You may have heard a lot more about CBD in the last couple of years. Heck, even your grandma's getting in on the CBD action. Well... maybe your grandma isn't but mine is. So what's the difference?
Cannabis has been proven to help with epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and more, while pre-clinical trials are also proving its efficacy with preventing the spread of cancer. Not to mention, it's a pretty harmless way to have a little fun but we'll stick to medicinal benefits on this post.
Cannabis can refer to two types of plant: Hemp and Marijuana. Hemp has very low amounts of the psychoactive chemical THC but retains higher levels of CBD. Marijuana on the other hand has been grown and cultivated to optimize the psychoactive component of the plant -THC. The main reason for this, up until about 15 years ago was that THC got people high and that was the primary reason it was being grown, purchased and smoked. Since then though, there has been an overwhelming amount of testimony and factual evidence that the therapeutic and medicinal properties of both versions of this plant can equally match and often overshadow the recreational reasons for its use.
There's more to this puzzle than just saying that cannabis is a miracle drug. Heck, in my lifetime I've witness the rise and fall of many of these so called "miracle drugs". Off the top of my head, the only one that stuck around was Kamboocha.
So we have to look at WHY and WHAT makes cannabis so remarkable and such a versatile medicine. For that we're going to talk about two things...
There are many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant and they do different things to everyones individual body, most of them helpful. The two most prominent and readily available are THC and CBD. THC gets you high (and likewise has many health benefits) while CBD has zero psychoactive effects/does NOT get you high while still offering many of the sought after health benefits and according to the World Health Organization, has little to no negative health risks.
In brevity, CBD reduces inflammation and alleviates anxiety and stress. I mean.. we could go on but isn't that enough?
Focusing solely on those mentioned benefits is enough to drive throngs of people to the store to purchase CBD. We offer many fully legal CBD products at Montana Canna just west of Kalispell, MT. Anyone can purchase them because they have just trace amounts of THC residuals from the plant concentrate they were created from and that's not enough to get you high or have any noticeable recreational psychoactive effect.
There's one pretty significant thing to point out though, even though many, many, many people have found wonderful relief using CBD, the beneficial effects are greatly compounded and effective when joined with some amount of THC. AND THAT'S WHY we have a legal medical cannabis program in our state. This joint partnership along with pairings of different terpenes is known as the 'Entourage Effect' and patients who use cannabis as medicine receive a greater benefit from using the whole cannabis plant as opposed to the isolated CBD compound. So, keep in mind as you ponder or engage is cannabis use of any kind.
Illegal for decades in the United States and in many places around the world, THC is found in the little white trichomes that cover the buds or flower of the marijuana plant and is the reason you get high when you 'smoke weed'.
Currently, recreational use of marijuana is still illegal in Montana and in over half of the United States. Because of this, companies began making CBD products out of hemp to circumnavigate the illegality of THC. BUT, many communities and law enforcement agencies were still confused as to the difference between the two and you can't blame them, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference by appearance alone.
We can wrap all of this up by saying that CBD has many medical properties. Whether you're interested in a sleep aid, an anti-stress mechanism, something to help you relax, a muscle rub, anti-inflammatory or other, you should ask your doctor about trying CBD in one of its many forms. That being said, you don't need a prescription to try CBD products but if you're on other medication it's better to be safe than sorry. If that alone isn't doing the trick, you may want to try for the entourage effect and experience a full spectrum cannabis product that contains THC. You WILL need not only a Dr's prescription for this but also a state issued medical marijuana card (unless you live in a state where marijuana is fully legal).
Think of essential oils. These smells, tastes, sensations and effects are catagorized as a 'terpene profile'.
Terpenes are naturally occurring in all grown cannabis plants. Different strains and varietals have unique tastes and smells. While all adhering somewhat to that definitive 'chronic' aroma, many can come off fruity, candy-like, citrusy, earthy or peppery. Each terpene profile affects the body and mood slightly differently:
CALMING
UPLIFTING
ENERGIZING
FOCUS
and more. Both CBD and THC containing products most likely will attempt to keep their original terpene profile so you should take that into consideration when making your product choice. Over 100 different terpenes have been identified in the cannabis plant, and every strain tends toward a unique composition.
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So where's the best place in Kalispell to get CBD? Good question! There are lots of people selling CBD right now and it comes from all over the country; from good companies making good products to bad companies making bad products with unhealthy additives and chemicals mixed in. Don't be fooled, there's ample of both in the marketplace.
It takes a lot of equipment and knowledge to make safe, isolated CBD and even though it can be done on a small scale, it's harder to verify the processes and end results of small batch products and they often fly under the radar of watchdog entities who will do some testing and R&D on the publics behalf. Check this out for some of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: https://cbdoilreview.org/cbd-companies
For many reasons, we choose to source our CBD products from CBDfx out of Los Angeles as well as grow our own high CBD % strain flower (Critical Mass CBD). You can purchase products online or stop into Montana Canna in Smith Valley (West Kalispell) if you're in the area and we'll happily walk you through what we have to offer. You can even get CBD for your pets :)
