For a long time, THC was the only well-known cannabinoid, and it is this “curse of being first” that has likely contributed to THC’s demonization as a harmful narcotic. The war on drugs has basically been proven to be an ineffective and overall ridiculous pursuit of punishing users, while allowing illicit drug producers and distributors to thrive. THC has been through a lot in the court of public opinion. Once, it was called “devil’s lettuce”, labelled “an addictive and destructive gateway drug” and also misclassified as a “harmful substance that can fry young minds”. The psychoactive nature of THC has made for a very arduous journey, as cannabis has climbed out of the basements of stoners and has risen to the pinnacle of legalization.
Now that cannabis is becoming legal all over the globe, slowly but surely the public is becoming properly informed on the true nature of cannabis and its misunderstood cannabinoids. To be frank, THC should send its cannabinoid cousin CBD a gift basket, because without the non-psychoactive healing powers of Cannabidiol gaining a lot of positive press, cannabis as a safe, reliable and effective medicine would be a very difficult proposition to many policy makers. The major reason that authorities and the scientific community have lobbied against THC, but largely been in favor of CBD is due to this single difference: psychoactivity vs non-psychoactivity.
The most definable difference between CBD and THC is how they alter our states of consciousness, but that would be like saying the only difference between apples and oranges is that one is orange and one isn’t. Both THC and CBD interact with our Endocannabinoid System (ECS) – the complex network of nerves and receptors that processes cannabinoids and applies their chemical compounds to certain areas of the body or brain. Your CB1 and CB2 receptors are the primary drivers of the “effects” of consuming cannabis, as these ECS receptors are like the dish-arrays that receive the signals from the incoming cannabinoids. Once a signal is received, they trigger the appropriate response within your cells. For instance, CB1 receptors are mostly found in the brain, whereas CB2 are prominently involved with your immune system, muscles and joints. There are numerous other receptors found in the human body, but just like CBD and THC have received the most attention and study, the same goes for CB1 & CB2. What we do currently understand is that when you smoke a joint, for instance, if it has a significant amount of THC these cannabinoids will interact with your CB1 receptors, inducing the psychoactive “high” associated with smoking pot. On the other hand, CBD consumption does not trigger these same receptors in the same way, but might instead interact with your CB2 receptors that manage your anxiety or stress.