CBD vs THC: The Surprising Differences

CBD and THC are both molecules found in cannabis called cannabinoids.

💡What are cannabinoids? Molecules that link up with your body’s system, affecting things like pain, mood, and hunger.

While both THC and CBD are cannabinoids they affect your body in radically different ways:

• THC is psychoactive, meaning it’s the molecule that gets you “high”.
• CBD is non-intoxicating, delivering relaxing benefits that don’t alter your mental state.

⬇️Below are 16 surprising differences between CBD and THC:

1. THC gets you high, CBD doesn’t

THC gets you high because it activates sensors in your brain that release feel-good chemicals. CBD doesn’t trigger these sensors, so it doesn’t cause a high. In fact, CBD can reduce THC’s effects by blocking those brain sensors, lowering the intensity of the high.

How it works: Your body has tiny sensors called CB1 receptors. These receptors are found throughout your body, including your brain and nervous system.

When THC enters your body:

• It connects to CB1 receptors in your brain and nervous system.
• This causes your brain to release dopamine, a feel-good chemical.
• You feel the “high” that cannabis is known for.

When CBD enters your system:

• It doesn't connect to CB1 receptors like THC does.
• It actually reduces how strongly THC connects to these receptors
• You don't get high but may experience other effects

Bottom line: THC gets you high and CBD does not. In fact, CBD actually reduces THC’s psychoactive effects by interfering with its binding to CB1 receptors, lessening the high. 

2. CBD softens THC’s strong effects

CBD counters THC’s high by interfering with THC’s effects on your brain. CBD blocks some of the places where THC usually attaches to the brain, making the high less intense. This is why CBD can help when you’re too high from THC. It doesn’t stop the high completely but makes it more comfortable and manageable.

How CBD reduces THC's effects:

• Blocking THC: CBD gets in the way of THC in your brain. It’s like CBD takes up some of the spots where THC would usually park in your brain. These spots are called CB1 receptors.
• Fewer receptors activated: With CBD occupying these CB1 receptor spots, THC can’t have as strong an effect on your brain because THC needs to bind to CB1 receptors to get you high.

If you use CBD with THC you’ll notice:

• A milder “high” feeling.
• Less worry or unease that sometimes comes with strong THC.
• Clearer thinking compared to using THC alone.

Bottom line: CBD acts like a moderator, toning down THC's intense effects. It doesn't eliminate the high but makes it more manageable and enjoyable, especially if you're sensitive to THC.

3. CBD relaxes you, THC can go either way

THC can be unpredictable: At low doses, THC can help you unwind and ease tension. Higher amounts can lead to overstimulation, making you feel restless or uneasy.

Here’s why: THC acts like a key unlocking special receptors (CB1 receptors) in your brain. When only a few are unlocked, you feel relaxed. But if too many are activated, it turns up your brain's activity—sounds seem louder, colors brighter, and your thoughts may race. This overstimulation can make you feel alert or uneasy instead of calm.

Why CBD relaxes you: CBD works with your body’s natural mood-balancing system. It helps increase levels of a chemical in your brain called serotonin, which promotes feelings of calmness and well-being. Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t make you feel high or overly alert. Instead, it provides a gentle, steady sense of relaxation.

4. THC makes you hungry, CBD controls appetite

THC makes you hungry by attaching to special spots in your brain that control appetite. This causes your body to release a hormone that signals hunger. THC also makes food smell and taste better. It tricks your brain into thinking you’re very hungry, even if you’ve just eaten.

THC makes you hungry: 

• THC binds to CB1 receptors in your brain's appetite center, causing your body to release ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry.
• THC enhances taste and smell, making food more appealing and enjoyable (munchies).

CBD doesn’t stimulate appetite: 

• CBD doesn’t activate CB1 receptors like THC does. Instead, it might help regulate your appetite.
• CBD interacts with your body’s system that controls hunger, fullness, and metabolism. This means it could help keep your eating patterns more stable, without causing sudden hunger or cravings like THC.

