As I’m working my booth at a local Farmer’s Market, yet another offer to take my CBD pain cream sample was politely rejected with a wink and the words, “no thank you, I use the real stuff.”
While our presence there was to promote our new line of CBD products, much of what my wife and I have done this year is educational in nature. Most people, especially those in the 65 plus age group, don’t seem to have any idea that there is a very real difference between CBD and Marijuana (THC) products, much less any inclination to learn. Frustratingly, this is the group that could benefit the most from the pain and anxiety reducing properties of CBD.
In this article, I’m outlining the differences between using THC products vs CBD for pain and anxiety relief and calling BS on those who think that THC is a better solution for those two conditions.
According to Wikipedia, Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed, but the three most recognized species are Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. THC, the chemical that makes you ‘high’, and CBD, the chemical that reduces pain and anxiety, are just two of approximately 120 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.
In the US, "industrial hemp" is classified by the federal government as cannabis containing no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. This classification was established in the 2018 Farm Bill and was refined to include hemp-sourced extracts, cannabinoids, and derivatives in the definition of hemp.
Over the years, plant breeders have bred plants that have very little THC and a higher concentration of the other cannabinoids, and conversely, plants that have very high (over 40%) THC levels and lower levels of other cannabinoids. This process is what ultimately allowed for the separation of marijuana and hemp in the 2018 farm bill. As you can imagine, most of this research was done to increase the level of THC rather than reduce it, creating the basis for my argument.
When you purchase legal marijuana products in a State offering such, you will see that the amount of cannabis per serving is listed in milligrams. 10 to 20 mg are typical offerings per serving as much more of today’s levels of THC would cause you to hallucinate at an undesirable level. If your 10 mg THC gummy contains 25% THC, only 75% of the 10 mg can be other cannabinoids, so your 10 mg gummy contains only 7.5 mg of other cannabinoids at a maximum including CBD. Considering that the remaining 7.5 mg is comprised of a blend the other 119 non-THC cannabinoids, 0% CBD is a possibility.
By comparison, our oral CBD products contain up to 45 mg of CBD per dose with less than .3% THC. Since CBD contains most of the pain and anxiety relieving properties, you will actually feel the relief in your body while your head remains clear.
So why do marijuana users think they are getting better pain and anxiety relief from products with THC? Probably for the same reason I think I’m a better dancer with Tequila.