Taking the “high” out of cannabis

The most common scientific name for the recreational drug marijuana is cannabis but there are many other interesting nicknames and slang terms for it depending on what country or region you are in if you are using the stuff.

Here are some of them: weed, dope, grass, pot, reefer, ganga, hash.

In South Africa, my home country, a common term for the drug is ‘dagga”. Besides ganga, the Rastafarians also call it “wisdom weed” and believe it is the “herb of life” using Psalms 104: 14 in the Bible to justify using it: “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth.” According to them, it was also found growing at the grave of King Solomon. Jah Mon!

It's no laughing matter

I think most of us have experimented at some time or other with marijuana in its psychoactive form by smoking it. In my other life as a teenager, I personally preferred drinking beer, but peer group pressure compelled me to try it out. Mostly, it gave me the giggles, my world would suddenly become ridiculously hilarious and anything I said or anyone else said was just so funny. I would laugh and laugh and laugh and…

It became a lot less funny after I tried it in combination with alcohol. One or two bad experiences later I vowed never to touch weed again. And I never have, just the smell is enough to send me scuttling away. Lesson learned: stick to the devil you know. So I still enjoy my beers with mates at a braai (South African term for barbecue) or while watching sport.

Cannabis, chemicals, compounds and cannabinoids

Call it what you want, but for this article, we’ll stick to “cannabis” as the story is about CBD (cannabidiol) health products that are taking the world by storm. These CBD products are manufactured from the leaves, stems, flower tops, and seeds of the Cannabis sativa (hemp) plant once they are dried.

They are marketed and sold in the form of oils, salves, gels, gummies extracts, and supplements for their medicinal, health, and healing qualities.

To keep it simple the cannabis plant is composed of over 100 chemical compounds called cannabinoids and the two big players in the plant are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. They are both found in hemp and marijuana with THC being predominant in marijuana and CBD predominant in hemp.

THC gives you the “high” while CBD can be a gamechanger where your health is concerned. CBD products contain less than 0.3% of THC which makes them federally legal.

The CBD (cannabidiol) non-psychoactive cannabis market is one of the fastest-growing in the world since hemp farming was unbanned in 1937 in the USA when the distinction between CBD and THC was emphasized and the health benefits of and the body’s requirement for cannabinoids were acknowledged. The ending of the prohibition of cannabis opened up the markets allowing companies to sell CBD products directly to the public.

Health and wellness are trending and growing

CBD is the biggest trending and fastest-growing health and wellness industry right now after a few years of navigating and overcoming challenges and legislative hurdles. According to Forbes “CBD has become big business, and it’s set to get much bigger and more diverse. The cannabis market is forecast to grow from $2bn to $22bn by 2024.”

CBD is as necessary as Vitamin C and many other vitamins are for your body and besides its major health benefits for yourself, becoming a registered distributor of CBD products can also be a profitable side hustle.

Explore

Visit my Ko-fi shop at https://ko-fi.com/shop/settings?src=sidemenu and browse the products. My shop on Ko-fi is more of a display window than a shop as clicking on a product will take you to my website where you can purchase the product.

Once on my CBD website, you will be able to explore many more products as well the business opportunity model should that be an avenue you would like to explore.

Writing is thirsty work and if you enjoyed this story how about visiting my page on Ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/scabcorner49566 and buying me a cup of coffee? Also, feel free to check out my writing editing, and rewriting services available in the Commissions section. Thank you.