Bottom line: If you're looking to stimulate your appetite, THC is your best bet. If you're watching your weight or prefer not to feel extra hungry, CBD is the way to go.

5. THC disrupts memory, CBD improves it

THC makes you foggy by overstimulating brain areas involved in memory and thinking. This can make you forgetful and unfocused, whereas CBD improves blood flow to brain memory areas, boosting their function.

Why this happens: THC binds to CB1 receptors in the brain which are abundant in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (the brain’s memory and thinking centers). This overstimulation disrupts normal brain activity, whereas CBD doesn’t bind to CB1 receptors and instead improves blood flow to the hippocampus, sending more oxygen and nutrients to the memory center of your brain.

THC and the brain:

1. You might be more forgetful.
2. Staying on task can be more challenging.
3. Quick choices might take longer than usual.

CBD and the brain:

1. Protects neurons and soothes neural tissues
2. Helps you stay attentive without the “high”
3. Promotes a sense of well-being and calm

6. THC for deep sleep, CBD to wake refreshed

THC helps you fall asleep fast but can leave you groggy since it reduces REM sleep, which is important for memory and brain function. CBD works slower, helping you relax into sleep without disrupting REM, so you wake up feeling more refreshed.

• THC makes you fall asleep faster by increasing adenosine, a chemical that promotes sleep. The deep sleep cuts down on REM sleep which leaves you feeling groggy when you wake up.
• CBD doesn't affect adenosine or REM, and instead interacts with serotonin receptors promoting calmness and making it easier to drift into sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

Bottom line: THC can help you fall asleep fast and sleep very deeply. The deep sleep comes at a price because it reduces REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which leaves you feeling groggy and irritable when you wake up. 

7. THC relieves pain fast, CBD works slower

THC and CBD both help with pain, but in different ways. THC acts fast, giving quick relief for intense pain by directly affecting brain areas that control pain perception. CBD works slowly, reducing irritation throughout your body for longer-lasting relief.

In short: THC is better for immediate and severe pain, and CBD is better for managing chronic pain over time.

THC for pain:

• Fast-acting:Provides quick relief for sudden, intense pain.
• Direct brain effects:Targets brain areas to quickly reduce pain perception.
• Severe pain solution:Ideal for when you need immediate relief from strong pain.

CBD for pain:

• Long-term relief: Offers slower, lasting effects for managing ongoing pain.
• Whole-body calm: Reduces overall discomfort and soreness.
• Daily-friendly: Suitable for regular use without causing a high.

8. THC impairs driving, CBD doesn’t

THC can impair driving by affecting brain areas that control coordination and reaction time. This can make it harder to stay in your lane or respond quickly to unexpected events. CBD doesn’t make you feel high or slow your reactions, so it’s considered safe for driving.

• THC activates CB1 receptors in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and prefrontal cortex, which are parts of the brain necessary for motor control and decision-making.  This can reduce driving performance for up to 4 hours. 
• CBD is considered safe for driving, even at very high doses (up to 1,500 mg). It doesn’t cause intoxication and actually reduces the effects of THC.

Bottom line: CBD is safe for driving and THC is not.

9. THC can increase heart rate, CBD lowers it

Depending on how much you use THC can make your heart beat faster because it triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response, similar to how you feel when excited or nervous. CBD is the opposite and helps keep your heart rate steady or even lowers it by calming your body’s stress reactions.

• THC activates CB1 receptors, triggering the release of stress hormones like adrenaline, which can increase the heart rate. THC can boost heart rate by 20-50 beats per minute for hours. 
• CBD interacts with different receptors, potentially reducing stress responses in the body. It can improve blood flow to the heart, helping maintain a steadier rhythm, especially during stress.

Buyer guide: Try choosing products with a mix of both THC and CBD (ratio 100:100). CBD can offset THC’s effects, reducing the release of adrenaline for a smoother more enjoyable experience, especially for beginners.

10. THC gives you red eyes, CBD doesn’t

THC can make your eyes look red because it expands blood vessels in your eyes, increasing blood flow. This is why people often get “bloodshot” eyes after smoking weed. CBD doesn’t, so if you want a more subtle cannabinoid, CBD might be a better choice than THC.

