When we first started TribeTokes years ago, many people didn't know what CBD was yet, and knowing that it was derived from cannabis would ask "can this get you high?" or "That's the legal form of weed, right?" If you've always secretly wondered what's up with this - or maybe why you feel a little different when you take CBD even if it isn't "high" per se, then this post is for you!
In 2019 we experienced an explosion of people using CBD products including tinctures, vape oils, and topicals that deliver cannabinoids to the body for a broad range of health and wellness benefits. If you haven’t already, make sure to read up on the basics here: CBD 101.
A common misconception among consumers is that CBD produces a psychoactive high because it is derived from cannabis plants. While CBD can lift one’s mood, it is non intoxicating and it does not produce psychoactive effects like THC does. So you can go ahead and have that CBD coffee (we recommend Wake and Bake CBD Coffee by CannabisWithKymB) before work, or hit that vape on your lunch break walk, without any worries and enjoy the feelings of being both calm and alert with a renewed focused on getting things done.
The health benefits of CBD are becoming increasingly accepted, and the World Anti-Doping Agency recently confirmed it by approving the use of CBD by athletes. To be blunt, CBD is ok to take at work!
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines any substance that affects mental processes, such as cognition, as "psychoactive." The WHO reported in 2017 that while THC can impair people's cognitive performance and psychomotor abilities, even high doses of oral CBD do not cause those effects that are characteristic for THC.
The reason why THC makes you high and CBD doesn't has to do with the way that the compounds bind to receptors in your endocannabinoid system. THC activates brain receptors associated with euphoria, relaxation, anxiety, and short-term memory impairment. CBD is a CB1 antagonist, meaning it'll actually block or modulate THC's intoxicating effects. CBD products, by law, can have no more than 0.3 percent THC. This isn’t enough to create any psychoactive symptoms.
To be clear, high concentrations of CBD absolutely can cause an uplifting effect -- without any psychoactivity. CBD helps you relax. It eases anxiety, and also reduces inflammation which is a source of many common ailments and can be felt at the muscular level. Sometimes people consume CBD and feel better and aren't sure why. For people who never really consume marijuana, they may easily confuse this feeling with being "high" because they don't know the difference. So next time you are at a dinner party and someone swears "they felt high when they took CBD," you can explain that it's nuanced but that's not the case!
Make sure to also check out our blog CBD for Anxiety/Stress. If you feel re-inspired to try CBD in 2020, check out our CBD wellness line TribeREVIVE, our CBD Clean Skincare line TRIBEAUTY, or our CBD Clean Vaping brand TribeTokes! Please contact us anytime here and send questions, comments, suggestions or just say hi!
