10 CBD Myths

Even though CBD is now a household name around the country, there’s still a lot that people don’t understand about this non-intoxicating cannabinoid. In some cases, myths and misconceptions can add to the mysterious allure of a substance or topic, but the myths surrounding CBD continue to lead consumers astray. In this list, we’ll cover 10 of the most prevalent CBD myths and provide facts that unveil the truth.

1. CBD comes from weed

Most people now understand that CBD is different from THC, but it’s still a common misconception that THC and CBD come from the same source. While THC-rich cannabis can contain small amounts of CBD, most CBD on the market comes from Cannabis sativa with less than 0.3% THC, which is usually called industrial hemp.

While intoxicating marijuana and non-intoxicating hemp are both forms of the Cannabis sativa plant, they have been bred to express different cannabinoids. CBD is not just another form of “weed,” and it contains negligible amounts of THC.

2. CBD converts into THC

Even though they recognize the profound differences between CBD and THC, many people still believe that CBD can convert to THC in your digestive system. This idea isn’t entirely off base since the acid forms of cannabinoids, such as CBDa and THCa, do convert into their neutral cannabinoid forms upon the application of heat.

CBD does not, however, convert into THC under any circumstances. These cannabinoids have entirely different chemical structures, and to convert one into the other, it would be necessary to alter molecules one at a time using state-of-the-art lab equipment. Regardless of how you use CBD, you don’t have to worry about it transforming into intoxicating THC after this cannabinoid enters your system.

3. CBD will make you fail a drug test

Like many myths, this CBD misconception contains a seed of fact at its core. CBD itself will not make you fail a drug test, but some CBD products contain small amounts of THC, which could show up in urinalysis or other types of drug testing.

There are no drug tests in existence that test specifically for CBD, so if you use CBD isolate or another type of cannabidiol extract that contains undetectable levels of THC, there is no chance that you will fail a drug test. If you consume high quantities of CBD products that contain up to 0.3% THC, however, there’s a small chance that enough CBD will accumulate in your system to cause you to test positive for THC when drug tested.

4. CBD is a scam

We’ll be the first to admit that there are some undoubtedly shady sides of the CBD industry. Especially in the first few years that CBD was on the market, unscrupulous entrepreneurs took advantage of consumer ignorance to sell sub-par products at sky-high prices.

Just because a few bad apples took advantage of consumer interest in a new product type, however, doesn’t mean that CBD itself is a scam. Plenty of honest CBD producers do their best to keep their prices low and offer as much value as possible. Calling these reliable entrepreneurs scammers would be the same as declaring the entire modern system of commodity sales a scam.

5. CBD doesn’t work

Some people believe that because CBD has occupied a unique regulatory status for so long not enough studies have been done to determine if this cannabinoid has any benefits. While it’s certainly true that CBD isn’t a miracle cure and that it isn’t the answer to every disease on the planet, the medical benefits of CBD have been thoroughly demonstrated in a wide variety of peer-reviewed studies.

There’s still a lot we need to learn to determine the exact benefits of CBD and discover which conditions this cannabinoid is best at treating. It’s also a fact, however, that a CBD product has been FDA-approved as a drug treatment for epilepsy, so saying that CBD doesn’t work for any conditions flies in the face of the entire modern medical model.

6. CBD isn’t psychoactive

In the early days of the CBD industry, it was common to see CBD referred to as “non-psychoactive” since this cannabinoid doesn’t get you high or cause any of the other hallmark effects of THC. Recently, however, we’ve discovered that this term doesn’t reflect the effects of CBD as accurately as we’d like.

While it’s true that CBD isn’t intoxicating, it does cause certain psychotropic effects. For instance, most people who use CBD report that this cannabinoid causes a calming, relaxing sensation, which couldn’t be the work of a non-psychoactive substance. Therefore, it’s more accurate to refer to CBD as “non-intoxicating” instead of calling this cannabinoid “non-psychoactive.”

7. CBD is legalized by state marijuana laws

Recently, quite a few states across the nation have legalized recreational marijuana, which is defined as cannabis products containing THC as their dominant cannabinoid. Just because your state has legalized recreational marijuana, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that it has also legalized CBD.

Some states, such as Texas, have legalized CBD without legalizing recreational marijuana. Other states, like California, have legalized recreational marijuana without legalizing CBD. 

While the federal government has clearly removed CBD from the DEA’s definition of marijuana, states may view CBD and THC differently. Make sure to look into your state and local laws to learn all the details regarding CBD and THC legislation in your area.

8. CBD requires a prescription

Some people who would otherwise gladly use CBD refrain from doing so because they believe that this cannabinoid can only be prescribed by a medical doctor. On the contrary, CBD products are widely available for sale in all 50 states from distributors located all around the country.

The main reason for this popular CBD misconception is the existence of Epidiolex, the world’s first CBD-based prescription drug. While it is necessary to receive a doctor’s recommendation to purchase Epidiolex, this rule does not apply to CBD products that are not branded as Epidiolex. Medical doctors are, in fact, incapable of prescribing CBD products aside from Epidiolex since they are not considered to be prescription drugs.

9. CBD is always more effective in higher doses

There are two common misconceptions regarding proper doses for CBD. Some people believe that CBD is equally effective no matter how much of this substance you take, and others are under the impression that CBD becomes more effective the more of it you ingest.

Since CBD doses as high as 1,500mg per day have been well-tolerated in clinical studies, there doesn’t appear to be any significant reason you shouldn’t take CBD in high quantities. Research has also shown, however, that CBD remains effective at doses of 200mg per day or less, indicating that there’s no compelling reason to ingest huge amounts of this cannabinoid. It’s also worth noting that unless you use full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD, this cannabinoid becomes less effective at extremely high doses, so it might be best to use CBD in moderation.

10. CBD is more effective in isolate form

There’s a common misconception regarding many different natural substances that they are more useful in their sanitized, isolated, or synthetic forms. In almost every case, however, the most natural forms of substances are also the most beneficial, and this principle certainly holds true for CBD.

As we mentioned above, CBD isolate performs worse than full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD at higher doses, and isolating CBD doesn’t even make this substance purer or safer. Even isolate CBD can contain THC, pesticides, heavy metals, or other contaminants, so the best way to produce high-potency, high-quality CBD is to grow hemp organically and use safe solvent-free extraction methods.