Dear Stoner: I bought what I thought was cannabis oil from a doctor, but I was sent hemp oil. I told him I needed it for depression and anxiety. Did he scam me, or am I the ignorant one?
Marietta

Dear Marietta: Asking your doctor about medical marijuana is highly beneficial if you’re lucky enough to have one who’s both up to date and willing to talk about it, but any physician who doesn’t know the difference between THC, CBD and hemp-seed oil — all three of which are technically cannabis oil — isn’t worth listening to on the subject. If you were sent hemp-seed oil, there was either a mistake or you were scammed, as hemp-seed oil is used as a food supplement, wood varnish and skin-care product, but not for mental health.

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"Cannabis oil" generally means hash oil, which has a lot of THC.

Shutterstock.com/ElRoi

THC oil, or hash oil, has been known to help with certain mental disorders, but sending hash oil through the mail would be illegal even in Colorado. Your doctor was likely talking about CBD oil made from hemp, which doesn’t require a license for medical marijuana. CBD can be derived from THC-heavy cannabis plants, but it can also be derived from industrial hemp, which has less than 0.3 percent THC. That kind can also help with certain mental disorders, but it doesn’t have the psychoactive effects of THC.