OK. We’ll be upfront with you. We do have a vested interest here. We sell Care By Design in licensed cannabis dispensaries. But there are good reasons for that: Cannabis-derived CBD products are superior to hemp-derived CBD. Period.

It makes sense if you think about it. Hemp was bred to maximize fiber content. It’s traditionally been used to make clothes, rope, and soap. Cannabis on the other hand has been cultivated over generations to maximize the resinous trichomes that hold a dizzying array of medicinal cannabinoids, terpenes, and other botanical compounds. . . including THC.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We love CBD. It’s our favorite cannabinoid. But we love THC too. And not just because of the good-natured high. 

THC is an important therapeutic agent. Dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC, has been FDA-approved as “safe and effective” for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and HIV/AIDS-induced anorexia [1,2,3,4]. Clinical studies have demonstrated it to be effective as an analgesic agent for many types of pain [5, 6]. THC is also an active ingredient, along with CBD, in prescription medication that has been approved in the UK and Canada to alleviate pain in MS patients, and to treat spasticity, overactive bladder, and other symptoms [7,8]. And THC may enhance the healing power of CBD.[9]

Pretty neat.

At Care By Design, we’ve been pioneering cannabis-based CBD products for close to a decade. So, naturally, we explored hemp-derived CBD, even piloting our own hemp product line. But even with the highest quality ingredients, great hemp plants, and cutting-edge extraction, our cannabis CBD consistently outperformed the hemp version. . . by a lot. That told us everything we needed to know about what works best for our patients and customers.

So, other people can sell so-called “pure” isolate CBD that’s been orphaned from the botanical treasure trove of the cannabis plant in every gas station and convenience store if they want. 

But we’re sticking with the good stuff -- aromatic, full-spectrum CBD products made from beautiful, resinous cannabis grown under the California sun, in the long shadows of the giant California redwoods, in the invigorating winds blowing off the Pacific Ocean. 

Available only at licensed dispensaries. . . and proud of it.

→ Tune in next week for more on why THC matters.

[1] FDA Dronabinol THC (FDA)
[2] Preliminary efficacy and safety of an oromucosal standardized Cannabis extract in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (Br J Clin Pharmacol)
[3] Antiemetic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy (N Engl J Med)
[4] Dronabinol oral solution in the management of anorexia and weight loss in AIDS and cancer (Ther Clin Risk Manag)
[5] Efficacy of dronabinol as an adjuvant treatment for chronic pain patients on opioid therapy (J Pain)
[6] Does the cannabinoid dronabinol reduce central pain in multiple sclerosis? (BMJ)
[7] Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Sativex (nabiximols), on spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (Mult Scler)
[8] THC/CBD oromucosal spray in patients with multiple sclerosis overactive bladder: a pilot prospective study (Neurol Sci)
[9] Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects (British Journal of Pharmacology)