THC & CBD Products – What’s the Difference?

THC and CBD both come from the cannabis plant, but many people don’t know what makes them different. Both CBD & THC can have medical benefits, but they produce varied effects when used separately. 

Here’s what you need to know about both THC and CBD to help you narrow down your search for the perfect cannabis product.

What Is THC?

THC is the compound in cannabis that gets you high. When you use a strain of marijuana that has a lot of THC, you’ll experience its psychoactive effects.

THC binds with your brain’s CB1 cannabinoid receptors, which your body normally uses to receive endocannabinoids that are produced naturally in your body. These receptors affect your stress levels, food intake, metabolism, and pain levels.

THC floods the endocannabinoid system with signals telling your neurons to stop producing neurotransmitters, which allows its compounds to enter your brain instead, producing a great high!

Some feelings that you might have while high on THC include:

• Relaxation
• Loss of inhibition
• Euphoria
• Altered perception
• Sleepiness

THC is legal in Canada. There are so many different ways to consume cannabis, including smoking flower, vaping, taking edibles, using concentrates, taking capsules, or trying tinctures.

But what if you don’t want to get high?

What Is CBD?

CBD is the second most prevalent active ingredient found in cannabis and hemp plants, and many have found that it has a wide variety of medical benefits.

CBD is absorbed by the endocannabinoid system like THC, but the process is different. CBD doesn’t bind to the CB1 receptor, but instead regulates how other cannabinoids interact with the system. Scientists are still exploring how CBD binds to other receptors in the brain.

Many people take CBD by itself. It won’t get you high, but it can relax you and help with symptoms of a variety of medical conditions.

When you take CBD and THC at the same time, you’ll have a more relaxing, less psychoactive cannabis experience, which is great for beginners.

Most bud contains CBD in small amounts. However, there are some strains that are high in CBD, including some that balance the two cannabinoids in a 1:1 ratio.

You can purchase CBD in a wide variety of formats. The most common is CBD oil, but as the industry grows, there are even more CBD products you can buy online, including gummies, drinks, extracts, capsules, and vapes.

Medical benefits 

Both CBD & THC have been found to have medical benefits. Medical marijuana is a familiar concept, but CBD products can have similar effects without the high. 

There is evidence that both THC and CBD might help with certain conditions, including:

• Pain
• Sleep issues
• Anxiety
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBD)
• Nausea, specifically for cancer patients
• Epilepsy
• HIV/AIDS
• Multiple sclerosis
• Glaucoma
• Opioid dependence

Medical marijuana can be extremely helpful to patients. Although there haven’t been many studies, there is scientific and anecdotal evidence that THC alone may help with:

• Insomnia
• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis
• Chronic pain
• Poor appetite
• Anorexia
• Tremors

CBD also has its own medical uses. It can be a great way to treat any of the conditions above if THC is hard to access or illegal in your area. (THC cannabis products are legal in Canada.)

In 2018, the FDA approved Epidolex, the first prescription medication containing CBD. It’s used to treat two rare types of epilepsy that are very hard to control using other methods.

CBD may also be effective for treating:

• Depression
• Inflammation
• Migraines
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Psychosis
• Stress

If you have any of the conditions above, CBD & THC could make a world of difference in improving your symptoms. You can try CBD first if you’re worried about the psychoactive effects of THC, but they can also work together to help you feel better.

How to use CBD & THC together

There’s no reason to pit THC and CBD against each other. In fact, in some cases, the two compounds can work together in perfect harmony.

The entourage effect is a theory that different cannabinoids work better together. If you use these cannabis compounds at the same time, you are more likely to see beneficial effects. THC and CBD coexist in every cannabis plant, so it makes sense that they do their jobs together so perfectly.

Cannabis also contains terpenes, which can amplify the entourage effect. Each strain of marijuana has different terpenes, and you might find that some strains work better than others for your medical condition due to their terpene profiles.

Using THC, CBD, and terpenes together has been shown to be even more effective than using any of them apart for many conditions, including:

• Chronic pain
• Anxiety
• Inflammation
• Epilepsy
• Cancer

CBD can also reduce the psychoactive aspects of THC. If you’ve taken too much and are dealing with side effects like anxiety, dizziness, or nausea, using CBD could help you come down.

Some strains of cannabis already have a high amount of CBD. You can smoke or vape the flower to get the full effect of the cannabinoids and terpenes. Some common CBD-heavy strains include Sour Tsunami, Pennywise, Harlequin, ACDC, and Stephen Hawking Kush.

There are also edibles that have a 1:1 or 2:1 CBD to THC ratio. They’re very popular with medical patients, especially those who want a small boost from THC but don’t want to get very high. You could also buy both THC and CBD gummies and take them together.

How to pick what’s best for you

Both CBD & THC can help people…but what’s the best option for you?

Recreational users tend to favor strains of marijuana that are high in THC. They’ll produce a stronger euphoric effect to create a great high. CBD is not used recreationally on its own.

If you absolutely don’t want to get high but want to treat your medical condition, CBD is probably your best bet. You don’t run the risk of being impaired, and you can still reap the benefits of the cannabis plant. You might want to use CBD instead of THC if you have to drive, work, or take care of a child.

Medical patients might need to try CBD and THC separately at different times, as well as a few different combinations of the cannabinoids, to see symptom relief. 

If you want to take edibles, buy both a THC and CBD gummy. You can then try them separately and together to figure out your best option.

If you smoke or vape, sample a few different strains to see how they affect you. Try to find at least one that’s high in CBD if you’re looking for medical treatment.

Some people use both THC & CBD in different situations. While they’re at work, they might take a high potency CBD gummy. When they’re at home and want to wind down, they can use a balanced CBD and THC strain. And if they ever want to enjoy the plant recreationally, they can use a high THC strain.

CBD & THC are some of the most exciting new options in medicine today. If you’re ready to experiment with these products, it’s easy to buy online in Canada. Simply check out our wide selection of THC and CBD products, and we’ll ship them right to your door!