Politicians and lawmakers may not want to hear this information, but I think many of you will.
Let's get right to it... hemp can definitely make you feel high!
About two years ago my relationship with marijuana/THC took a turn. After getting high over the course of twenty years, I was suddenly stricken with terrible paranoia and anxiety whenever THC entered my system. I've tried different varieties, terpene profiles, ratios of different cannabinoids, smoking, vaping, low doses, micro doses, and no matter what, if there is enough THC to provoke any kind of intoxication, my mind would go into a terrible state.
I'm not alone with this scenario either. Over the last couple of years I've met many other people who work in the industry (especially cultivators) that have experienced the same type of sudden anxiety from THC, after years of consumption. One day the marijuana gods flipped a switch on us and that was that!
The good thing about cannabis is there is massive spectrum of products that provide different experiences and effects. Within the world of marijuana there is an intoxicating spectrum from sedative to stimulating. However, within the world of cannabis as a whole, here is a spectrum from psychoactive to intoxicating.
Everyone knows what intoxicated means, but psychoactive is often misused. Psychoactive doesn't mean "high" or "intoxicated", but high and intoxicated do mean psychoactive. Psychoactive simply means that a substance is changing your brain chemistry and how it operates. Cancer.gov defines psychoactive as: A drug or other substance that affects how the brain works and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behavior. Examples of psychoactive substances include alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, and certain pain medicines. Many illegal drugs, such as heroin, LSD, cocaine, and amphetamines are also psychoactive substances. Also called psychotropic substance.
CBD, CBG, CBC, and other non-intoxicating cannabinoids, along with terpenes, are all psychoactive.
So, how does hemp make you feel high? Well, it all starts with tolerance. If you're a heavy hitter and are able to consume normal to large amounts of marijuana, without feeling overly intoxicated, you do dabs all day long, and/or eat hundreds of milligrams of marijuana edibles, chances are you're not going to feel a darn thing from smoking hemp. However, if you rarely consume marijuana (less than once a week) to the point that you never develop a tolerance to it (or don't consume marijuana at all) then you're up for a happy hemp experience.
Now let's be super clear about what I mean by hemp can make you feel high. I'm specifically talking about smoking hemp flower that is abundant with trichomes and has a super pungent terpene profile. The combination of the CBD or CBG, along with the terpenes, is ultimately what's creating the high.
CBG Hemp from Wild Fox Provisions is what GREAT hemp looks like!
You may be thinking "what about THC"? In the world of federally legal hemp, there must be less than .30% D9-THC. There is still a grey area it seems as to what constitutes THC. Some states are tallying TOTAL THC (THC+THCA), while other states are only looking at D9-THC. But regardless of the total THC and/or THCA, even hemp flower that's super low, or has zero THC, can still make you feel high because of the psychoactive and mildly intoxicating properties of the cannabinoids and terpenes together.
I'm not saying that you're stoned out of your gourd, or that you're giggling uncontrollably. Instead, it's a really mellow "warmth" that comes over your mind and body - which I compare to having two glasses of wine or high alcohol IPA. You can feel your mental state is altered, but it never goes into a realm that provokes anxiety, paranoia, panic, or any of the potential negative side effects that some people experience with marijuana.
Lately, I've been working on a hemp project that involves Interpening flower for quality and effects. Here are my key takeaways so far:
Some final thoughts... and opinions.
Hemp is amazing, but incredibly underrated.
Hemp is a better candidate to hemp combat prohibition and destigmatize "cannabis", compared to marijuana.
Hemp can help replace cigarettes, which kill nearly 500,000 people a year in the US alone.
Hemp will help marijuana users from developing an incredibly high tolerance, which can be detrimental to ECS health.
The taste and smell of consuming hemp flower, will provide a similar psychological response to that of marijuana for many smokers, and minimize the need to feel high, while still experiencing the medicinal benefits of hemp cannabinoids.
Hemp can help many people experience a true "Entourage Effect" of different cannabinoids, especially when combined with marijuana.
Hemp is more affordable, nowhere near as taxed as marijuana, and is much more accessible since it can be legally purchased online.
Hemp is more sustainable than marijuana.
Hemp has a much lower barrier of entry for farmers and entrepreneurs to enter the industry from legal and financial perspectives.
Hemp can clean the Earth, save the environments of our future, and provide so many more sustainable products compared to other plants like cotton, soy, corn, and palm.
Hemp is freaking awesome... so go smoke some and enjoy feeling calm or lucid!
Thanks for your time,
Brandon @ Trichome