FAQ

What is medical marijuana?

Both recreational and medical strains of marijuana (also known as cannabis or marihuana) come from the cannabis plant. After they’re dried, the leaves can be smoked or ingested. Marijuana contains over 70 cannabinoids, or chemical compounds, each of which has different effects on the body.

The two main cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Marijuana growers typically grow plants that have a concentration of one or the other cannabinoid.

THC causes the mind-altering or psychoactive effects that recreational users seek. It creates a feeling of euphoria, stimulates the appetite, and enhances the senses. It can also impair driving and cognition, distort one’s sense of time, and have other negative effects.

In contrast, you cannot get high from CBD, which is the main cannabinoid in medical marijuana. CBD is used to treat numerous conditions and diseases. Research suggests that it’s effective in the treatment of pain, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and many more conditions. As medical marijuana, it’s used in oils, skin patches, and gels in addition to being smoked. CBD is considered safer than THC.

Medical marijuana comes from plants grown organically for their CBD content. However, they also contain some THC. THC is not just a recreational substance, though. Some THC has been found to have therapeutic uses as well. Moreover, a combination of THC and CBD is sometimes more effective than CBD alone, such as in a 2009 study of patients with advanced cancer pain.

Medical marijuana that won’t get you high

You don’t have to know all the science about how marijuana affects people. When you want medical benefits from marijuana without getting high, know this difference between THC and CBD. THC can get you high. CBD can’t.

Some people who use medical marijuana want only the CBD content. If you’ll be using medical marijuana while you’re at work, for example, you probably don’t want to get high from it. Also, since THC affects driving ability, you should avoid using it for at least several hours before driving. CBD provides medical benefits without any psychoactive effects.

Other people, however, want to feel a euphoric high to help them relax while medical marijuana eases their symptoms. Perhaps you’re looking for an energy boost from THC to help you get moving. You want medical marijuana that contains enough THC to affect you while also getting the health benefits of CBD.
If you want medical marijuana that will provide health benefits without getting you high, look for a higher concentration of CBD than THC.

CBD vs. THC in cannabis oil

Cannabinoids are the active compounds in cannabis that cause its most popular effects.
The most well-known cannabinoid is THC. It gained notoriety for its psychoactive effects, but it’s responsible for more than just making you feel high.

It has several medicinal benefits, including:

• Working as an antiemetic for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. (An antiemetic is a drug that reduces the side effects of another drug, like vomiting or nausea.)
• Helping reduce pain and sleep disturbances for patients with multiple sclerosis
• Reducing intraocular pressure for patients with glaucoma
• Stimulating appetite in cancer patients

Interest in CBD, aka cannabidiol, in the medical cannabis community has exploded in recent years. This is because CBD has a number of medicinal benefits, but it doesn’t cause any psychoactive effects.
After learning about CBD, more people who were opposed to using cannabis now consider it as a treatment for health conditions because CBD can:

• Have antipsychotic effects
• Act as an antiemetic
• Help manage and reduce anxiety
• Work as a treatment for inflammation

Click here to view our Cannabis oil products.

Cannabis can be administered in many different ways. Whether it’s through ingesting with edibles, vaped, via your skin with topicals or via suppositories, cannabis isn’t only be smoked. However, no method of delivery is becoming as popular as cannabis oil.
But with cannabis oil comes a lot of questions, like:

• How much do I take?
• When should I take it?
• How do I cook with it?

CBD vs. THC in cannabis oil

Cannabinoids are the active compounds in cannabis that cause its most popular effects.
The most well-known cannabinoid is THC. It gained notoriety for its psychoactive effects, but it’s responsible for more than just making you feel high.
It has several medicinal benefits, including:

• Working as an antiemetic for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. (An antiemetic is a drug that reduces the side effects of another drug, like vomiting or nausea.)
• Helping reduce pain and sleep disturbances for patients with multiple sclerosis
• Reducing intraocular pressure for patients with glaucoma
• Stimulating appetite in cancer patients

Interest in CBD, aka cannabidiol, in the medical cannabis community has exploded in recent years. This is because CBD has a number of medicinal benefits, but it doesn’t cause any psychoactive effects.
After learning about CBD, more people who were opposed to using cannabis now consider it as a treatment for health conditions because CBD can:

• Have antipsychotic effects
• Act as an antiemetic
• Help manage and reduce anxiety
• Work as a treatment for inflammation

Using cannabis oil

Start low and slow.

All cannabis oil packaging must state the percentage of THC and CBD in the oil (so you know how potent and psychotropic it is before you use it). Just like strains of dried cannabis, oils can have stronger concentrations of CBD, THC, or be more balanced, and thus create very different experiences. Not all oils are created equal – so reading the packaging is crucial for your first time.