Why it happens: THC binds to CB1 receptors in your eyes and brain, causing vasodilation (blood vessel expansion) and lowering blood pressure. This increases blood flow to your eyes, making them appear red.

11. THC intensifies emotions, CBD stabilizes them

THC can make your emotions feel stronger or more intense, making both positive and negative feelings stronger. CBD tends to stabilize emotions, helping to reduce stress or anxious thoughts without causing mood swings. For emotional balance, CBD is definitely the winner.

• THC activates CB1 receptors in emotion-processing brain areas, which increases emotional sensitivity. Simply put, it enhances whatever mood you are already feeling, whether consciously or subconsciously. 
• CBD helps balance your emotions by working with your body’s endocannabinoid system. It calms the brain area that handles fear and stress and helps different parts of your brain communicate better which helps with emotional stability.

12. THC boosts creativity, CBD doesn't

THC can boost creativity by helping you come up with more ideas and make unexpected connections. It can make you feel more imaginative and open to new thoughts. While CBD can help you relax, it doesn’t help enhance creative thinking the same way THC would.

Why this happens: THC increases dopamine release in the striatum, which is involved in reward and motivation. This boost in neural activity allows more free-flowing thoughts and improved divergent thinking (multiple idea generation).

13. THC makes giggly, CBD doesn’t

THC boosts chemicals in your brain that make you feel so good you can’t help but laugh. It also changes how you perceive things, making ordinary stuff seem much funnier. While CBD can help you relax, it doesn’t cause this giggly effect like THC does.

Why you laugh: THC activates brain receptors that increase dopamine, a feel-good chemical. This boost in dopamine can lower your inhibitions making you laugh at things you would normally hold restraint to.

14. THC heightens touch, CBD relaxes it

THC can make your sense of touch more sensitive, so physical sensations might feel more intense or pleasurable. You might notice textures, temperatures, or gentle touches more strongly. CBD helps your body relax and unwind, but it doesn’t enhance physical sensations the way THC does.

• THC activates CB1 receptors in brain areas that process touch. This strengthens the touch signals your brain receives, making them feel more noticeable or intense.
• CBD doesn’t activate these receptors directly, so it doesn’t enhance touch sensitivity like THC does.

15. THC enhances visual, CBD doesn’t

THC can change how you see things by changing how your brain processes visual information. It can make colors seem more vivid and patterns more apparent. You might also perceive more contrast in what you’re looking at, whereas CBD doesn’t alter your vision in any way.

• THC interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the visual cortex, the brain’s main visual processing area. This changes how neurons (nerve cells) communicate in both the primary and secondary visual cortex. As a result, you might notice more contrast and details in what you see.
• THC also affects the lateral geniculate nucleus, a relay station for visual information that alters how visual signals are set to and interpreted by the brain.

16. THC gives cottonmouth, CBD doesn’t

THC causes dry mouth by interacting with receptors in your salivary glands, reducing saliva production. This makes your mouth feel very dry (cotton mouth effect). CBD can sometimes cause mild dry mouth, but it’s much less intense and common than THC.

Why you get cottonmouth: THC activates the submandibular glands, which produce saliva. This activation inhibits saliva production, leading to xerostomia (dry mouth).

Final Thoughts

Think of CBD and THC as two siblings from the same cannabinoid family, but they behave very differently in your body. When THC enters your system, it directly activates brain receptors that change how you think and feel, creating that well-known "high" sensation. You'll notice changes in your mood, heightened senses, and increased appetite.

CBD takes a gentler approach. Instead of causing intoxication, it works by balancing your body's natural systems. CBD can help reduce THC's stronger effects, which is why it’s always recommended for beginners to buy products with a mixed ratio of THC and CBD.

If you're looking to maintain daily functionality while experiencing therapeutic benefits, CBD is your better option. However, if you're seeking immediate and pronounced effects, particularly for pain relief or sleep, THC might be more suitable – just be aware it will impact your mental state and ability to perform certain tasks like driving.