Marijuana vs Alcohol vs CBD: Know The Differences

There is a long debate running about what is worse for you, weed, alcohol or even CBD. There are differences between them, of course, and there is no easy answer. But, there are a lot of things you can know about all of them so you can make a healthy choice. Now that CBD and marijuana are legal in many areas people are trying to figure out if they should try them now that it’s allowed.

The shortest answer is that if you haven’t smoked marijuana before and it is not legal in your state or country then you should probably not start now. Unless you have a medical condition or need a pain killer. We’ll get more into that later. The same goes for alcohol as it can be very addictive and bad for your health. But, only if you go overboard with it.

As you can see, there is no easy answer here as to which is good, bad or indifferent. In this article, I will go over the differences so you can decide for yourself if you should try any of them.

Marijuana vs Alcohol vs CBD: Know The Differences

Marijuana vs Alcohol

One of the fun things happening right now where marijuana is legal is that there are a lot of accessories. It looks like a lot of fun to smoke just based on the different ways it can be consumed. From the high tech Puffco Peak Pro desktop vaporizer to the old fashioned bong.

When it comes to alcohol, there are many different types and ways to consume it but the bottom line is that overdriving is a major problem. Whether you are having a bottle of wine, some beer or doing shots, there are limits. There are no real accessories to drinking which is actually a good thing as you can actually die from binge drinking.

The body is unable to process the amount of alcohol in your blood so if you drink too much, too fast then you risk your organs shutting down, including your brain. This can lead to permanent damage and even death.

This cannot happen with marijuana. There are potential problems with increased heart rate and other cardiovascular problems if you smoke too much, but you can’t overdose on marijuana.

Now, alcohol doesn’t have to be bad if you can moderate yourself. Having a glass of wine on occasion is actually good for your health. Studies have shown that an occasional glass of wine can give you a healthy dose of antioxidants and can even protect against heart disease. It’s probably no accident that Italians live longer and also consume red wine frequently without overdoing it.

Marijuana vs CBD

It is a common misconception that CBD and marijuana are on and the same. There are some major differences between them even though they come from roughly the same source.

The biggest difference, of course, is that marjuana gets you high and CBD doesn’t. CBD is short for cannabidiol and is just one component of cannabis. It is not the component that leads to psychotropic effects. In other words, it doesn’t act like a psychedelic drug.

It’s also not usually extracted from marijuana. It is usually isolated from the hemp plant which is now legal to grow on an industrial level in the US. Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant and is used for industrial purposes and not for getting high. It doesn’t work like that.

What CBD is good for then is for a variety of ailments, many studies and articles found on Healthcanal show that it can help reduce muscle aches, anxiety and even help to reduce nausea. It all depends on how it is taken. You can buy it in oil form and take it under the tongue if you are having trouble sleeping, for instance. Or, use it in a topical cream for pain relief of a particular area like your joints. You can also check to see if delta-8 gummies are legal in your state, as this is a great option for those who are able to legally purchase it. 

Marijuana, however, is more intense and comes with some psychotropic effects and you can’t drive or operate machinery if you have consumed some. This is not the case with CBD.

Benefits of marijuana

Marijuana has long been used as medicine from ancient times up to the present. It has many uses from an aid to increase appetite for those undergoing things like cancer treatments. To a pain reliever. In fact, there is a growing movement to prescribe marijuana for pain over opioids as it is not addictive like opioids are. It is especially widely used in the US. In some states, marijuana is only legal for medical purposes. Those who qualify for medical marijuana treatment in the north may be able to obtain a marijuana card from a medical marijuana doctor in Maryland, for example. 

If you live in an area where marijuana is legal recreationally or for medical needs, then you can use marijuana after you’ve had minor surgery or even an accident or injury to treat pain. It is good for chronic pain, but if you have had a broken bone or major surgery then it may not be as effective as it needs to be to give any relief. 

For many years it has been used as an effective treatment for glaucoma. Glaucoma is caused by eye pressure that reduces peripheral vision and can even lead to blindness if it goes unchecked. Marijuana is used to lower the pressure around the eyes and help recover eyesight.

Lately it is being used with good results in treating people with PTSD. studies are showing that it helps reduce the activity in the amygdala part of the brain. This is the area responsible for the nightmares and fear responses when feelings of some kind of threat are present.

Though there is some hype associated with medical marijuana being a cure all, there is a lot of research that shows it to be an effective medicine for many diseases and side effects of diseases.

Conclusion

It isn’t really fair to compare these three things with each other since they are so different. It does help to understand the differences though and remove some of the confusion between them. The reality is that the effects from each means that different people will need different ones to solve their problem.

Luckily, there are new laws that allow people to make choices for themselves as to what they want to put into their bodies.