What's The Difference Between CBD & THC? Here Are All Your Cannabinoid Questions, Answered

There's no doubt about it: Cannabis is going mainstream. Everywhere you look there's a new CBD beauty or self-care product on the market, a CBD-based drug was just approved by the FDA to treat rare seizure disorders, and more and more states are voting in favor of recreational and/or medical marijuana. People are curious about the compounds (called cannabinoids) found in this plant—which has been used for its medicinal purposes for centuries—and how they might benefit their health.*

Despite its growing fame and recognition, there's still a lot of misinformation about cannabis, hemp, CBD oil, and the industry in general. Here's your go-to guide to CBD, THC, and beyond.

To begin, it's important to know that when we talk about CBD, hemp oil, marijuana, and THC, we're really talking about the cannabis plant and its derivatives. Because while there are important legal differences between hemp and marijuana, when it comes to the science, hemp and marijuana are actually just two versions of the cannabis plant.

What I mean is, both hemp and marijuana come from the same species of the cannabis plant, but it’s their concentrations of THC that differentiate them. Cannabis plants with 0.3 percent or less of THC are considered hemp, while plants with more than 0.3 percent THC are marijuana. This causes a lot of confusion (and it is, admittedly, confusing!), but it's important to know that when we say cannabis, it applies to both marijuana and hemp.

Cannabinoid is a name that describes a group of similar compounds that are found in the body (called endocannabinoids), found naturally in plants (called phytocannabinoids), and even made in a lab (in this case they're called synthetic cannabinoids). Cannabinoids interact with a larger system in the body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is often described as a major regulatory system.

The ECS is responsible for the side effects (good and bad) of using cannabis—whether that be in the form of hemp oil, CBD oil, or smoking marijuana. The endocannabinoid system is composed of the endocannabinoids that the body1 produces naturally and also a family of receptors called cannabinoid receptors. The two cannabinoid receptors to know about are CB1 and CB2, and they explain in large part why cannabis has so many healing properties and also why THC causes intoxication while CBD does not.*

Speaking of CBD and THC, it's important to know the difference between these two distinct compounds that interact with the body in very different ways. THC directly binds to CB12 receptors in the body, which are mainly found in the brain and nervous system. Once you know this, it's no big surprise to learn that this CB1 receptor activation is responsible for the "high" from smoking cannabis and that CBD does not directly bind with that receptor. Instead, CBD interacts with other receptors and pathways in the body that explain many of its specific health benefits.*

CBD and THC have been described as "sister molecules" and one of the most interesting aspects of cannabinoid science is the "entourage effect,3" which says that cannabinoids are more effective together than they are alone in isolated preparations. This is part of the reason why when you're looking for cannabis products, experts recommend full-spectrum products (which include the other cannabinoids and terpenes of the plant) and to steer clear of isolates, which only contain the single compound and are generally less effective and more difficult to dose.

CBD and THC get a lot of the fame, but there are actually a bunch of cannabinoids worth learning about. Cannabinol (CBN), which was actually the first cannabinoid to be discovered, is often used specifically for sleep.* In addition, two compounds called tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)4—known as the "parent" molecules of CBD and THC—seem to have their own set of healing properties and are both non-psychoactive.* Other cannabinoids include cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), which are all of interest to doctors and researchers for their specific health benefits.* However more research is still needed to fully understand the function and benefits of these cannabinoids.*

Cannabinoids have a wide range of health benefits, ranging from THC's pain-relieving qualities5 to CBD's stress-management properties6.* Other areas of research include PTSD, seizures, cancer-treatment-related symptoms7, and addiction (especially to opioids8).* Most of these areas of research are in the preliminary stages, although a CBD-derived pharmaceutical drug has been approved by the FDA for seizure disorders, and THC-based drugs9 have been available for pain and a few other conditions for quite some time.

As research continues, we'll better understand cannabis and the health benefits of specific cannabinoids.

The difference between CBD oil and hemp oil (not to be confused with hemp seed oil, which is made from the sterilized seeds of the plant and doesn't have significant cannabinoid content) can also be a source of confusion.

Essentially, hemp oil is an extract from the whole plant and will contain a variety of cannabinoids—including CBD. In fact, many products that are marketed as CBD oil are actually CBD-rich hemp oils. CBD is available on its own (in a form commonly referred to as a CBD isolate), but hemp and cannabis experts don't typically recommend CBD isolates, as you miss out on the beneficial entourage effect.

Despite the modern-day stigma, cannabis and cannabinoids have been used for centuries as plant medicines and with new formulas and innovation, have a lot of potential to help people all over the world.