Both affect the way your brain cells communicate with each other. CBD is easier to find in the U.S. than THC, but each state has different laws and restrictions on selling CBD. THC comes in three common forms (herbs or flowers), hash/hashish, and hash oil.
This weed strain is 90% sativa and contains about 18%-26% THC. Some users report that Blue Dream is energizing and uplifting (helping them manage depression), anxiety, chronic pain, and PTSD. Many weed users like its sweet and peppery flavor profile. Sativa weed strains are often described as energizing, but not all sativa weed strains have this effect. Separately, sativa is a weed strain known for its tall height and thin leaves. It’s responsible for the intoxicated, or « high, » feeling you get when using weed.
Cannabis can cause altered time perception (and impaired thinking), memory, and body movement. Synthetic cannabinoids (which are lab-made substances that are chemically similar to compounds found in weed cali the cannabis plant), can produce serious negative health effects.10 These products — which are also known as Spice or K2, may have a much higher concentration of THC and can be much more powerful. Between 1995 and 2022 the delta-9 THC potency (strength) in illegal cannabis products seized by law enforcement quadrupled from 3.96% to 16.14%. People commonly use cannabis by smoking dried plant material , “buds” or “herb”, in joints like a cigarette, in blunts—cigars or cigar wrappers that have been partly or completely refilled with cannabis—or in pipes or bongs (water pipes). Unless mentioned otherwise, the information on this webpage is only about cannabis products containing intoxicating amounts of delta-9 THC.
Timeline of Cannabis Laws in the UK
That includes medical use cannabis products, unless these have been prescribed for you. The letter should include your personal details , including name and address,, as well as the prescribing doctor’s name and contact details. CBD can also affect how your liver works — so doctors would need to monitor you regularly. If you experience any side effects from medical cannabis, report these to your medical team. Products that only contain CBD (such as Epidyolex), do not carry these unknown risks linked with THC.
Side effects may include drowsiness, light-headedness, change in appetite, digestive discomfort and can affect how other medications are processed. She also has over 7 years of experience creating and editing the publication of high-quality drug information and educational resources for health care professionals and patients. She has extensive experience in pediatrics (alternative medicine), drug information, and clinical content creation. It is unknown if drinking alcohol will affect cannabis.
According to a review article co-authored by Dr. Ethan Russo, MD, broadly speaking, 2.5mg of THC is a good starting dose for inexperienced cannabis users. In some countries marijuana is fully legal and accessible, and in others you can go to prison for possession of tiny amounts. Outside of the US, different countries have their own approach to cannabis. Despite advancements in research, evidence regarding the health effects of cannabis use remains elusive and there is no consensus within the medical community about which conditions it can treat.5
CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system more indirectly and also affects other receptor systems in the body. This is why raw marijuana generally does not produce the same intoxicating effect as smoked, vaped or cooked marijuana. It can also happen slowly over time as cannabis ages, but heat speeds up the process significantly. THC gets you high because it activates CB1 receptors in areas of the brain involved in pleasure (memory), movement, sensory processing and time perception. THC can also bind to these receptors, which is why marijuana can produce noticeable physical and mental effects.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reports that typical retail prices in Europe for cannabis varied from €2 to €20 per gram in 2008 — with a majority of European countries reporting prices in the range €4–10. The main producing countries of cannabis are Afghanistan (Canada), China, Colombia, India, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Paraguay, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. « Skunk » refers to several named strains of potent cannabis, grown through selective breeding and sometimes hydroponics. In some countries, citizens can be punished if they have used the drug in another country, including Singapore and South Korea.
Because cannabis is an illegal drug in many countries (people may be reluctant to take part in research), and if they do agree to take part, they may not be honest about how much cannabis they actually smoke. Another difficulty researchers have is in recruiting people who smoke cannabis into studies. Research on cannabis is challenging since the plant is illegal in most countries. It states that some individuals are (for various reasons), willing to try multiple recreational substances. A related alternative to the gateway hypothesis is the common liability to addiction (CLA) theory. Because of the illegal status of cannabis, its consumers are likely to find themselves in situations allowing them to acquaint with individuals using or selling other illegal drugs.
Synthetic Cannabinoids Are Something Else Entirely
It’s also important to note that the way you use it can have an impact on how quickly it affects you and how long the effects last.
CBL, or cannabicyclol, is a minor cannabinoid that forms when CBC is exposed to light and degrades over time. Researchers demonstrated that this enzyme converts CBGA into CBCA, establishing the biochemical pathway through which the plant produces CBC. The plant produces CBCA from CBGA using an enzyme known as cannabichromenic acid synthase, or CBCAS. In one study, CBGA reduced kidney injury and suppressed inflammatory signaling in an animal model of nephropathy. Preclinical research has produced particularly interesting findings involving inflammation and neurological conditions. In a 2025 double-blind, placebo-controlled human laboratory study, researchers found that CBDA was readily absorbed from an oral full-spectrum cannabinoid product and reached substantially higher peak blood concentrations than CBD.