THC 5.0mg/mL | CBD 5.0 mg/mL is a completely balanced blend of oil.
THC 30.0mg/mL | CBD <1mg/mL is a THC-dominant oil.
THC <1mg/mL | CBD 20.0mg/mL is a CBD-dominant oil.

Most oils on the market come with droppers that make it easy to get a standard dose every time, and that can be used to place a few drops under the tongue(sublingual) or in your food (edible).
Some producers will also create capsules with cannabis oils. Capsules are a good way to control the dosage of the cannabis oil you need.
Topicals don’t make it into your bloodstream, just into your cannabinoid receptors, and can be great for localized pain. Cannabis oils distributed by producers in South Africa are already “active,” which means that the cannabinoids within them already produce the desired effects – and thus don’t need to be heated or vaporized. Just ingested.

When to take cannabis oil

Because oils are slow-acting and long-lasting, it’s recommended that you start low, and go slow when experimenting with oils. They’re a much more concentrated version of flowers and buds and can have some unpleasant side effects like nausea, dizziness, thirst, and a drop in blood sugar levels if you go too quickly. Taking the oil with food in your stomach has been known to minimize nausea.
Tip: if you over-consume, ginger tea is a good way to ground your anxiety.

Using oils under the tongue (holding it there for a minute to let them sink in) will provide the quickest effects, but most will still only kick in from 1-2 hours from the time you take it – and can last for as long as 6-10 hours in some cases. The initial onset and duration of cannabis oil is much longer than vaping or smoking because it’s absorbed through the digestive system and bloodstream, and it’s not recommended to take a second dose (whether edible or sublingual) until 4 solid hours have gone by.

Some people take their daily dose of oils all at one time (before bed), but others spread it out throughout the day depending on their other responsibilities. Depending on the concentration of CBD and THC in the oil, you’ll want to experience the oil in small doses and figure out what works for you.

Effects of cannabis oil

If you’ve experimented with other forms of cannabis before, your sensitivity to THC is a key factor in what kind of oil to choose. If you enjoy the typical “high”, picking a THC-rich oil would kick that up a notch, whereas oils with higher concentrations of CBD often have reduced THC values and therefore feel more toned down. It’s recommended that most people start with a CBD-rich oil or an evenly balanced CBD-THC oil, observe, and then gradually increase the amount of THC.

In general, cannabis oil has different effects than dried flower — oil takes longer for your body to process when ingested and the experience can last much longer.  Oils can be helpful for long-lasting relief for things like insomnia or chronic pain. The sensations of using oils can include the same ones you feel when smoking or vaping cannabis.

Dosage

When first starting out with cannabis oil, most people take a small droplet about the size of a single grain of rice. Wait at least 4 hours, and see how it affects you. Despite suggestions and guides – everybody’s endocannabinoid systems and reactions are different.

A standard dose of Cannabis oil begins at 10 mg – or 1ml. However, it’s also possible to microdose at 2.5 to 5 milligrams daily. For more severe conditions, a much higher dose may be needed – and some patients are known to go up to 1 gram per day. However, a daily gram of cannabis oil is a very large amount and the attention of a cannabis-savvy doctor is always best. Be sure to increase dose amounts in small increments.

Cannabis oils sold online should all have the ratio of THC/CBD per mg/mL listed directly on the packaging or on the brand’s website.
Remember: the effects of cannabis oils are drawn out and stronger – but they still provide the same medicinal effects as vaping. You’re simply getting it into your body and to your endocannabinoid receptors in a different way instead of breathing it in.

CBD:THC Ratio

Effect

0:1 Strong psychotropic effect with anxiety as a possible side effect
1:2 Relatively strong psychotropic effect with mild anxiety as a possible side effect
1:1 Relaxation, light psychotropic effect, minimal side effects
2:1 Mild sedation, few or no psychotropic effects, few side effects
1:0 No psychotropic effects at all, very high potential for therapeutic use (i.e. anti-psychotic benefits, treatment for epilepsy, etc)

Typically a single dose of an edible is 10 mg of either THC or CBD – but some medical cannabis products can contain over 100mg of THC. As always, the stronger concentrations are better to work up to slowly. After testing out a single dose, most medical cannabis patients are recommended to increase in increments of 5 mg until they achieve the desired effects.

Click here to view our Cannabis oil products.

For something that’s meant to relax you, buying cannabis oil can be a stressful process.

• What do all of the different names mean?
• What are my options?
• How do I know I can trust this supplier?
• How do I consume it?

