CBD & ∆9THC is everywhere nowadays. It’s not all that rare to find hemp derived edibles at your local coffee shop or to drive by a billboard advertising these products too. Hemp and cannabis are slowly becoming a part of our mainstream culture. But there are still so many questions… like what’s the difference between Hemp and Cannabis? And what actually is CBD? By the end of this blog, you will understand these common questions so well, you’ll be able to teach your bff all about these plant-powered products.
What is Hemp and Cannabis?
Hemp (a variation of cannabis) is a gorgeous green, bushy plant that grows best in a warm and slightly humid environment. Hemp plants can be male or female. Male plants are grown for their fiber and seeds, while female plants are grown for their flowers. Hemp plants grow big and tall through the summer but once the days start to get shorter, they start to produce their therapeutic flowers. These flowers produce some of nature’s most powerful medicine. The buds and leaves that make up the flowers are coated with sticky little globes called trichomes which are filled with all the plant-powered magic including the cannabinoids and terpenes.
Hemp and Cannabis have been used in our society for thousands of years but have recently been criminalized and highly-regulated within the past century. Hemp and Cannabis consumption, cultivation, and importation was banned in 1937 under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. While it is still illegal to do these things on a federal level, a lot of states have been voting and changing this standard since 2012.
However hemp falls into its own unique category. In the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp became an agricultural crop just like apples or grapes. However, unlike apples and grapes, hemp still has to fit a certain criteria to be considered legal. That criteria? The finished hemp product cannot contain more than .3% ∆9THC. As long as your plants fit this criteria, it can be grown and sold like a crop.
What is the Difference Between Hemp and Cannabis?
If you saw a hemp plant and a cannabis plant growing alongside one another you would not be able to tell the difference. From a physical perspective, the plants are identical. The only difference between hemp and cannabis is their cannabinoid content. As mentioned before, hemp is defined as having less than .3% ∆9THC.
*Hemp grown for flower looks identical to cannabis, but hemp grown for its stalk/fiber has been modified to grow very lengthy stalks with minimal flowers.*
What is CBD and THC?
CBD and ∆9THC are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in hemp and cannabis. Just like how caffeine naturally occurs in coffee beans, CBD and ∆9THC (and many other cannabinoids) naturally occur in hemp and cannabis.
Technically speaking, CBD and ∆9THC are “cannabinoids”. Cannabinoids come in all kinds of shapes and effects which is based on their molecular structure. Some cannabinoids have more molecular bonds and as a result, have stronger effects (∆9THC). While even just one less bonding molecule can make a cannabinoid half as potent (∆8THC). Check out the graphic below to see some cannabinoid molecular structures.
How Does CBD and ∆9THC work?
Our bodies are equipped with something called an Endocannabinoid System (ECS)- it is an entire system of nerves dedicated to processing cannabinoids. We were literally made to engage with cannabinoids! Which, sounds too good to be true, but it is! When we consume cannabinoids, there is a corresponding nerve receptor just waiting to welcome that cannabinoid and make magic happen. When ∆9THC enters the ECS it, binds with receptors throughout the brain and body sending various mental and physical signals which gives us the unique euphoric sensation. When CBD enters our ECS, it is hypothesized to not actually bond with receptors but more so act as a modulator for preexisting neuro-pathways. Like encouraging and strengthening pathways for serotonin which is why CBD is great for regulating moods and anxiety.
