A Cannabis Primer: The ABCs of CBD and THC
Both Have Medicinal Benefits, Just One Gets You High
Near the end of my father’s life about two years ago, his sleep and anti-anxiety medications were making him miserable. As a last resort, I tried dosing him with medical marijuana edibles. (He called it “the pot,” which still brings a smile.) Not surprisingly, relief came without all the sickening side effects of the pharmaceuticals. To this day, I can’t believe that medical marijuana wasn’t the first treatment to be prescribed.
We all know Californians voted overwhelmingly to legalize cannabis in 2016. What we don’t seem to know are the differences between CBD and THC. Many of us haven’t even heard of CBD and THC! This helps explain the local government boondoggle in greenlighting what should be a completely legal and safe activity of purchasing cannabis. It also helps explain why medical marijuana wasn’t prescribed as part of my father’s end-of-life care.
I say, let’s start a cannabis education campaign. And let’s start from the beginning and speak in big picture, general terms. THC gets you high; CBD doesn’t. Both of them have medicinal benefits.
