Crash Course: What’s Inside Cannabis?

As legalization spreads and use of cannabis persists, cannabis advocates and educators are surprised at the level of ignorance on cannabis, simply because of the confusion about what cannabis actually is and what it scientifically does.
 
Here’s a crash course on some of the commonly confused aspects of the composition of marijuana:
 

Hemp vs. Marijuana

 
Let’s get things straight at a basic level. Many people are confused at the difference between hemp and marijuana, which are both derivatives of the cannabis plant.
 
In short, the cannabis plant is full of hundreds of compounds called cannabinoids, which essentially produce the effects of cannabis, both medicinal and psychoactive (THC).
 
Hemp is the non-psychoactive derivative of the cannabis plant and is often used to make textiles, clothing, rope and other earth-friendly products. Cannabis, on the other hand, is the part of the plant people enjoy for its medicinal value and ability produce psychoactive feelings (aka. get you stoned, baked, high, lit, blazed, or whatever your description of that awesome feeling is).
 
From both hemp and cannabis comes cannabinoids, most specifically CBDs (cannabidiols), which are what produces the medical and therapeutic “magic” of marijuana.
 

Understanding Cannabinoids Further

When users introduce cannabinoids from the cannabis plant into their body, the feed more into the body of what’s already there. That’s the interesting part.
 
Phyto-cannabinoids are what is produced in the cannabis plant. Endo-cannabinoids are what is produced in the human body; both phyto- and endo- cannabinoids are received by the brain, with cannabis cannabinoids being via the plant’s terpenes.
 
Cannabinoids both in the cannabis plant and in the human body exist to be regulators and promoters of their own internal health, despite fluctuation in the external environment.
 
Of the cannabinoids, of which there are hundreds, including the THC in the marijuana part of cannabis, cannabidiols or CBDs are getting the most attention.

A Closer Look at CBDs

 
CBDs are non-psychoactive which means that they are a medicinal substance that is intended to promote internal health in the body.
 
When users introduce cannabinoids from the cannabis plant into their body, the feed more into the body of what’s already there. That’s the interesting part.
 
Phyto-cannabinoids are what are produced in the cannabis plant.  Similarly, endocannabinoids are what are produced in the human body; both phyto- and endo- cannabinoids are received by the brain and body’s endocannabinoid system.
 

The “Trouble” with CBD

 
CBDs have been widely defended by medicinal marijuana advocates since its legalization first cropped up in the U.S. in 1996, with California being the first to legalize medical marijuana. CBDs and other various forms of cannabinoids (THCa, CBN, CBG, just to name a few) hailing medicinal properties are being used to treat inflammation, pain, mental health issues, and in some cases are showing to have anti-tumour properties.
 
Last year, on the heels of legislative wins in both medical and recreational marijuana in the U.S., the waters around CBD remained mirky when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classified CBD as a Schedule 1 drug. Since then, advocates have eagerly worked to clear this up, and medical advocacy for CBDs shows no signs of stopping.
 

Understanding Where You’ll Get High and Won’t

 
The biggest misconception around the marijuana movement has been getting high, with the widely held belief that marijuana gets you stoned.
 
For the psychoactive enthusiasts, tons of strains do exist that will get the user the desired high, and with the recreational market getting the green light, products involving flower, vaporizers, waxes, concentrates, oils, edibles, and you name it are taking advantage of this.
 
This is where THC:CBD ratio comes in. This ratio is absolutely crucial in evaluating the degree of psycho-activity of your cannabis product. Naturally, a high THC to CBD ratio will produce a stronger high, where a higher CBD to THC ratio will allow the user to experience the benefits of the cannabis without getting high.
 

Choose Your Adventure

 
With legalization in the U.S.A. catching on like wildfire, people in legalized states have a wide array of cannabis products with different ratios and different medicinal properties.
 
Dispensaries’ offerings have become incredibly sophisticated and diverse as medicine has advanced the knowledge on CBDs and cannabis enthusiasts have become connoisseurs of the plant.
 
Cannabis is a “choose your own adventure” plant that leaves a highly desirable degree of choice in the user due to its diversity as a plant.