Basics · 4 min read

THC vs CBD — what the difference actually is

Two cannabinoids from the same plant that do very different things. What each one is, why products list a ratio and how to read the label.

THC and CBD are both cannabinoids — compounds the cannabis plant produces — and they appear together on almost every label in the shop. The short version: THC is the one that gets you high, CBD is not.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol is the intoxicating compound. It is what people mean by "high", and it is the number most buyers look at first. How much you feel depends on far more than the percentage on the package — format, dose, tolerance and whether you have eaten all matter. That is covered in what THC percentage actually means.

CBD

Cannabidiol is not intoxicating. On its own it will not produce a high at any dose. It appears in cannabis alongside THC, and in a lot of products it is added deliberately to change the character of the experience rather than the strength of it — many people describe a CBD-heavy product as feeling more even.

We are a retailer, not a clinic, so we do not make health claims about either compound. If you are asking about CBD for a specific medical reason, that is a conversation for a doctor rather than a budtender.

Reading a ratio

Products labelled 1:1 carry roughly equal THC and CBD. You will also see 1:1:1, which adds a third cannabinoid — usually CBN or CBG — in similar proportion. The ratio is always written in the order the label names them, so check which compound is which rather than assuming.

We currently stock around forty ratio products, mostly gummies, chocolates and beverages, plus balms on the topical shelf. A 1:1 gummy at 5mg each way is a common starting point for someone who wants less of an edge than a straight THC edible.

Other cannabinoids you will see

• CBN — often paired with THC in evening-labelled products.
• CBG — appears in some daytime-labelled ratio products.
• THCV — rarer, shows up in a few sativa-leaning items.

All of them are listed on the package by law, with the milligrams per piece. Ask at the counter and we will read the label with you — or browse the edibles we have in stock.