A fresh crop of marijuana buds in a black rag bag. Drying cannabis buds process
To stay away from the controversies and confusion about the legality of marijuana, one thing that you should be clear about is that cannabis per se is not illegal, but only some specific strains obtained from it determines its legality. The plant Cannabis Sativa, which is the source of marijuana, contains the strains of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD or cannabidiol in varied proportions. That imparts specific properties to marijuana that determine whether it is legal or not. The laws about using or dealing in marijuana also depend on the prevailing conditions and the location because many states in the US have legalized marijuana for medical use, and some states like Colorado, Washington, and Washington DC have also legalized it for recreational. The product is available at TOTS dispensary.
To steer away from the confusion and ensure that you do not infringe the law when using marijuana or CBD, it is worth to know the differences between the two by going through this article.
Marijuana or cannabis
Marijuana or weed or pot comes from the cannabis plant or more precisely from the species Cannabis Sativa, which is known to have about 500 strains of compounds including THC and CBD. The presence of THC in cannabis is responsible for imparting psychoactive properties to marijuana, which has mind-altering effects and gives the much-needed high, which attracts people in search of recreational benefits of cannabis. When THC mixes with the bloodstream and reaches the brain, it acts on the receptors and produces hallucinatory effects, which people usually term as high.
Although the presence of THC is most prominent, the effects of CBD are also visible among marijuana users in the form of some health benefits like improved sleep and appetite, as well as for relieving pain, nausea, epilepsy, and more. Cannabis that contains more than 0.3% THC is illegal as per federal laws, but to get high THC content must be much higher.
Cannabidiol or CBD
Cannabidiol is another strain or chemical compound found in the cannabis Sativa plant, but unlike THC, it does not have any psychoactive properties and instead has several medical benefits. Cannabis that is high in CBD and low in THC is what people call medical marijuana, and it has also received the recognition of the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration), which has approved a CBD drug in 2018 for the treatment of two special types of epilepsy. It is the only CBD medication currently approved across the world. Besides, CBD is useful for the treatment of various medical conditions, most commonly anxiety and pain. Ingestion of CBD results in the compound interacting with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) of the body, which regulates inflammation and pain.
In addition to extracting CBD from the cannabis Sativa plant, it is also available from the hemp plant, which is entirely legal because it contains minimal or no THC. To be on the safe side, using hemp-derived CBD is the best choice because it has the same medicinal benefits had it been extracted from cannabis. Look at the label claim of cannabis products to determine its legality.