CBD & THC
Two Very Different Compounds
CBD and THC are much more different than most people think. These differences are significant and important for a number of reasons. As with many facets of the CBD business, this one can be very confusing. The purpose of this post is to identify some of those differences and understand why they are so important.
1. Names
Posts dealing with these items seem to assume the reader knows what these abbreviations stand for. I don’t think that’s always the case, so let’s start with their names.
CBD stands for cannabidiol. THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol. Right away, we see a commonality: “canna”, which leads us to…
2. Source
“Canna” in both names is something of a giveaway. Both items come from the cannabis plant. There are two types of cannabis plants: hemp and marijuana. This is true even though they are both cannabis sativa in scientific parlance. That’s not as impossible as it sounds. Chihuahuas and Rottweilers are both canis familiaris, scientifically speaking, but insisting that they’re “the same’ is simply wrong.
Both compounds – CBD and THC – occur in both plants. However, generally speaking, hemp has a lot of CBD and a little THC, while the reverse is true for THC. This fact is due in large part to selective breeding of both plants.
Take marijuana for example. From the 1960s through the 1980s the THC percentage in marijuana typically ranged from 1% – 5%. Through selective breeding, the average percentage of THC in marijuana is approaching 20%. It’s not at all difficult to find marijuana with THC percentages exceeding 30%Specifically, 100% of the CBD used in 7 Mountains products comes from “legal” hemp.
3. Classification
Like all chemical compounds derived from the cannabis plant, CBD and THC are cannabinoids. More specifically, they are phytocannabinoids. “Phyto” is derived from the Greek word for plant. There are over a hundred cannabinoids and it’s entirely likely that more will be discovered. Everything isn’t known about either of these cannabinoids. Research has been very limited because even hemp, which is very low in THC, was considered as dangerous as LSD up until very recently.
I’ve already said they come from the cannabis plant, so why mention that they are phytocannabinoids? Because there are endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids which occur naturally in our bodies.
That’s something to think about. It always surprises me to think that our bodies naturally have compounds that perform the same and similar functions as cannabinoids from plants.
There are also synthetic cannabinoids which are made in the lab. This should come as a surprise to no one!
4. THC Creates a "High"
The most important practical difference between the two is that THC gets you high. CBD does not. That’s a pretty big difference, especially when you consider that pretty much everything that gets you high is regulated differently than things which do not.
This difference is real. However, the way CBD is derived from hemp and the way CBD products are sold causes some confusion about this. 7 Mountains sells Full Spectrum CBD Oil and Full Spectrum CBD Gummies. “Full Spectrum” CBD products have trace amounts of THC in them. That’s because the legal hemp from which our CBD is derived is acknowledged to have some THC in it.
Legal hemp is defined as hemp which has 0.3% or less THC by dry weight. In other words, a hemp plant which has 0.3% or less THC when it is dried and ready for processing is legal.
Think of it this way. A Honda Accord weighs over a ton and a half. 0.3% of that is less than a hundred pounds.
5. Legality
The regulatory framework for hemp, marijuana and products derived from them containing CBD and/or THC, is a conflicted and confusing area of law.
At the federal level, hemp (as defined above) and products derived from that hemp are legal. The Farm Bill of 2018 was the legislation which made this possible.
Beyond that, the situation is profoundly confusing and changes regularly. Here is a link to one of the best explanations I’ve seen, and one which addresses both CBD and THC. How confusing is all of this? Take a look at the part of the chart dealing with Nebraska:
“CBD is technically illegal in Nebraska, but hemp-derived CBD was decriminalized by the state government in a bill passed on May 30, 2019″
How is that evenpossible?
6. Industrial Uses
The utility and versatility of hemp is nothing short of amazing. These include biofuel, auto parts, paper, upholstery, a wide range of textiles, construction material, animal feed, food ingredients and I’m just getting started. The long fibrous stalks of the plant contribute much to this versatility. This also underscores the fact that the plants are very different as plants, and not just as vehicles for CBD and THC.
7. Summary
I think you can see that while they are often lumped together, CBD and hemp are in fact very different from THC and marijuana. For whatever reason, many of us are attracted to the high provided by marijuana, just as people are attracted to the buzz from alcohol. In the overwhelming majority of cases, these highs are nothing more than pleasant temporary releases, and not life ending vices.
The number of uses for these compounds – as well as for other cannabinoids – will undoubtedly continue to grow. When both hemp and marijuana were Schedule I substances, researching them was next to impossible. Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, that has changed and research is booming.
From every perspective, it’s almost certain that the future is bright for both of these fascinating compounds.
