Nowadays, most people have tried, or know someone who has tried, cannabis. Often referred to as weed (and many other names that get wilder as they go), cannabis is something that can have a lot of stigma around it, especially for parents and mothers. However, what most people don’t think about when judging this plant are all of the benefits it can have. To make things a little easier, we’re creating a Cannabis 101 series about all things cannabis and motherhood. Centered around our free Mom’s Cannabis Guide, this series will cover everything from what cannabis is and what is the endocannabinoid system, to how to safely consume and store it whether you’re on mom duty or having a mom’s night in. Now without further ado, let’s talk about cannabis!

Cannabis 101: What is Cannabis, and CBD and THC?

Cannabis itself is a plant that has been used for centuries for things like healing, spiritualism, and its often most well-known use, fun! In popular culture cannabis is seen in a wide variety of films and television, and often at party scenes, but there’s a whole wellness side of cannabis we’d like to introduce you to. 

The cannabis plant contains many cannabinoids, with the two most recognizable ones being THC (which stands for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). We mostly know these two as being different because one (THC) produces a type of high, whereas the other (CBD) doesn’t. Cannabis also come in three strains (Sativa, Indica, and Hybrid) that contain different levels of THC, CBD, and terpenes, but we’ll talk about that later! To break it down:

THC – produces a high; is more commonly known than CBD; and is the more familiar version of ‘weed’ that most of us know. 

CBD – helps with anxiety and stress and is overall pretty calming; doesn’t give a psychoactive high; and is often used for pain relief because it doesn’t give the high THC does.

Cannabis 101: What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)?

If you’ve made it this far into the blog post, you’re probably starting to wonder how Cannabis works. To keep it short and sweet, cannabis interacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). That may be one long word, but it’s well deserved for the number of things it influences in our bodies, such as muscle formation, learning and memory, mood, and many other things. 

Our ECS is made up of cannabinoid receptors. When the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc) bind to the receptors it tells them what to do. This effect can differ depending on where the receptors are located in your body which is why the same strain of cannabis can have a different effect depending on your method of consumption. 


Cannabis 101: What is homeostasis?

One last thing we should mention is how our ECS affects our homeostasis. Homeostasis is basically the happy and stable state of our body; if we do something that affects our homeostasis negatively, such as not being able to fall asleep, our homeostasis is messed up, and we ourselves can feel ‘off.’ When we ingest or take Cannabis through some of the many ways we can absorb it, it can help to restore our homeostasis; if we are not getting enough sleep, we may take some CBD oil to help regulate that. In turn, our body will be rested, and our homeostasis will go back to normal. 

This may seem like a lot of information to take in, but we want you to feel completely comfortable in your understanding of cannabis. The goal here is not to push towards it, but to remove the stigma surrounding cannabis and allow you to enjoy it safely and without judgment. 

Next, we’re going to be talking about the different kinds of Cannabis strains and how they work, so make sure to check out Cannabis strains and their different effects! You can also make sure to download your Mom’s Cannabis Guide, and join the conversation on Instagram @UnapologeticMotherhood_ 💚