Despite deriving from the cannabis plant, CBD does not produce psychoactive effects associated with the feeling of being high. Those effects are commonly caused by THC, not CBD.
What is CBD? It's a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, along with many other compounds. As a result, it instantly leads to presumptions about the effect it has on your body and mind. After all, cannabis has long been used as a drug to get people high. Therefore, the assumption is that CBD products (such as CBD Gummies) will also get you high, which puts a lot of people off them.
However, this is a complete and utter myth. People that make this claim usually do so from an uneducated position. That's not meant as an insult; it's simply true that you haven't done enough research is that's your belief. CBD does not and can not cause a high, and we shall explain why.
CBD and THC
As mentioned in the opening line of this article, there are lots of compounds found in the cannabis plant. Amongst the many cannabinoids, you will come across tetrahydrocannabinol. Or, to give it its more common name: THC. Now, THC is the compound that will cause a high when you smoke or consume cannabis products. It has psychoactive effects, causing an altered state of mind.
Here's the thing, CBD products barely contain any THC at all. Some products have none whatsoever, but the UK regulations stipulate it's illegal to sell products with more than 0.2% of THC in them. This is specifically to safeguard against the psychoactive effects it produces. In essence, legal CBD products in the UK will never include enough THC to make you feel high and you can easily introduce products such as CBD gummies into your daily routine.
The science behind CBD and THC
If you want to dive a bit deeper and understand why CBD doesn't cause a high, you have to look at the science behind these cannabinoids. In the human body, you will find different cannabinoid receptors - most notably cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1). CB1 receptors are found in the brain, and both CBD and THC will interact with them.
THC will activate CB1 receptors, which is what provides the psychoactive effects. You start feeling euphoric, overly relaxed, and all the other typical symptoms associated with feeling high. The major difference is that CBD actually blocks CB1 receptors. It stops these euphoric feelings from being introduced to your body. Therefore, it actively works to prevent the feeling of being high.
Why do people think that CBD gets you high?
Realistically, it's all down to the association between CBD and cannabis. When people hear that this product derives from the plant, the natural line of thinking is to assume it makes you get high. That is literally the only reason behind this common misconception - there is no evidence to suggest that CBD gets you high at all, and the science backs this up.
All in all, if you're worried about taking different types of CBD products because you don't want to get high, there's nothing to worry about. Remember, THC is the compound in cannabis that provides psychoactive effects. CBD products are regulated to include no more than 0.2% THC, which is nowhere near enough to elicit these effects. In short, CBD will not get you high!
