CBD oils, vapes, and other products can be legally bought and sold without any special license or permit. In Utah, the same cannot be said about Medical Cannabis. If you don’t think this matters, think again. The results of a research study published in early 2021 suggests that CBD can reduce the effects of a THC high. That puts a whole new spin on the differences between the two cannabinoids.
Cannabis products are generally divided into two categories under Utah law. CBD products contain less than 0.3% THC by volume. Medical Cannabis products contain more than 0.3%. Both types of products are derived from cannabis plants. Just the fact that we think of them separately tells us everything we need to know about how policymakers view CBD and THC.
Perhaps that’s why so little work has been done on combining the two cannabinoids for medical purposes. But now that scientific research demonstrates that CBD affects THC uptake, there may be room to develop an entirely new line of medicines for Medical Cannabis users.
The study in question was published in September 2021 in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Conducted by Spanish researchers, the study looked at combining CBD with THC and measuring its impact on the human brain. Researchers discovered something phenomenal: combining THC and CBD at a 2-to-1 ratio led to a less intoxicating THC high.
The thing about CBD is that it is psychoactive in the sense that it can affect mental and emotional responses. We tend to consider it non-psychoactive because it does not have an intoxicating effect. But psychoactivity is psychoactivity, whether it happens to be intoxicating or not.
A patient might take CBD because it helps relieve anxiety. It might help another user who struggles with mood swings. Either way, people use CBD because it helps them feel better. If we can combine it with THC to make a better medicine, why not do so? Why continue to keep them separate?
Right now, the implications of combining CBD with THC are still being understood. Still, think about what the results of the Spanish study might mean for medical users. Combining CBD and THC could give a Medical Cannabis patient the best of both worlds. It could mean the benefits of THC without a seriously intoxicating high.
This has pretty serious implications for people who need to medicate around the clock – even at times when being high is not acceptable. We can imagine the day when a CBD-THC combination makes it possible for Medical Cannabis patients to hold jobs they currently cannot hold.
Then there are those patients who need THC but just do not want to experience the high. If CBD can minimize the intoxicating effects without seriously reducing the therapeutic benefits of Medical Cannabis, such patients would be in a much better place.
One thing we definitely know is that there is still a lot to learn about cannabinoids and how they affect human biology. Here at Utah Marijuana, we are just happy to see that serious research is finally getting underway. Trying to understand how CBD influences THC uptake is just the tip of the iceberg.
If you are a Medical Cannabis patient in Utah, keep an eye open and an ear to the ground. We will be seeing more research as the months and years go on. Undoubtedly, a lot of that research is going to mean good things for Medical Cannabis here in Utah and around the world. That is definitely a good thing.