The low-down on cannabis oil

Cannabis oils are extractions of cannabinoids and terpenes from Cannabis plants.
Cannabis oil can contain:

• • Cannabidiol (CBD)
  • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is known for a psychoactive and the “typical high” feeling
  • Other minor cannabinoids (in non-detectable quantities)
  • Terpenes (Aromatic compounds)
  • Carrier oils like olive or coconut oil

One of the most popular methods of Cannabis consumption is cannabis oil. Taken under the tongue or infused into food, it is a handy way to reap the therapeutic benefits of the plant without smoking or vaping. It’s also discreet.
Cannabis oils can also be infused into topicals (creams, moisturizers), edibles (cookies, brownies), juice, or capsules.

Make sure the cannabis oil is from a good source

Cannabis oil is sourced from the same dried buds you’d use to vape or smoke.
Make sure that whoever you buy cannabis oil from only uses cannabis buds/flowers in their production process — no leaves, trimmings or waste material. It’s also critical to make sure that only the highest-quality cannabis is used in any oil that you decide to buy.

Why?
Because cannabis oil is incredibly concentrated, it’s exponentially more potent than dried Cannabis on its own.
So if the flowers used to create your cannabis oil have any impurities in them — like pesticides, fertilizers or residual solvents — then the health risk associated with those substances exponentially increases as well.

A study looked at 57 samples of concentrated cannabis to check for residual solvents and pesticides. Over 80 percent of the samples were contaminated.

Lower-grade cannabis is usually improperly dried. Why does this matter?
As cannabis dries, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) becomes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). When cannabis goes through this process improperly, it contains a high amount of cannabinol (CBN). CBN is a breakdown of THC, and it is much less psychoactive than THC.
This means that aged, improperly dried cannabis won’t have as much of a therapeutic effect as you’d expect it to.

You want to make sure that the cannabis is grown in as natural and pure of a way as possible.

CBD vs. THC in cannabis oil

Cannabinoids are the active compounds in cannabis that cause its most popular effects. The most well-known cannabinoid is THC. It’s notorious for its psychoactive effects, but it’s responsible for more than just making you high.
It has several medicinal benefits, including:

• Working as an antiemetic for cancer patients going through chemotherapy by reducing the side effects of another drug, like vomiting or nausea.
• Helping reduce pain and sleep disturbances for patients with multiple sclerosis.
• Reducing intraocular pressure for patients with glaucoma.
• Stimulating appetite in cancer patients.

Interest in CBD (Cannabidiol) in the medical cannabis community has exploded in recent years. This is because CBD has a number of medicinal benefits, but it doesn’t cause any psychoactive effects.
After learning about CBD, more people who were opposed to using cannabis now consider it as a treatment for health conditions because CBD can:

• Have antipsychotic effects
• Act as an antiemetic
• Help manage and reduce anxiety
• Work as a treatment for inflammation

What are THC/CBD ratios, and what do they mean?

As discussed earlier, THC and CBD have different effects on the body. The ideal ratio differs for each person based on their needs, but there is a general understanding of what the effects are at certain ratios.

Here’s what sorts of symptoms one can expect to experience at the following ratios:

How is cannabis oil made?

Producers make cannabis oil by extracting the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant. To try and make your own oil, soak your cannabis in a solvent, let the solvent evaporate, and what’s left is your oil. Popular solvents include ethanol, petroleum ether, olive oil, and naphtha.

How does the extraction method affect the cannabis oil?

The extraction method you use is important since harmful solvents can compromise your health. While there are several popular methods of cannabinoid extraction in circulation, including these popular solvents: ethanol, petroleum ether, olive oil, and naphtha. Using naphtha is the least desirable option while ethanol and olive oil are the safest and most effective.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (CO2 Extraction)

Supercritical fluid extraction, more commonly referred to as CO2 extraction, doesn’t involve any solvent.
Carbon dioxide is compressed until it becomes supercritical fluid, which is a substance that acts as both a liquid and a gas.
The supercritical carbon dioxide strips away the cannabis plant’s essential oils in a controlled manner, and this allows the final product to contain more terpenes.

The most appealing thing about this process is that it doesn’t need any solvents. That eliminates any possibility of toxic compounds being left behind in the oil that you consume.

So, why doesn’t everyone use this method?
Well, it’s expensive. Supercritical fluid extraction requires sophisticated machinery which you’d only find in a lab.

What is a carrier agent and why does cannabis oil need one?

Carrier oil is a necessary component of cannabis oil. It’s what enables the body to absorb the concentrated cannabis. Carrier oils include MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil, olive oil, hemp oil, or grapeseed oil.

Consumers should carefully read the label of any cannabis oil product they buy to check for any allergens in a manufacturer’s carrier oil of choice.

It’s no surprise that cannabis oil is such a popular product. It’s easy to incorporate into food, easy to dose for effective medical treatment, and discreet to use whether at home or at work.

Understanding your CBD vs THC needs, looking for high-quality, organic cannabis, and avoiding toxic solvents should serve you well while using cannabis oil.

Click here to view our Cannabis oil products.