For Some Symptoms, Medical Marijuana With THC Is Better Than CBD

The cannabis plant contains hundreds of “active ingredients”, but the two best known – and the only two most people have heard of – are THC and CBD.

Despite the “medical marijuana” laws that have specifically allowed people to access THC-containing cannabis products in recent years, one line of conventional wisdom goes something like this: THC is the molecule that gets you high; CBD is not psychoactive and promotes healing.

Since federal law allows CBD but still bans THC for more than a minute, the dichotomy in some circles has continued to a version of “THC is for fun; CBD is for medicine. “(Certain CBD companies go too far with all sorts of outrageous product claims, leading to warnings from the Food and Drug Administration.)

However, as a recent study pointed out, this understanding is incorrect. THC is medicinal too – and in fact, cannabis users seeking quick and effective nausea relief want more THC and less CBD.

CBD or THC – which one do you need and which one should you choose?

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In what has been dubbed the “largest study of its kind,” researchers from the University of New Mexico tracked cannabis users’ habits through an app: symptoms, choices of cannabis products, and subsequent experiences with relief (or not).

They found that cannabis users who used the drug to relieve symptoms of nausea found relief within five minutes – but they also found that users who smoked cannabis flower joints got more relief and faster than someone using a vaporizer or Edibles used.

Most surprisingly, they also found that higher THC products were more effective than high CBD products. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in April, users of cannabis products high in CBD had less symptom relief on average.

Jacob Vigil, associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico and co-author of the study, told the school’s news website, “Perhaps our most surprising finding was that THC, which is typically associated with recreational use, is the treatment for consumers of cannabis bloom appeared to improve, while our CBD, which is more commonly associated with medicinal use, actually appeared to be associated with less symptom relief. “

Here is mixed martial artist Nate Diaz taking relief.

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The study analyzed “2220 cannabis self-administration sessions” from 886 users seeking nausea relief between June 6, 2016 and July 8, 2019. Users reported what products they were using, what symptoms they were trying to relieve, and then tracked how the cannabis products were affecting their symptoms in real time.

Interestingly, they found that flower products labeled Sativa or hybrid products labeled “Indica” performed better (a flawed taxonomy by itself, but that’s another story). And “In sessions with flowers, higher levels of tetrahydrocannbinol and lower levels of cannabidiol were generally associated with greater symptom relief (e.g., within 5 minutes),” the study authors reported.

While the study is welcome news to anyone extolling the medicinal benefits of THC – and a great opportunity to refine our understanding of CBD – it cautions not only good news, the authors warned. The long-term effects of THC on “high-risk populations,” including pregnant women and children who may be forced to use cannabis, are a matter of concern, study co-author Dr. Sarah Stith, assistant professor of economics at the University of New, shares in Mexico and the study’s lead author said in a press release.

It’s also worth noting that nausea is only a symptom and that there are others that CBD may be more effective at relieving than THC.

At the very least, such insights should promote a broader understanding of cannabis and its components. It should also encourage anyone who hears the line, “THC to celebrate, CBD to heal,” to put it where it belongs: in the trash.