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CBD vs THC: A Comprehensive Guide to Weed Trivia

Cannabis has been cultivated and used for thousands of years. From Viking ships to Ancient China, Cannabis has been used for spiritual and medical purposes by many different cultures.

While the origin isn’t definitively known, it’s believed to have evolved in Central Asia, around 12,000 years ago, with the first known medical use dating back 4,000 years ago.

Despite negative connotations within the past century, hemp was vastly grown throughout colonial America. In the early 1600s, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia colonies required farmers to grow hemp.

Many medical marijuana users and enthusiasts still have weed trivia to learn.

Cannabinoids, which are found in both medical hemp and medical marijuana, can reduce anxiety, inflammation, and relieve pain.

But what are cannabinoids? What’s the difference between THC and CBD?

Keep reading to up the ante on your weed trivia knowledge.

What Is the Cannabis Plant?

Maybe people refer to marijuana as cannabis. But while marijuana is cannabis, cannabis isn’t always marijuana.

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants. Those plants come from the Cannabaceae family. Within that family, there are 3 different species of plants.

These species are cannabis Sativa, cannabis Indica, and cannabis Ruderalis.

The hemp and marijuana plants are both cannabis plants.

What Is THC?

THC is also known as Tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s one of the many compounds found in the resin that’s secreted by glands of the marijuana plants.

THC provides users with a feeling of being “high.” It’s the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

While they do 2 different things, it’s makeup is similar to that of CBD.

THC works by mimicking the natural chemical anandamide, which is produced in the human brain.

When THC is in your body, it attaches to the neurons and alters the process in your brain.

Everyone has cannabinoid receptors in their brain, by nature. Those receptors are associated with things like memory, thinking, pleasure, and time perception.

The THC compound is a cannabinoid. There are dozens, potentially more than 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. THC is the most widely known cannabinoid because of its abundance in the plant and its euphoric attributes.

What Is CBD?

Just like THC, CBD is a cannabinoid, also known as Cannabidiol. While CBD and THC are both found in marijuana and hemp plants, the concentrations vary significantly.

Hemp tends to have lower concentrations of THC, sometimes less than 0.3%. Marijuana, on the other hand, is known for its high concentrations of THC.

There are variations within the cannabis plant as it pertains to CBD and THC relationships.

For example, within the same plant species, you’ll find plants with comparative concentrations of cannabinoids like these:

  • HIGH THC, LOW CBD (i.e. 10-30% THC, trace amounts CBD)
  • BALANCED THC/CBD (i.e. 5-15% for both THC and CBD)
  • HIGH CBD, LOW CBD (i.e. 5-20% CBD, under 5% THC)

Many users, both medical and recreational, try different plans until they find one that works best for them.

Depending on the ailment, both cannabinoids can work wonders on a person’s life or pain.

Why Have Hemp and Marijuana Been Treated so Differently?

Many people have no idea that hemp and marijuana are both included in the cannabis plant family.

While both plants have been used for thousands of years, hemp has been more widely accepted.

Part of the reason for that is that hemp has been used for textiles and a myriad of other things unrelated to consumption.

Plus, hemp is notorious for its significantly low concentrations of THC. It’s not enough to get you “high,” so the government and other critics have been more open to the hemp plant over the years.

Hemp tends to have higher concentrations of CBD, which is why most manufacturers derive CBD-rich oil from hemp, instead of marijuana. Plus, it’s easier to leave the THC behind.

What Is the Oil?

CBD boasts many health benefits, which we’ll talk about in the next section.

CBD oil and other CBD products have flared up in popularity, despite the medical history and culture that’s attached to the cannabis plant.

There are different types of oil, and they all contain different concentrations of cannabinoids.

Full-Spectrum CBD

Full-spectrum CBD is arguably the most beneficial supplement of all the CBD oils. That’s because it’s an extract that contains ALL the compounds found naturally occurring in the plant.

This includes essential oils, terpenes, and cannabinoids. The full spectrum of those compounds works together to magnify the therapeutic benefits of each individual cannabinoid.

Many people refer to this as the “entourage effect.”

CBD Isolate

An isolate is the purest form of a compound. It’s produced by singularly extracting that particular compound from its environment and then isolating it from all the others.

CBD isolates provide the purest form of CBD. All other compounds in the plant, including terpenes, flavonoids, other cannabinoids, and plant parts, are removed.

Typically, CBD isolate is extracted from the hemp plant, because of it’s little to non-existent content of THC.

Broad-Spectrum CBD

Broad-spectrum CBD is a mix between the other 2. Just like full-spectrum CBD, all the other compounds found within the plant are allowed to stay in the extract. THC, however, is completely removed.

Many people use broad-spectrum for its own “entourage effect,” while being able to rest assured there is no THC presence.

Why Do People Choose One over Another?

There’s still a stigma against THC, especially depending on where you live and work.

Many professionals want to reap the benefits of CBD without having to worry about THC content in their bloodstream, especially if company drug testing is imminent.

Not 1 of the different oils is better than the other. It all depends on the individual.

That being said, the full-spectrum does undergo the fewest processes as there is no need to remove any of the other compounds in the plant.

What Are the Benefits of THC and CBD?

There are many benefits of both cannabinoids. Whether or not you choose to consume only 1, or both, depends on what ailments you’re trying to alleviate.

Benefits of THC

Some of the common benefits received by patients who use THC are:

  • It creates a state of relaxation and well-being
  • It induces sleep for those with trouble sleeping
  • It’s a pain reliever and inflammation reducer
  • It provides as an appetite stimulant for those who are ill, and with little desire to eat
  • It suppresses spasms and seizures
  • It helps control queasiness, especially for patients undergoing chemotherapy

Benefits of CBD

CBD is known to do several things for its users, like:

  • It combats depression and anxiety
  • It fights degenerative disorders
  • It combats psychosis
  • It suppresses seizure activity
  • It reduces vomiting and nausea
  • It protects neurons in the brain
  • It combats tumor and cancer cells
  • It combats inflammation and any associated pain

Despite what some people think, THC is not a “bad” cannabinoid. Using the 2 together, along with the many other fantastic compounds in the cannabis plant, is optimal.

Most broad-spectrum products don’t ever have enough THC to get you high. But when the compounds work together, you get the entourage effect.

How Do People Use CBD and THC?

People who smoke joints and use other devices to smoke CBD and THC are doing so by using the buds or flowers of the cannabis plant.

  • Like most other plants, the cannabis plant produces a flower, which shows up in the form of what growers call “buds.” Those dried and trimmed buds are what people buy in nuggets, so they can roll it up or put it in a pipe.

Both flower and oil can be vaporized, which is another method of smoking.

  • While vaporizing has a slower onset, it facilitates better absorption. Technically speaking, vaping is better for your lungs. But thinning agents and additional additives in oil cartridges and extracts can turn into carcinogens when they’re heated in badly-made vaporizers.

In addition to smoking it, you can also drop it under your tongue in oil form, rub in on your skin in the form of salves and balms, or eat it in the form of edibles.

There are so many different versions to try, so most people dabble in a few different options, concentrations, and varieties before they settle on what they love!

Weed Trivia Is Fun and Empowering

The more you learn about weed trivia, the more there is to learn! But it’s an empowering feeling to learn about the rich history and medicinal culture of the 2 amazing cannabinoids, THC and CBD.

Not only are there a variety of ways in which to enjoy the benefits of the cannabis plant, but there are so many health, medical, psychological, and physiological benefits as well.

Do you want to learn more about this powerful plant? Check out some of the other fascinating articles right here on our blog!

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