When you are looking for CBD products, it is common to see CBD goods marketed as ‘100% THC Free’ -and for most people that might sound like a positive. THC is, of course, the part of the cannabis plant that gets us ‘high’ – it is the psychoactive compound. Many people who use CBD goods use it during work and social hours, so they do not want to be ‘high’ as it could impact performance or even cause disciplinary issues in the workplace.
However, THC-free might not be the huge positivity that it sounds. Why?
There is no such thing as ‘zero’ THC
So, the first thing to make clear is that THC is almost impossible to remove in its entirety from a CBD product. Anything that does is more synthetic than natural. Any botanical extract cannot really claim to be 100% free from something. The processing required to remove it would mean that it is far more likely to be a synthesised product as opposed to a natural product.
THC and CBD work hand-in-hand
As you likely know, when it comes to the biological make-up of something all of its part work together in tandem. All of these nutrients and vitamins are so strong because they work together, not as a solo solution. Well, THC and CBD are somewhat similar. They work together, and removing part of that substance means weakening another.
Given that the vast majority of CBD products contain one third of a percent of THC – keeping that won’t make someone get high, but it is likely to have a detrimental impact on the quality of the CBD.
Getting rid of all THC is nigh-impossible
Given that CBD-dominant strains of cannabis can have anything from 6% to 40% THC present, it is almost impossible to get rid of entirely. However, the lowest amount of THC you can find in most strains that are at the minimum is .42%.
This still exceeds the (ridiculous) .03% which is currently allowed to be present. To reach that level, we have to work some magic that involves isolating the CBD, causing the impact we mentioned above.
CBD overpowers weaker THC levels
It has been shown that around 6% of THC can be present in a CBD product without anyone getting “high” – this is because CBD totally wins the battle in being the dominant resource when you get to or stay below the 6% mark.
So, for that reason, CBD is capable of overpowering the THC and thus you cannot really get ‘high’ from using most CBD products.
THC-free is not the answer
If you believe that you must only use THC-free products, then you are mistaken. CBD will not give you the “high” effect, and just about any CBD product on the market today retains its THC margins to well below a portion that you would even notice a slight impact. The amount of THC we find in full spectrum hemp oil, for example, wouldn’t get anyone high – even a total newbie. However, the small amount of THC synergises with the rest of the ingredients and allows for extra compounds, such as positive terpenes and flavonoids, to thrive.
In a THC-free product, it is hard to make the same claims of such variable strength. So, if you are worried that your CBD product contains a little bit of THC, even up to 6% THC can be present without seeing you get ‘high’.