Dear Stoner: What is the alphabet soup that follows marijuana around? I know THC is what gets me high, but what about CBD, CBN, THCV, CBA, CBS, ESPN and all of the other things in pot? What do they do?
Confused in Commerce City
Dear Confused: You might have a few of the names wrong, but we'll help you out as best we can. CBD is shorthand for cannabidiol, one of the other major chemical compounds aside from THC that is found in pot. CBD has a lot of good things going for it. It doesn't really get you high, but it has anti-inflammatory properties, can help reduce the effects of THC for people who don't want to get stoned but need the medical benefit, and it also has some very strong anti-seizure properties — which is why it has become such a popular medication for children suffering from severe epileptic conditions. People are now also using high-CBD strains developed in Israel to help treat arthritis, liver inflammation and heart diseases.
CBN, or cannabinol, is another common cannabinoid, though if your grower is doing things right, you shouldn't have much in your finished product. CBN occurs when THC degrades after being left out in the sun or exposed to air for too long. Aside from being used to show growers how much THC has been lost in storage, CBN is also being used experimentally to help suppress immune systems in cases of organ or tissue transplants so that the body doesn't reject its new part. Where CBN has long excelled, however, is in reducing the ocular pressure in people battling cataracts and other eye ailments. It's not very psychoactive, but it can be somewhat sedative and is most likely what makes some batches of a strain more stoney than others.
You're right that THC gets you high — but THCV gets you even higher. Generally speaking, it has the ability to be much more psychoactive, though according to the folks at Steep Hill Labs, it also doesn't last nearly as long as THC itself. THCV can also alter how THC affects you. For example, high-THCV strains out of Asia tend to be more racy and speedy than other sativas. Among its many qualities, it may be the best part of the plant to help stop tremors associated with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's. THCV has also been shown to prevent the panic attacks that come with getting a little too stoned, and is actually one of the main compounds being studied to help combat post-traumatic stress disorder.
The rest of your acronyms aren't in pot, though they are pot-related. CBA is the Cannabis Business Alliance, an industry organization. You can't smoke it, but you can smoke its members' products. And CBS and ESPN are what you watch after you get stoned.