TOLEDO, Ohio — Smoking marijuana legally in Ohio is a brand new thing, but marijuana's close friend, CBD, has been around for years.
The two are completely different, but do they have the same effects? Let's VERIFY.
You've probably seen CBD products on store shelves for a while. From oils, drinks, food, to even pet products.
Our source is associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Toledo, Steven Peseckis.
"CBD itself is a single entity, a single chemical, a single substance and it's contained in marijuana," said Peseckis.
CBD usually comes from what's known as a hemp plant which is a type of cannabis plant, but has much less THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol to be exact.
"Some people have tested products that you buy and sometimes they have found 150% CBD compared to what's on the label, and some have zero CBD because there's no regulation," said Peseckis.
CBD can be used for pain relief and has been known to help with epilepsy.
By law though, a hemp plant has to have less than 0.3 THC. If it has more, then the plant becomes what we know as marijuana, according to Peseckis.
"CBD is not approved by the FDA and it's considered harmless, but THC is psychoactive and that's quite regulated and that's really why marijuana is regulated because it contains THC," said Peseckis.
So no, CBD doesn't get you high like marijuana.
There are no legal age restrictions to buy CBD but you do have to be 21 years old to buy marijuana.
Hemp plants have hundreds of chemicals including terpenes, which is really what makes each hemp plant and their effects different.
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