Cannabis 101:
The Difference Between CBD and THC
CBTS Staff Report CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are natural compounds derived from the same plant — cannabis sativa. So what is the difference between CBD and THC? CBD and THC are two of the most prominent cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Both cannabis and hemp produce CBD and THC. However, cannabis has a higher concentration of THC and hemp has a higher concentration of CBD. CBD and THC have the same chemical makeup, 21 carbon atoms, 30 hydrogen atoms, and two oxygen atoms. The difference is that they don’t have the same chemical arrangement, and the body receives them as different compounds. These compounds bind to neurotransmitters in your brain and affect things like mood, pain, sleep, and memory. THC compound is the one known most famously for the high sensation you get from it, a psychoactive response. More than half of U.S. states have made “medical marijuana” legal, which means in order to use it you must have a doctor’s prescription. The effects of THC have been known to offset many otherwise painful symptoms associated with chronic pain and nausea CBD, alternatively, is considered a “non-psychoactive” compound, meaning that you do not get that high that we associate with THC. Although CBD legally may have trace amounts of THC up to .3 percent, it is not enough to result in a psychoactive response. CBD is known to have many of the promising health benefits, minus the psychoactive side effects. CS
Fall 2021 Cannabis by the Sea
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