Every fact carries an evidence grade and a link to the research. Strong, moderate, limited or mixed: hype and fear both fail here.
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CB1 receptors are sparse in the brainstem centers controlling breathing, unlike opioid receptors, which is why THC does not stop respiration even at extreme doses. The real acute dangers are psychiatric (panic, psychosis), cardiac stress in vulnerable people, and injury while impaired, especially children and edibles.
Safety & Risk STRONG EVIDENCECBD does not meaningfully activate CB1 receptors and produces no intoxication at normal doses. WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence concluded CBD shows no abuse or dependence potential. "Cannabis without the high" is, for CBD alone, accurate.
CBD MODERATE EVIDENCEChemical analyses repeatedly find that commercial indica/sativa labels poorly predict cannabinoid and terpene content, the actual drivers of effects. Researchers increasingly argue for chemovar (chemical variety) classification instead of folklore taxonomy.
Terpenes & Entourage STRONG EVIDENCEEaten THC passes the liver first, where it converts to 11-hydroxy-THC, a metabolite that crosses the blood-brain barrier more efficiently and is more potent per milligram. This is pharmacology, not imagination, and why the same milligrams hit harder eaten than smoked.
THC STRONG EVIDENCEThe multi-site EU-GEI study (Lancet Psychiatry, 2019) found daily users of high-potency cannabis (>10% THC) had ~5× the odds of a psychotic disorder, with population-level impact measurable in cities like Amsterdam and London. Association is firmly established; individual susceptibility varies, family history of psychosis is the key red flag.
Safety & Risk MIXED / UNSETTLEDThe idea that cannabinoids and terpenes work better together has mechanistic support (e.g., caryophyllene at CB2) and wide anecdotal backing, but controlled human trials showing terpene combinations changing THC's effects are essentially absent. Treat it as a hypothesis, not a law.
Terpenes & EntourageDelta-8-THC is a naturally occurring isomer, roughly half to two-thirds as potent as delta-9. Plants make it in trace amounts, so commercial delta-8 is chemically converted from CBD. That conversion market grew in a regulatory gap, with little oversight of reaction byproducts, poison-control calls followed.
Read the full fact + sources →Sixty-two facts, four evidence grades. Can you tell what the research actually supports?
Sleep, chronic pain, anxiety: what the research actually supports, graded claim by claim, with community reports kept visibly separate from the evidence.
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