Two of the main components of the cannabis plant, both of which are at the center of debates surrounding the drug, are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While CBD is legal in Wisconsin, THC is strictly illegal. So, what exactly is the difference between the two?
The obvious and best-known answer is that THC makes you “high” while CBD does not. Chemically speaking, both molecules are virtually identical with only a minor variation, and both share the same chemical formula: C21H30O2. Both interact with the endocannabinoid system—a vast network of specialized receptors found throughout the human body and which participates in the regulation of physiological processes such as pain, appetite, sex drive, mood and memory.
Despite being very similar, CBD and THC have opposites effects, as they interact very differently with the Type One cannabinoid receptors (CB1) in the body. THC is able to bind directly with the CB1 receptors, affecting the brain and causing psychoactive effects, while CBD does not bond with the receptors. As such, CBD has been found to be calming and relaxing, while THC causes a lot of marijuana’s negative effects, such as memory loss or increased psychosis.
Since both components are present simultaneously in cannabis, they tend to cancel each other out to some degree, which is why many different strains of the plant have different effects. Typically, as we can see in Colorado for instance, cannabis sellers will list the THC and CBD percentages of each product. A strain with high THC and low CBD will cause a powerful high, while a strain with low THC and high CBD will have more therapeutic qualities without psychoactive sideeffects. The latter is preferred for cannabinoid supplements and medicine.
Unlike THC, which worsens existing psychosis and schizophrenic symptoms, CBD has been found to have antipsychotic properties by the World Health Organization. The same study also concluded that CBD can have positive effects on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Crohn’s diseases, sclerosis, pain, anxiety, depression, cancer, nausea, inflammations, arthritis, infections, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
“CBD has been touted for a wide variety of health issues, but the strongest scientific evidence is for its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes,” explains Peter Grinspoon, doctor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. One of the most widely known strands of low-THC and high-CBD cannabis is Charlotte’s Web, named after Charlotte Figi, a little girl whose seizures could only be controlled by CBD.
