Weed. Bud. Pot. Mary Jane. The Devil's Lettuce. Loud. Skunk. Chronic. Ganga. Dope.

Joints, spliffs, blunts, dabs, pens, bongs, pipes, edibles.

Marijuana. It's legal now right?

There are about a thousand ways to get properly medicated, but today I want to talk a little about CBD, the stuff that DOESN'T launch you into space.

See when it comes to marijuana, there are two major components. There's THC, the nice little compound that actually gets you zooted. Then there's CBD, which is just about a medical super-compound In terms of health benefits. It can be isolated from its high-inducing counterpart and made into an edible/smokeable oil. It's completely non-psychoactive, meaning you won't start tripping out, but it'll do a lot of other cool stuff for your physical and mental wellbeing.

First off, CBD has a wide variety of medicinal benefits. CBD oil has been found to have pain relief properties. Products such as salves and ointments exist for topical treatment. CBD also has been shown to improve skin health and reduce acne, as well as promoting a deeper and more fulfilling sleep. CBD can also help with quitting smoking and other withdrawal symptoms.

Now let me get to the mental benefits. I have to give a little bit of a story, so bear with me.

My grandfather has had a long battle with schizophrenia, which if you don't know is a tricky mental disorder that screws around with the relation between thoughts, emotion, and behavior, causing people who have to suffer from faulty perception, strange emotional responses and withdrawal into an isolated state of delusion and often fantasy. As for my grandfather, he'd have terrible mood swings, dissociative behavior and extreme paranoia paired with an overall inability to take physically care of himself.

He's been like this for years and no amount of expensive antipsychotics seemed to have helped. He would yell at his caretakers (my aunts and grandmother) and throw tantrums. In a last ditch effort, I went and bought CBD oil at a dispensary and had him take some. It's helped substantially in calming him down, increasing his appetite and regulating his sleep patterns. Along with getting him on a better diet, he's much more him than he's been in a while, which is saying something because he's been sick as long as I can remember.

*Quick disclaimer: I am NOT saying by any means that CBD was the magic wand that just poofed him into a sane human being overnight (if it were I'd use that wand on myself). CBD was a mere factor, a tool that helped. I cracked down heavily on diet and the way we treat and talk to him, and made attempts at being more present and aware. Attention and love do a hell of a lot more for mental health than any drug or substance for ANYONE IN ANY CONDITION. People don't have to be sick to need nourishment, so treat your loved ones with love.

Back to the pitch...I mean I'm really not trying to be a salesperson here. But honestly, the benefits that CBD has is insane. Apart from being a good alternative to antipsychotics, it has been shown to greatly help with anxiety and depression. Pretty much all the stuff you get from weed without actually getting high.

Think what you want about weed, but it cannot be denied that it is an amazing plant with extreme potential for overall well being. CBD oil and similar products have an extremely wide range of use and are worth checking out.