Regarding the question in the title, the short answer is a resounding “no.”
There’s a whole lot more to it than that, though. And as is the case with most of my blog articles, I have a relevant personal anecdote to share.
Recently, I went on a job interview for a copywriter position at a marketing company in Cincinnati. While I wasn’t too optimistic about the potential salary due to the company’s size and how young it was, I had nothing to lose and a full-time job to gain, so I went to the interview.
Now those of you who don’t live in the midwest, specifically within the limits of the REAL Queen City (NOT Charlotte), you may not realize how conservative and family-oriented the middle of the United States is. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that mentality. But, some of the people residing there, like my interviewers, made me realize that this way of life was more than just a stereotype.
As I sat across from my two potential managers, I was grilled with the usual.
“What do you bring to the table?”
“Tell us about a time your project hit a snag, but you succeeded anyway.”
“What’s your favorite project you’ve done, and why?”
After answering the majority of their questions with relative ease, they asked about my most recent job experience.
“Well, I was the unfortunate victim of a layoff wave at the end of June, and since then I’ve just been doing small freelance projects and part-time work. I started writing for a CBD company, SummaForte, at the beginning of September. Been writing a lot of blog articles on CBD for athletes and CBD for athletic recovery. It’s pretty cool.”
The look on the face of the assistant manager sitting across from me as I said this was something I can only describe as about 60% shock, 30% laughter, and 10% “there is no way you’re getting this job.”
“Woah! Seems like everyone is getting into weed these days…” she said as she raised her eyebrows, gave the manager sitting next to her a “look,” and snickered.
While she didn’t emphasize the word “cannabis,” I felt like she may as well have screamed it at the top of her lungs and laughed in my face about it. Her PAINFULLY obvious judgment of me and surrounding people who use hemp products desperately made me want to snap back at her by dropping some serious knowledge about CBD vs. THC directly onto her head, then walking out. But to be fair, while I was silently fuming in my seat across the table, I knew deep down that I couldn’t be 100% mad at her…
…because I had once thought the EXACT same thing.*
CBD has a long history of stigma attached to it, especially since there is a lot of confusion surrounding hemp-derived CBD and THC, which is commonly found in “marijuana” plants. When CBD first entered the market, many companies sold both types of cannabis in their retail stores.
When CBD grabbed and held the spotlight for the first time back around 2017, there was an immediate stigma attached to it because of its relationship to cannabis–in fact, a lot of confusion still remains regarding the difference between hemp plants and “marijuana” plants. There is a big difference between hemp-derived CBD and cannabis which is rich in THC, but that’s a topic for another time.
Needless to say, and based on my story alone, it’s easy to see that the stigma remains.
So let me be clear one more time…
CBD will not get you high.
Hemp vs Marijuana
Although both marijuana and hemp plants (where CBD comes from) are scientifically classified as cannabis sativa, have similar-looking leaves, and do technically contain THC, they are not the same thing.
Same species, yes, but different plants altogether. Think of it this way: what your brother, sister, mom, dad, or uncle does is not a reflection of you, right? In the eyes of the majority of the general public, CBD’s bad rap is a classic case of guilt by association.
While marijuana plants contain high levels of THC and low levels of CBD and other so-called “minor cannabinoids”, hemp plants (whose dominant cannabinoid is CBD) contain less than 0.3% THC, which is not enough to “get you high.”
Now you may be wondering, “if CBD doesn’t get me high, what does it do?
I could write a whole other blog article about the answer to that question, but in order to keep this piece from getting too long, I’ll give you a short and sweet answer. CBD, specifically that which is found in SummaForte products, is a game changer for athletes and spectators alike, facilitating peak performance and rapid recovery. SummaForte’s SummaMix, for example, is a powdered CBD drink mix that blends Neumentix and FloraGlo Lutein with CBD to offer stress relief, sustained balance and energy, serve as defense against macular degeneration, and help improve reaction time and accuracy. SummaTape, on the other hand, is a menthol and CBD-infused kinesiology tape that offers nearly instant cooling relief, anti-inflammatory effects, and increased circulation at the site of its application, thereby aiding in quicker recovery from soft tissue injuries, physical discomfort, or exercise-induced inflammation.
The bottom line is that CBD has countless health benefits with none of the intoxicating effects people often think it has. So in the future, if you hear someone remarking about how “everyone is getting into weed these days” in the context of CBD, what should you say back to them?
“Uh, yeah! Why wouldn’t they!?”
*(As did my mom when my younger sister once tried to frame me, telling my mom I was “getting baked” every night taking CBD gummies to help me sleep before I discovered SummaRest. But that’s a different story altogether.)
