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There’s no question that many cannabis consumers are shopping by one main metric: potency. From the outside looking in, it makes sense: people want the most bang for their buck and assume that higher THC = better than. Those of us within the cannabis industry know that potency is not an indicator of quality. But there’s a side debate raging about low-potency pot—specifically, CBD weed.
When the CBD craze hit in the mid-2010s, it seemed like everyone was on the bandwagon. Special editions of health-centric magazines highlighting the wonders of CBD oil hit newsstands across the country. CBD skincare products, coffee, and even pillowcases were everywhere.
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The hemp floodgates opened even further when the 2018 Farm Bill legalized CBD nationwide. But the excitement soon wore off when it was discovered CBD could be chemically converted into intoxicating compounds like delta-8 and HHC.
Pretty soon, CBD faded in the distance. Many of the brands disappeared, but a few remained—including a small number on the regulated cannabis side. Part of it was the hype engine leaving the station, with people disillusioned by literal snake oil salesmen promising them a “whole new you” with their bunk hemp drops.
But it seems like some of the quality companies—and the people who found relief in their products—saw the baby thrown out with the bath water. I soon became one of them.
CBD, where art thou?
After years of high THC consumption, something in my body changed. I could no longer tolerate the dosages of my past, heart-racing paranoia following nearly every puff, edible, and dab. Not wanting to give up the ritual of smoking pot and sharing it with my friends (but needing something that works for 2025 me), I soon found solace in high-CBD weed strains.
However, these varieties of weed are not always easy to come by. Cultivators in many mature markets are unmotivated to grow low-THC strains since buyers want what their most frequent customers will demand. Some folks in these places have never seen or experienced fire hemp—which is, believe it or not, a thing.
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I remember discussing the topic with some people in California, talking about the top-shelf hemp my now-husband had been growing back in the Midwest. They balked at the notion, images of schwag conjured in their heads. I quickly showed them some photos from the greenhouse revealing bright green CBD buds dripping with trichomes. I could see their eyes widen. They didn’t believe it was real.
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“But why smoke CBD weed—you don’t feel anything,” some may argue.
The truth is there are many reasons. My colleague Cara Wietstock once said of CBD: “It’s not about what you feel—it’s what you don’t feel.”
It’s something I have shared in many conversations since, and a proverbial lightbulb always seems to go off in the moments after. Anecdotally, CBD fans report the compound helps ease anxiety, pain, restlessness, insomnia, inflammation, and a whole host of other ailments. Dozens of studies have seemingly affirmed these findings. The concept makes sense.
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And truth be told, some people do feel something when they consume cannabidiol. I always push back when people claim CBD is non-intoxicating (in fact, I wrote into GreenState’s editorial guide that we never make that claim). CBD does affect your brain chemistry, just like other cannabinoids, nicotine, sugar, enzymes in cheese, etc. Full-spectrum CBD extracts contain a bit of THC, and for those who are sensitive, the 0.3 percent may come through.
I have a friend (who never consumes cannabis) who accidentally took two full-spectrum CBD RSO capsules, mistaking them for her ibuprofen in the middle of the night. She later told me she definitely caught a buzz, and her husband noticed her demeanor was a bit off. The full-spectrum oil within was likely the culprit.
A year ago, I smoked a bit of a CBD joint. Upon returning inside, I could tell something felt different, assuming the terpenes within contributed to the perceived buzz. Whatever caused the perceived effects, it was likely the entourage effect of all the joint’s compounds working together. So yes, CBD can be psychoactive.
Don’t yuck my yum
I brought my crusade to LinkedIn not long ago, proclaiming that CBD is not mid. The post drew close to 13,000 impressions and 100 comments. A few echoed the sentiments around charlatans making false claims, ruining the space for the rest of us.
“So many people oversold what it can do and what it is. It midfied the waters.”
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But the vast majority of the commenters shared their own success with CBD, how their customers or patients find relief, and the way a market obsessed with potency led to an unfortunate exodus of quality low-dose strains.
When I envision my dream dispensary, it has something for every type of consumer. Whether they need high-potency or low, a quality product should be waiting. I dream of a day when top-shelf CBD weed strains sit alongside the 30-plus percenters. And I know I’m not alone. So, for all those folks who like to generalize and say, “CBD weed sucks,” I’d simply reply, “There’s something for everyone, don’t yuck my yum.”
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“}]] In a cannabis market ruled by potency, many come to the conclusion that CBD weed equates to less than. Here’s where they’re wrong. Read More
