD and THC, but some do not. It is up to the athletes themselves to determine if hemp is allowed under their governing body’s rules.
• Work Requirements – Some private companies still refuse to allow their employees to use medical marijuana. Where this is the case, CBD can be their path to safe, legal use of cannabis for wellness.
• Doesn’t Like The High – Some people don’t like getting high, and with THC-containing products, that’s always a possibility. When you’re wondering if hemp CBD can get you high, rest assured that CBD derived from naturally grown industrial hemp can help you enjoy the benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive effects.
• Wants More Convenience – Most states that allow CBD vs. THC products require you and the distributor to meet certain requirements for a sale. From doctor’s recommendations to the need to be present and have every transaction logged and filed with the state, these conditions can vary. You can order premium hemp-derived CBD right now, online from the comfort of your own home and have it shipped to your door. It’s really that easy!

When you want to support your endocannabinoid system with safe, hemp derived CBD, The Mass Apothecary has the premium certified products you’ve been looking for. If you have any other questions about the difference between CBD and THC, contact us directly. Buy certified high quality hemp derived CBD products today at The Mass Apothecary!