Psychotoxic drugs are the ones that make you intoxicated, high, give you feelings of euphoria, make you buzzed. They affect you mentally in different ways depending on the type of drug. They can be doctor prescribed drugs such as barbiturates and amphetamines, as well as illegal drugs like LSD and heroin. Marijuana is in this psychotoxic category too. CBD is not.

Cannabis AKA marijuana is a leafy plant which grows wild in many of the tropic and temperate areas of the world. These days it's cultivated both indoors and out all over the world for production. The most commonly used form of cannabis are the leaves and flowering tops (buds) which can be either smoked or eaten; It also comes in a more concentrated resinous form called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid called hash oil.

Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant.
Marijuana is the most common and least potent form of cannabis. (Less potent than hashish or hash oil)

There are three distinct species of cannabis: Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis, though there is some argument as to whether these should be considered varieties rather than species. Most recreationally used cannabis is the result of interbreeding between these three types. The term 'hemp' is generally used to describe low-THC varieties of cannabis which is grown for industrial uses.

First known use of marijuana: 1783

Cannabis, has pretty much always been referred to as marijuana. It has been an integral part of human civilizations for millennia. After all, marijuana is the most popular illicit drug in the world - both as a medicine, and as a recreational drug. Today the prohibition of marijuana is beginning to give way to decriminalization and legalization.

Marijuana is classified as a depressant drug. Depressant drugs do not necessarily make you feel depressed. Rather, they can slow down the activity of the central nervous system and the messages going between the brain and the body.

Alcohol is also a depressant. Depressants don't make you feel depressed - they depress things like your inhibitions.

This is the cool part about cannabis:
The cannabis plant is a chemical compound powerhouse! It produces more than 400 different compounds. Not all of those compounds are unique to cannabis - the same compounds appear in many other species of plants. That's why marijuana can smell like pine trees or taste like fresh lemons. But of those 400 compounds, more than 60 compounds are completely specific to the plant genus Cannabis. Scientists call these special compounds cannabinoids.

There are only two main types of cannabinoids:

1. Cannabinoids produced in the cannabis plant (60 completely different ones)
2. Cannabinoids produced naturally in the human body.

That's right: Cannabinoids are naturally produced in the human body!

Cannabinoids produced naturally by the human body are called Endocannabinoids. Endo stands for endogenous; which means originating within the body

Cannabinoids are also produced in Cannabis plants (THC, CBD, and others). The Greek root "phyto" means plant. The cannabinoids in marijuana are phytocannabinoids

There are over 100 different phytocannabinoids in a cannabis plant. However, not all cannabinoids are created equal.

THC is the compound most often associated with marijuana. TCH is what gets you high. It is one of the most prevalent cannabinoids found in the plant - sometimes occurring at concentrations up to 30%.

One of the other main ones is cannabidiol (CBD). Growers have managed to breed strains with high levels of CBD (10-20%).

CBD has received a lot of attention for its medical benefits and having a lack of psychotoxic effects.

The wide variety of medicinal and therapeutic things you've heard about marijuana - CBD holds the key to.

CBD can be extracted from either industrial hemp or marijuana

The endocannabinoid system runs throughout your body. And it's loaded with receptors that bind to the cannabinoids you introduce to your bloodstream when you consume cannabinoids. Cannabinoids from the cannabis plant interact with our bodies thanks to this network of neurons. Using the same pathways already in the brain and body called cannabinoid receptors.

Unlike THC, CBD doesn't bind to CB1 receptors in the brain. CBD only binds to CB2 receptors that are found throughout the body. Cannabinoid Receptors

Without distorting the science too much, you could say that human beings are "hard-wired" for cannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system runs deep and touches all of the major systems of the body. And that's why cannabinoids can do so many things for us, from altering and regulating moods to stimulating appetites and reducing pain.

CBD has no toxicity for humans, it is highly reactive with the endocannabinoid system.

To put things as simply as possible, CBD makes things happen. When it binds to the endocannabinoid system's receptors, it stimulates all kinds of changes in the body

Most of those changes are incredibly beneficial, and researchers keep uncovering real and potential medical uses for them.

The endocannabinoid system is a network of neurons that our bodies already have established.

These receptors and cannabinoids can be thought of as a lock-and-key system. Cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors like a key fits into a lock. Unlocking the receptor causes changes in how cells function, leading to different effects in the body.

When marijuana or CBD enters your body, cannabinoids activates the endocannabinoid system by attaching to cannabinoid receptors.

The functions of the endocannabinoid system help explain the effects of the cannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system is involved with regulating appetite, sleep, pain, mood, memory, and much more.