CBD vs. THC: What’s the Difference?  

If you’re considering recreational marijuana usage, or you’re thinking about choosing it as an option to help with various medical conditions, you’re not alone. But what, specifically, should you choose, and how will it help you? There are a lot of different options to consider when it comes to CBD vs. THC, for example, and which one (or both) would be the best choice for your needs. Before you decide to pick one and give it a try, it’s important to understand why you might choose one over the other, and what kind of effect they’ll have on your body and brain.

Then you’ll be better prepared to find the right option for your lifestyle, so you can feel better, address health conditions, or consider the level of effect you want to have from the marijuana use you’re choosing. Not everyone who uses marijuana is looking for a high. Some people are just looking for pain relief, anxiety reduction, or other benefits that they can get without the high, as well. Here are some of the most important things to know about CBD and THC, to help you make the right choice.

What Does CBD Really Have to Offer?

For people struggling with chronic pain conditions, cancer, anxiety, and other ailments, CBD can be a good choice to help reduce pain, keep them calmer, and allow them to feel better more often. It can also be used to treat glaucoma and has shown promise for other types of medical conditions. But a lot of people are reluctant to try it, because they fear the stigma of using marijuana, or because they feel they’ll be high and impaired from using it. That’s not the case with CBD, though, because of the way it works.

The C1 receptors in the brain are what get activated by cannabinoid compounds like THC, but they aren’t activated by CBD. That’s an important distinction because it’s those very receptors that produce the high people feel when using marijuana. If a person wants the pain reduction and anxiety reduction benefits of cannabis, without the high they can get from using marijuana, they want to use CBD instead. There are oils and other ways to get this compound, as it doesn’t require smoking marijuana to use it.

When a person chooses CBD vs. THC, though, they’re getting the benefits they need without the high. That might not be a good fit for someone who’s looking for that high, of course, but it can be very beneficial to someone wanting relief but not being interested in the high feeling. That can include people who don’t want marijuana to detract from their work, school, family life, or other activities through being high, but who still want to get the physical and mental benefits of pain reduction, anxiety reduction, and more.

Should THC be the Default Choice?

For people who want to get high, though, THC is the default choice for their marijuana use. You aren’t going to get that high feeling from CBD. However, you can get a more mellow, milder high without the risk of paranoia and other problems, by choosing something with both THC and CBD in it. That’s because CBD slightly inhibits the C1 receptor, while THC activates it. The activation of the receptor produces the high that marijuana users are often looking for, which is why it’s a popular compound in many products that have cannabis as an ingredient.

How Can You Find a Good Mix?

Finding a good mix of CBD and THC may be important for people who want a mild high, but who are also still looking for the pain relieving properties and other options that come with CBD. It may also be a consideration for people who want to get high sometimes, but who also want to focus on the pain relief and other value of CBD-based products more frequently. For example, someone who uses CBD nearly every day to combat chronic pain, but who also enjoys getting high on the weekends. There are plenty of options for people who basically want to mix and match what they have and what they’re using.

Which Option Will be the Best for Your Needs?

Each person is different when it comes to which option will be right for their needs. That’s why CBD vs. THC is such a debate. It’s not a hard choice for everyone, since there are some people who are only interested in one or the other, or those who know they’re looking for either a good mix, or two very distinct products. But for people who aren’t sure which they should use, finding the best option can take some experimentation. Working with a good dispensary and its knowledgeable employees can help you locate which products are going to bring you the most benefit.