Cannabis and I have come a long way.
Many people who use Cannabis for health concerns don’t really understand much. If anything, it's usually tooting its natural and effective attributes. It wasn't until I had more hands-on education did I start to understand the ways to add CBD to your diet.
My anxiety and smaller health issues are things that have kept Cannabis around me. Cancer also runs in my family and, after having two very close family members pass away, it was a final push to look into other methods than Chemotherapy, psychotropics, and opioids.
This journey has introduced me to the ever elusive but also helpful, CBD or Cannabidiol. CBD is the non-psychoactive medicinal property of the cannabis plant. It has significant medical benefits without the ‘stoned’ feeling many feel paranoid about experiencing.
For most concerns, CBD and THC tend to work better together. There are still benefits to CBD for ailments such as arthritis, cancer treatments, diabetes, alcoholism, MS, chronic pain, schizophrenia, PTSD, depression, antibiotic-resistant infections, epilepsy, and other neurological disorders.
What does Non-Psychoactive mean?
It will not get you high!
You might hear that and think
“Why would stoners want that?”
Believe it or not, there are a lot of ways that I’ve incorporated CBD into my life. It has a more natural alternative to additives and harmful medications. Here are just a few:
Headaches
Relaxing
Cramping
Muscle Aches
Help Sleeping
Help when you're too high
These are just some ways I’ve used it. CBD, aside from being non-psychoactive, wouldn’t be a concern for drug testing and workplaces that have decriminalized the use of Cannabis.
Cannabidiol doesn’t get you stoned and it is NOT THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the compound one is looking for in drug screen. Therefore, there is little search (or even understanding again) for other Cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, and CBD.
Of course, using CBD in large doses will eventually make it appear in a drug screen. For normal and new users; however, CBD will not show up in drug screenings. One would be have to be consuming somewhere between 1000-2000 mg of CBD on a regular daily basis. With CBD products typically starting at only 50mg, new users have nothing to worry about.
So, what should you try first?
Well, that all depends on your comfort level.For almost a century we have been denied the ability and funding for research into all the medicinal aspects that Cannabis provides. CBD is only one of the many Cannabinoids we have come across in research. There are many different cannabinoids that attribute to many different things and you can read about these here.
From there you can decide if THC, non-psychoactive item, or a mixture would be best for you. Allbud is always a great tool to research strains and infused items as well. Strain grows and potency on products will constantly change. It’s a plant; it doesn't always grow the same. Having an understanding of what it is you are looking for and the effects you need will make your visit to a dispensary or clinic much easier and less overwhelming.
I’ve listed some of my favorite CBD only or CBD-rich products if you would like to research more on your own or try them for yourself. For CBD only products, they can be purchased and shipped online. For THC and CBD both, you typically can only get in a medically or recreationally legal state. Refer to your own state for limitations and relevant information about purchasing.