Does CBD Make You High?

Written by Michael Wright

CBD is one of the hottest health supplements of the past decade, but there’s still a great deal of misinformation floating around about CBD and hemp-derived products, in general. One of the biggest misconceptions about CBD is about its effects and the idea that taking CBD will somehow make you high. Let’s be clear from the start: CBD does not get you high. That said, it is worth digging into the subject of CBD, including the question of THC content in CBD oil products and gaining a greater understanding of the terms, cannabis, marijuana, and hemp.

So, let’s get straight to it with the cannabinoid in question: CBD.

Understanding CBD

CBD (cannabidiol) is one of over a hundred chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant, called cannabinoids. Other cannabinoids include CBN, CBG, CBC and, of course, THC. These compounds serve to protect the cannabis plant from insect predators, grazing animals, and harsh weather, as well as attract pollinators.

CBD and THC (delta-9 THC, specifically) are the two major cannabinoids, meaning there’s much more CBD and THC in hemp and marijuana than any other cannabinoid. But nearly all of these hundred-plus compounds deliver at least some effects for users thanks to their interaction with one of your body’s most important systems.

The Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system (or, ECS) is a cell-signaling system that exists in all animals. Your body actually generates its own cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids, which deliver signals through cannabinoid receptors located in a variety of systems and organs throughout the body, helping them to maintain homeostasis, or balance. This, in turn, helps to regulate such crucial functions as appetite, sleep, mood, memory, pain, stress, motor control, and more.

When you consume CBD and other cannabinoids, they interact with these receptors in much the same way as your body’s own endocannabinoids. In doing so, CBD bolsters your body’s ECS and helps it to maintain that balance. This is one of the main reasons why CBD has become such a popular health and wellness supplement.**

Does CBD Get You High?

While CBD delivers a number of health-boosting effects, thanks to its interaction with the ECS, CBD doesn’t get you high. When people talk about CBD’s “chill” effects, they’re generally referring to the calming effects you can experience when taking CBD. These CBD calming effects are wonderful for stress relief and for winding down for bed, but they’re not the same thing as getting high.

What About THC?

Cannabidiol (CBD) does not cause people to experience the “high” associated with THC, which is the cannabinoid most associated with marijuana. Let’s begin here by noting that there are two forms of cannabis: marijuana and hemp. Marijuana is high in THC content and hemp is high in CBD content, but still contains low levels of THC (less than 0.3% THC, by law). All of the products we sell are made with low-THC hemp and not marijuana.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). While there are minor THC cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, we’re going to focus on the big boi: delta-9 THC (often shortened to simply, “THC”). In large enough quantities, THC delivers psychotropic effects that can be described as euphoric and mood-elevating (i.e. you “get high”).

While the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived CBD products, so long as they have less than 0.3% THC (measured by dry weight), those products can have a variance in terms of how much THC they actually contain.

Know Your CBD Oils: Full Spectrum CBD vs. Broad Spectrum CBD vs. CBD Isolate

CBD products can contain three types of CBD oils. Full spectrum CBD is the initial extract of the hemp plant, containing all cannabinoids (including CBD and legal traces of THC), terpenes, flavonoids, and health-friendly fatty acids. 

Broad spectrum CBD is the same oil, only all detectable levels of THC have been filtered out (along with a few of the other hemp compounds, in the process). Both of these types of oil can produce the Entourage Effect, the phenomenon by which CBD, THC, and other hemp compounds boost one another’s effects, giving you a deeper cannabinoid experience.

Unlike the aforementioned types of oil, CBD isolate is simply CBD with all other cannabis content removed. In fact, in this state, CBD isolate isn’t an oil at all, but rather a 99% pure CBD powder.

It’s worth noting that we also carry a line of delta-9 THC products, which are full spectrum CBD with added THC to get your product much closer to the legal limit. While these are still legally compliant products, the THC in these products can produce all the same psychotropic effects of THC found in marijuana (only at lower concentrations). 

Whether you’re taking one of our traditional full spectrum CBD products or a delta-9 THC product, you should be mindful of these potential effects. That means, don’t drive or operate heavy machinery when you use one of these products.

And, of course, if you’re taking a marijuana CBD product (that is, a CBD product made from the marijuana plant), you should expect a product high in THC content and be mindful of those same potentially intoxicating effects.

THC Concentration Chart

Here’s a handy chart to help you keep track of the THC content in the various types of CBD products we sell at CBDfx.

Final Thoughts: Will CBD Get You High?

As you’ve seen, while CBD can be a wonderful health supplement, this cannabinoid on its own cannot get you high. What’s important to monitor, in any cannabis CBD product, is how much THC it contains. We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of CBD, THC, and all the various types of CBD products. We wish you all the best on your CBD journey!