“While CBD does not
get you high, it can
still influence mood
and other cognitive
functions”
Psychoactive or psychotropic?
If you have developed an interest in CBD, by now you
will be au fait with the comparisons made between
cannabinoids in what could only be described as a
popularity contest: the most competitive being CBD
versus THC.
In case you’re not up to speed on your cannabis
compounds, let’s recap. THC stands for
Tetrahydrocannabinol and this is the main psychoactive
compound which can produce that high feeling of
euphoria. CBD on the other hand produces no high and
must therefore be non-psychoactive. In theory.
This is not strictly true. While CBD does not get you high, it
can still influence mood and other cognitive functions.
We’re also hearing a lot about the term psychotropic lately.
Let’s knock some definitions out of the way. What exactly
do psychoactive and psychotropic mean? According the
World Health Organization, a psychoactive substance is
one that can affect mental processes, such as mood,
perception, behaviour and cognition through interaction
with the central nervous system. Psychoactive and
psychotropic both mean the same thing and can be used
interchangeably.
Research has shown that CBD can be an effective
treatment for anxiety, through its action upon the
central nervous system where there is a presence of
endocannabinoid receptors, and in other conditions
such as depression, anti-psychotics and the list
goes on.
If we refer to the definition of what a psychoactive
substance is, we can say yes, if CBD can help with anxiety
and depression affecting mood, it most certainly is a
psychoactive substance.
When you see claims of CBD as a non-psychoactive
compound, in general regards it is more of a misnomer.
People are describing more the lack of any high-inducing
effect in comparison to that of THC. For more of a
scientific description you could say both THC and CBD
are psychoactive, however, function in different ways with
CBD having no intoxicating effects.
About the author
Dr Richard Cunningham has a PhD in medicinal chemistry from Queen’s University Belfast, where he also worked as a post doctoral researcher. Dr Cunningham
has also worked as a research instructor at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Cancer Institute in the role of assistant professor. Among his areas of
expertise are organic synthesis, nucleosides, nucleotides, cellular biology, vitamins, aminoglycosides, drug delivery, phosphorous chemistry and chemical analysis.