Five Reasons Why I Prefer CBD to THC
Functioning more frequently without fuzziness
Slovene version here.
So, yes. I have a confession to make. I, Jason Budd, have been using cannabis quite happily for over 20 years. Starting out as a way to have fun and socialize, it soon became important to me for other purposes in life. While studying, it helped me get through difficult times, and it was easy for my body to metabolize and recover from. Not only was it a much better option than getting drunk in bars and clubs, it also made working out in the gym far more fun. Can anyone relate to that? Cannabis is still such a taboo, it’s often hard to tell. Few people seem willing to open up about it — have you noticed?
Dear Mary Jane has also been my go-to solution whenever I’m ill — from skin rashes to aches and pains from playing competitive sport. Since the results were so good for me and friends of mine, the lack of official recognition of its medical benefits baffled me for years. In the famous words of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, “how could they be so obtuse?”
Official objections to cannabis never dampened my belief in its benefits, and I began to question the intentions behind them. Matters became clearer when the UK government sacked Professor Nutt from his position as Chief Drug Adviser after he recommended that cannabis was less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. It then became obvious that scientific evidence on cannabis has been long ignored for reasons of political expediency.
Now in my mid-40s, I still love cannabis and all the benefits it provides. I just don’t like the feeling of getting stoned (high). I want different things from this plant now that I’m getting a bit older. Although THC affects everyone in different ways, it no longer holds the same appeal to me as it once did — especially at artificially high levels. The strains have been getting stronger and stronger in the space of just a few years, and that’s why I switched to CBD cannabis only. Apart from being legally available in some EU Member States, including Italy, Austria and Slovenia, here are some of the rather astonishing benefits I noticed:
1. Quitting tobacco
I used to put tobacco in my joints for two reasons only — one was to help the joint burn and the second was to “dilute” the joint so it wasn’t so strong. Having smoked tobacco since I was in my late teens, I was never able to shake the habit until I transferred to smoking just CBD. Now the taste of tobacco makes me retch and heave, ending my tumultuous relationship with the real evil weed once and for all. I have even progressed further and vape CBD buds too. I do feel much better for it.
2. Easing social anxiety
Ever since I was young, I found social situations awkward. Avoiding parties and gatherings became my modus operandi. Smoking cannabis joints would only make me feel more reticent and catatonic, mainly because of the high levels of THC in the strains of cannabis that are popular on the black market. However, now that CBD joints have become possible, I certainly feel much more relaxed and comfortable around others. No creeping paranoia or irrational concerns about things that may or may not be happening. This can be exhausting and, quite frankly, I’m very happy it’s not something I have to deal with anymore. Feeling calm around others is an unexpected benefit to CBD, and one of the most valuable.
3. Sleeping and relaxing
One key worry that high-THC cannabis users have is that they won’t be able to sleep quickly and deeply if they switch to the legal CBD option. However CBD vaping helps me sleep just as well, which is critical for me and so many others out there. Like many, I think sleeping pills are dangerous and so avoid them for that reason. For years, though, I would never be able to sleep properly unless I’d smoked at least half a joint. Now, with a couple of vapes of CBD weed, I feel that calming and relaxing feeling coursing through my body, but without the mind spinning high.
4. Social acceptance
Just mention those three little letters “THC” to your friend, colleague or neighbor and just see the look of shock on their faces. Despite being completely irrational, this reflex response makes the mainstream acceptance of the wonderful cannabis plant even more difficult. However, if you talk about CBD, you’ll see that very same person’s eyes light up. We are talking about two different cannabinoids in the exact same plant, but the reaction you get for each is startling different. That’s quite critical when you think about it — finally all of our friends and family can understand what the big fuss is all about!
5. Stepping stone
The more perceptive among us can also see that CBD cannabis is a vital stepping stone on the way to getting THC cannabis widely available all over the world. If cannabis companies such as Vutra, Responsible Pot, EasyJoint and others around the European Union can prove they can handle 0.2% THC safely, then the question is whether that limit can now be raised to 1%. This is the current threshold in Switzerland, a non-EU country that often serves as an excellent template for how the EU should do things. From there, you have a solid basis for mainstream European society’s acceptance of cannabis with normal levels of THC.
CBD cannabis buds (and oils too) are helping me sleep better and feel less anxious. They are helping in my efforts to quit tobacco. These incredible buds are also accelerating the mainstream acceptance of cannabis, and in a regulated, taxable, trackable, accountable and fully tested environment.
So, what’s to like and not to like? Let me know your experiences with CBD buds/oils in the comments below!
