Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant. It is the second highest concentrated cannabinoid, behind only THC.  

CBD, however, is non-psychoactive, unlike THC. So, this means that it will not produce a “high” like THC. In fact, one of the many uses for CBD is to counteract the anxiety and paranoia effects that THC can cause. So often when your buddy is freaking out in the corner after hitting the doobie too hard, all he needs is some CBD, so better break out the harlequin, a CBD heavy strain that always contains more CBD than THC.

CBD not only decreases the negative effects of THC, but it boosts the painkilling properties, making THC and CBD the ultimate pain fighting duo.

CBD also works for getting rid of pain by itself too. In fact, it has many medical benefits. It can be used to help treat acne, cigarette addiction, insomnia, MS, epilepsy, PTSD, depression, diabetes, arthritis, and countless other health issues.

CBD can be found in more than just marijuana too. It can also be found in hemp, for those who don’t want the effects of THC at all, although it is in far less quantity and potency, since CBD likes to interact with other cannabinoids to heighten its effects.

When being purchased, CBD can be found in several forms. The purest form is CBD crystalline. When found in this form, it is always at least 99 percent pure, and often higher than that, being closer to 99.6 to 99.9 percent. It can be a little intimidating, looking like crystal meth or crack, but it is the most effective form of CBD. Like many marijuana products, you can take this crystal and smoke it, by dabbing it, or even crushing it up into a blunt or bowl.

Another way CBD can be purchased is in the form of hemp oil. Hemp oil however, often doesn’t contain things like the terpenes or anything marijuana plants have that help to kickstart and improve the CBD. Hemp oil also requires a vast more amount of hemp than it takes to extract CBD from a marijuana plant too, making it less efficient. High concentrations of CBD can also be found in various edibles, and strains of marijuana, like the harlequin mentioned earlier, or the infamous Charlotte’s Web, which was created by Colorado growers to save a little girl’s life who had multiple seizures daily. She would have hundreds of seizures in a week, but now only has a few each month due to the development of this strain for her and those like her suffering epileptic or epileptic-like seizures.  

When looking at marijuana, people all too often are only focused on the THC content of the plant, when in reality, the big star of pot, on the medical side at least, is CBD. So if you suffer from chronic pain, or even just get a little too anxious when smoking sometimes, look into strains with higher amounts of CBD.

Collegian Blogger Dylan Simonson can be reached online at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @DylanSimonson0.