If you’ve been following the goings-on in the cannabis world (or if you’ve just kept your eyes open), you might have noticed the easily recognizable green serrated leaf plastered all over shop windows in your town and/or on the internet.
Those of you that have more than scratched the surface or simply just visited one of the shops mentioned above, provided you’re still in a jurisdiction that fiercely prohibits marijuana, you will know that now you can purchase a wide variety of cannabis products, including bud, joints, different types of hash, teas, chocolates, oils, and so on. There is a condition, however: they contain very little to no THC.
You might be wondering whether that’s at all possible. Why even bother if you can’t even get high? Didn’t they try something similar with non-alcoholic beer? Enter CBD (cannabidiol), the up-and-coming star of the cannabinoid scene. CBD has been turning heads for its therapeutic benefits minus the psychoactive effects of THC. But why are we just seeing this sudden increase in popularity now? And why do some people still treat THC as if it were labelled ‘Made in Chernobyl’?
One reason people are attracted to CBD is that it offers a plethora of real medical benefits while allowing people to remain fully functional. Another, simply enough, is that it’s legal, for the most part anyway. There are those who do not like the “stoned” effect, understandably so, and prefer to maintain a clear head while medicating and CBD effectively does away with the stigma of giving cannabis products to children and other “sensitive” patient groups. Add to that the fact that CBD is filed under “all-natural” product and you have a medicine you can guiltlessly market to everyone, even though it is still largely unregulated.
But this does not justify the draconian penalties and prohibitive attitude of the authorities. What is it about THC that has people scrambling for reasons to prohibit it?
For decades now, THC has been associated with the counterculture and rebellion, which became quite vocal starting in the 1960s, particularly with its opposition to the war in Vietnam and the political establishment as a whole. It is also the molecule known for getting you stoned, which in layman’s terms simply means the feeling of euphoria and a sense of relaxation. To puritanical prohibitionists, feeling good while at the same time questioning authority is an odious crime and should be resisted at all costs. How dare you feel happy and relaxed when life is unforgiving, brutal and a constant uphill struggle? Just a couple of tokes is all it takes before the sky falls, you betray your friends and family, and the country imminently loses the war.
When we look at the science, however, it turns out THC and CBD actually complement each other in multiple ways, for example in generating the “entourage effect” between cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, as a potent anti-cancer therapy, and as a mechanism for counteracting THC-induced anxiety and paranoia. Just a little THC is all you need for cannabinoid receptors in the body to really open up and allow for CBD to start working its magic. It just so happens these two superstar cannabinoids don’t have to be at odds with each other at all.
If you’re looking for CBD-rich strains, we highly recommend our Hydratonic #1 or Hydratonic #2 varieties.
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