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Is CBD Addictive?

Dale blog imageAuthor: Dale Hewett
CBD
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There’s no doubt about it – CBD has taken the world over by storm. People are reaping the many health benefits of this plant based compound. With that said, is CBD addictive?

We love to see people find relief from a variety of the challenges life throws at us, but never at the expense of becoming addicted to things. Rarely is the trade off a good one.

TL;DR: CBD is not addictive in nature. THC, however, is a closely related, psychoactive molecule which can be highly addictive.

Let’s take some time today to go over the CBD (cannabidiol) molecule, and discuss why it is not addictive, and why you should consider using it as a safe alternative to some otherwise unhealthy drugs out there.

Cannabinoid Oil Effects

Cannabidiol oil, or simply CBD oil, is an extremely popular product that comes in many different forms. Some of these forms are CBD gummies/edibles, tinctures, pills, and balms – just to name a few.

It is aimed at delivering effects that offer real relief from a multitude of different conditions like:

  • Joint Pain
  • General Pain
  • Chronic Pains
  • Anxiety
  • Inflammation

There are other forms of relief that it can offer, but these are the more common things people try to overcome when looking to CBD oil and its’ health effects.

CBD is one of many different compounds (called cannabinoids) within the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant comes in two main forms: hemp and marijuana.

Hemp Vs Marijuana Chart

These plants are almost identical, except for one major factor: marijuana contains high amounts of THC, while hemp doesn’t. The most abundant cannabinoid in hemp is most likely going to be CBD – depending on the strain.

Related: CBD vs THC

Hemp is federally legal within the US, while marijuana is heavily controlled.

You don’t really ‘feel’ the effects of CBD oil when you consume it. The only thing you may notice is pain relief, anti-inflammatory effects, and maybe a little relaxed. That’s about it.

People use it to achieve numerous things. A recent poll by Gallup found that 1 in 7 adults use CBD to help manage chronic pain.

CBD vs THC

CBD and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are quite similar at the molecular level. Take a look at how similar their chemical structures are:

Cbd Vs Thc

That being said, the effects CBD vs THC offer is very different. For starters, THC is extremely psychoactive. When you smoke marijuana, the active compounds responsible for making you feel high is actually THC.

On the other hand, CBD oil will not make you feel high at all. It’s just not possible. You can literally consume an entire tincture of CBD oil (not recommended), and you still won’t even get remotely high.

Related article: CBD and Drug Testing – Will I Test Positive?

Keep in mind that both CBD and THC can be found in either hemp or marijuana, though. The main difference here is that hemp will have no more than a 0.3% THC content, while marijuana can exceed percentages of over 30%.

THC is still a heavily controlled substance within the United States, while CBD is 100% federally legal.

When farmers grow their hemp crops, they must constantly test the plant material to ensure they remain within federal guidelines of growing hemp. This is how they make sure their final product is within compliance.

Medical marijuana farmers want to have as much THC as possible in their crops (for the most part). When people buy recreational marijuana, they are looking specifically to get that high that’s associated with marijuana.

Sure, some high CBD:THC ratios exist, but for the most part, marijuana users are wanting a high THC content.

The Endocannabinoid System and CBD

Our Endocannabinoid System contains two different receptors that are stimulated by cannabinoids.

Endocannabinoid System Receptors

THC binds very, very strongly with the CB1 receptor. CBD, however, indirectly stimulates the CB1 receptor. This likely has something to do with why CBD is not addictive.

The Endocannabinoid System is responsible for many different things, including:

  • sleep
  • mood
  • appetite
  • memory
  • reproduction and fertility

Our bodies naturally produce cannabinoids, which is also a part of the role of this bodily system.

Is CBD an Addictive Substance?

To be frank, no, CBD is not addictive at all. No studies exist that show CBD is addictive in nature.

Related: What Does CBD Stand For in Medical Terms?

This is because (obviously) CBD is not psychoactive or intoxicating in any nature.

The psychoactive nature of THC is what causes people to become addicted to it. They can develop a craving for the mind altering effects that marijuana can bring, when consumed.

CBD is not addictive, though. It is not mind altering – at all. What makes this compound especially lucrative in the medical supplement world, is that fact that it can offer a ton of health benefits without the psychoactive nature.

Non Addictive Cbd Oil

Healthcare practitioners prefer to prescribe medication that is not mind altering. The propensity for becoming addiction is almost non-existent if the drug offers no psychoactive effects.

Here’s an interesting bit of information…

Not only is CBD not addictive, Cannabidiol may regulated different nerve pathways involved in drug addiction.

