I DON’T NEED CBD!! (Because I smoke weed)

One of the most common phrases that come out of the mouths of customers is, “I don’t need CBD because I smoke weed.”

I do not know if it is something people say because they truly don’t know anything about CBD or if they’re just proud to be a weed smoker. Let me get one thing straight before we get into this conversation; if this sentence comes out of your mouth, I do not judge you for either!

For one, if you are in a CBD retail establishment you are either truly interested and curious OR you are accompanying a CBD consumer . For two, I can enlighten you without belittling you. I appreciate your cannabis advocacy. And I am here to let you know that THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CBD AND MARIJUANA.

First things first, the plant. 

Even though marijuana is kin to the hemp plant they are VERY different. The name ‘Cannabis’ means both. If you are a cannabis advocate, this means you support the use of hemp (for various reasons) AND marijuana (for various reasons).  Hemp is the plant that helped shape our nation. Hemp is the plant that can feed you, clothe you, and HEAL you.

Although marijuana and hemp can both come from the cannabis sativa family, they’re distinctly different. Marijuana is bushier with broader leaves, while hemp is leaner with shinier leaves. … In marijuana, THC levels can reach 30%, depending on the strain, but THC levels in hemp are less than 0.3%. This is a NATION WIDE legal percentage.

Hemp comes in a variety of types. Each part of the plant can be used to do various things. The seeds can be used to make several everyday items such as solvents, fuel, and ink OR can be used medicinally to make oils, supplements, and protein powders. The oils from hemp seed can be used to cook, consume, or as a topical like oils and lotions usually for skin conditions.

The flowers of the plant can be used for high potency CBD (or other cannabinoid) supplements. Many consumers use it for serious conditions like pain, anxiety, or insomnia. Hemp flower looks extremely similar to marijuana, however, has a considerably low amount of the psychoactive chemical that gets you high, THC. You can also use the flower for more industrial reasons such as textile, building, and food.

The stalks of the plant are used for textile (or industrial textile), paper, and building materials. Hemp can be made into rope, carpets, clothing, denim, concrete or even as a fiberglass substitute! Hemp used as insulation or concrete is better for insulation, contains NO chemicals, and is even FIRE RETARDANT!! 

Even the roots of the hemp plant are useful! The roots are well known for compost, and even remedies to symptoms arthritis pain and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. There is a use for every part of this plant. And better yet, it will grow like a weed! There have been reports of 17ft hemp plants!!

Marijuana is much different. Marijuana is grown for its high THC content. THC is the chemical that will get you high, BUT THC does have many benefits to plenty of common symptoms. Marijuana is bred to be high in THC, but this also means it can be low in CBD.

When a marijuana user says “I don’t need CBD because I smoke marijuana…” It is time for a FACT CHECK. Marijuana is considerably lower in the remedial cannabinoids that thousands are using medicinally. You are not getting a high dose of CBD because you smoke marijuana, point blank.

If smoking marijuana gives someone the relief they need (and it’s legal in their state) then by ALL MEANS, stick to it! I am not here to persuade you into doing something alternative. I just really want everyone to start feeling better, today! But, for those who do not get the relief they’ve been seeking from smoking marijuana, it’s probably because you aren’t getting the CBD your body needs.

AND – if marijuana causes paranoia, CBD can actually reverse those effects and bring you back down!! There are so many reports of marijuana users who get “too high” and feel more anxious, or get a rapid heartbeat. And this is completely normal for the THC chemical. Have a hemp joint handy – and come back down to earth.

“THC puts you on the moon, and CBD keeps you in the room……..”

Hemp plants have been bred to have very high CBD percentages, and low THC percentages. This is for MANY reasons, like the legalities in certain states. There is no MAXIMUM percentage of cannabinoids that is legal across the US, but the max amount of THC legal nationwide (right now) is 0.3%. Which is NOTHING, but WILL make you fail a drug screen if you are a consistent user. You do have hundreds of options for a completely free THC product. Out of the products carried at Charlotte CBD, about 50% are completely THC FREE.

Higher CBD percentages also means MORE RELIEF. Taking too much CBD will only make you sleepy – and sometimes, that is exactly what you need! CBD works with your personal rhythm. Taking small amounts of CBD in the morning can actually be stimulative, when taking it closer to bedtime can be slightly sedative. Also leaving NO hangover like many sleep medications prescribed or even over-the-counter medications.

Hemp plants are usually much taller, up to 20ft high, when most marijuana strains are less stalk and more flower. The flower of the marijuana plant is most abundant in THC, and the rest of the plant is often discarded. Hemp, on the other hand, is more versatile and used for the actual components of the plant versus the chemical it creates.

Marijuana flowers are usually brightly colored, and full of beautiful crystals that carry the high percentages of THC. Hemp on the other hand, looks quite plain and stringy (fibrous). Marijuana is more likely to be “babied” in an actual grow house, when hemp is likely grown on a farm – outdoors in most cases, with hundreds or thousands of acres. Hemp is quantity – marijuana is quality (most of the time).

Now – times are changing!! Growers are mixing marijuana strains and hemp strains to produce more of the medicinal cannabinoids. Some growers have moved their plants indoors to keep a better eye on the flowers that will produce the highest CBD yield. Hemp flowers are very much smokeable, and in fact the FASTEST WAY TO GET RELIEF FROM CBD. You can even get up to 100mg of CBD per hemp joint (average 1g of hemp flower).

Growers are popping up all over the country to produce this extremely resourceful plant, because it is immensely easy to grow, and very high demand. Legalities are changing daily from state to state, and allowing farmers to take advantage of the plant that helped cultivate our nation. 

Hemp can be the new tylenol (without the negative side effects). Or better yet, a replacement for anxiety medications that carry thousands of alarming side effects. Hemp can be made into more dynamic building materials (without the disadvantages). Hemp can be made into resilient materials, such as clothing and furniture (without the risks of spoilage) and is considerably more abundant. Hemp can be made into concrete that can combat the elements for hundreds of years! And that, my friends is the difference between the two.

So if you still suffer from anxiety or pain whilst smoking weed there is a tremendous chance you aren’t getting adequate cannabinoids that your body and/or brain requires. THC is not the only useful compound in the cannabis plant, and sometimes a little exploration is essential to discovering what your body really needs.  Nobody knows your body like you do, and sometimes, it takes a bit of trial and error to see what works for you.

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