This means that people who use CBD could aid in curing their addiction to other substances!

Is There THC in Hemp?

Yes, Hemp does contain THC, but the THC content is in minute levels.

According to the guidelines within the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, hemp and hemp-derived products must contain no more than 0.3% THC by weight.

This amount of THC content within hemp is so minute, that you can’t feel the effects. Some people believe in what’s known as the entourage effect.

Essentially, the entourage effect means that all components within the cannabis plant work better when they are all present, together (hence the name entourage).

Cbd Gummies For Sleep

No one really knows how much of each cannabinoid should be present to achieve this effect, they just believe that they all must be present in some compacity.

This is, largely, why broad spectrum CBD and full spectrum CBD exist.

The full spectrum CBD oil will have a tiny bit of THC in it (no more than 0.3%). This allows people who believe in the entourage effect to get that tiny bit of THC in their CBD oil.

The takeaway here is that hemp plants are typically high CBD strains, while marijuana are high THC strains.

Related article: Broad Spectrum CBD vs Full Spectrum CBD

Broad Spectrum CBD, though, has a THC content near 0.0%. People who want nothing to do with THC will likely benefit from broad spectrum products.

What Makes Things Addictive?

People can get addicting to things for a ton of different reasons. Some practitioners believe in the ‘addiction is a disease’ theory, while others believe it it strictly a dependency issue due to cravings of an altered state of mind.

Regardless of what you chose to believe, there are three major areas that all theories of addiction have in common:

  1. Biological: Factors that deal with ethnicity, genes, and even gender in addition to possible mental issues that someone could have.
  2. Environmental: The top three things here are: people, places, and things. These can play a big role in people who decide to start abusing substances. For example, a certain person, in the right environment, surrounded by certain things can trigger the start of an addiction.
  3. Neurological: Substances can affect neurotransmitters located within our brains. It is commonly agreed that this is one of the biggest issues when it comes to addiction.

Covering why things are addictive would take a book, if not several.

The key takeaways here should be that the more likely a substance is to alter your state of mind, the higher the chance that you can become addicted to it.

Since CBD does not alter your state of mind, it really hard to image this becoming an addictive substance.

Related: How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

CBD and Addiction Summarized

So, that about wraps up discussing CBD and its potential for being addictive.

No, CBD is not addictive at all. A lot of people seem to confuse CBD with a closely related molecule called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can be very addictive in nature.

CBD could possibly be the next big thing when it comes to natural medicine.

The health benefits of CBD goods are undeniable. It’s just an added plus that this incredible compound isn’t addictive.

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Hemp-derived CBD products are going to contain no more than 0.3% THC content by federal law. Marijuana derived CBD will likely have residual THC levels of well over 20%.

For this reason, New Phase Blends sells only hemp derived CBD products. They come in both broad spectrum and full spectrum CBD products.

Nothing we sell has any evidence that it can be addictive – at all.
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Commitment to Trusted Information on CBD

When it comes to understanding both the science and benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), it is extremely important that you can trust the source of your information. This is exactly why our team at New Phase Blends includes experts in the field of cannabinoid research and development, including frequent correspondence with certified medical professionals and PhDs in relevant fields via studies, research, and additional peer reviewed pieces of information. All information published is reviewed and checked for accuracy. We pride ourselves on staying up-to-date with the latest scientific research and clinical studies related to not only CBD, but also its effects on the human body.

Our website also includes an About Us page, where you can learn more about our team, mission, and commitment to providing accurate, reliable information about CBD. Users can access this from the header menu at the top of the screen. Additionally, all of our products are third-party lab tested for quality and purity, and we make the results of these tests easily accessible to our customers.

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Some articles you read may contain content created by the use of AI tools. This content is always edited by a human. We fact check any AI content, and ensure the information produced is accurate, up to date, and relevant to the article it may be contained in. All content is verified against peer reviewed data on CBD written by PhD’s and respective experts in their field of medical science.

Our goal in using AI content is to increase the user experience by increasing content production, and quality. This results in more information becoming available to the reader more frequently.

About the Author - CBD Expert Dale Hewett

Dale Hewett Author
Dale Hewett

Dale Hewett is the owner and founder of New Phase Blends. He discovered his passion for CBD use after suffering from injuries sustained while on Active Duty in the US Army. His number one priority is introducing the same CBD products that he himself uses for relief to others who can benefit from them.

Dale holds a Master Degree of Science, and is the inventor of the popular, CBD-based sleep aid known as ‘Sleep.’ He’s given multiple lectures on CBD to institutions such as Cornell’s MBA student program, and Wharton’s School of Business.

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