Among mental and physical illnesses, a silent but large population of people use CBD recreationally and for fun. They may not be suffering with chronic pain or agonizing anxiety, rather, they appreciate the feeling and effects of CBD and cannabis, without the immobilizing head high. 

While it is true that CBD is not intoxicating, it wouldn’t be accurate to claim that CBD is not psychoactive. Similar to an evening glass of wine, or cup of tea, there are compounds in your CBD products that will make you feel somewhat different. A lot of people have already caught onto this fact, with a large and growing number of CBD users using CBD products for fun. Fortunately, CBD is completely harmless - the World Health Organization (WHO) says that CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential. This means that CBD is safe to use, even in large quantities. Further to that, CBD is not addictive unlike other popular recreational compounds like nicotine, caffeine and alcohol. 

In this article, we’ll share a conversation with an employee of ours, Buddy, and ask him what he likes about using CBD recreationally and which products he primarily uses to have fun with CBD. Before we talk to Buddy, let’s cover the ABCs of CBD. 

How Does CBD Work?

CBD is one of several cannabinoids found in cannabis. It works to target CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are what build up the Endocannabinoid System. When CBD enters the body, it interacts with these receptors, causing a variety of noticeable effects. 

CBD was shown to be helpful for decreasing anxiety with doses of 300mg to 600mg in a test conducted by S Shannon. Research is showing that CBD affects our brain by enhancing anandamide signaling. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body, stimulating a sense of happiness and mental wellness. It is no surprise that CBD users often report how CBD makes them feel euphoric, happy and uplifted. 

CBD Is Psychoactive

We’d like to dispel the common misconception that CBD is non-psychoactive. CBD is in fact psychoactive - albeit to a lesser extent than THC. It is shown in medical studies that CBD is a mood altering substance that can have moderating effects on anxiety, psychosis, appetite, sleep, memory processing, pain sensation and immune functions. 

In this study by Australian researchers, it was found that participants that took 400mg of CBD “felt intoxicated due to distinct feelings of depersonalization, derealization and altered internal and external perceptions”. Furthermore, they found that CBD enhanced the effects of THC.

Whilst these findings might show a different, potentially more fun side to CBD, the effects are not as intense as THC. Many CBD users can attest to the functional effects they get, with no interruption to normal life - unlike THC that can prove to slow down reflexes, memory and machine operating abilities. 

Buddy Uses CBD For Fun And To Relax

Buddy is an employee at Hemp Elf who, like many of us, uses CBD recreationally. Buddy works in our fulfillment centre, operating machinery, managing stock, handling heavy packages and works under a precise timetable. We asked Buddy some questions about why he uses CBD given his excellent health and fondness of THC. 

Why Did You Start Using CBD?

Well, interestingly, I tried my first CBD product the day I interviewed at Hemp Elf. At the time I was primarily smoking regular weed, and had just found out that there were legal cannabinoids. I didn’t really know what CBD was, beyond the medical effects it could have. Back then, people were talking about how CBD oils could help children with epilepsy and seniors with arthritis pain. I did want to try it, but back then, I couldn’t find anything that caught my eye. Everything seemed so geared towards treating a medical problem. After my interview at Hemp Elf I had the chance to try a few products, it was like my CBD hazing! The team took some CBD dabs with me, we vaporized some CBD flowers and I took my first dose of CBD oil under my tongue. They even put a patch on me that I kept on for 4 days - you could say I tried nearly every type of CBD consumption that day. 

I just remember feeling so chilled out and happy after those CBD dabs, and I felt kind of euphoric after vaping the CBD flower. Honestly, I took so much CBD that day that I don’t think I felt the effects of the CBD oil. Interestingly, the patch carried those effects forward the next 3 days and something strange happened. For the first time in years, I didn’t want to smoke weed. I felt like I had everything I already needed from the CBD. I was chilled, my body felt loose, I was motivated again. 

The motivation was the thing that struck me. I didn’t realize how unmotivated I was getting from overusing THC, I honestly thought I was the “motivated stoner”. Those first few days without any THC were only possible with CBD. I started waking up earlier, getting more done with my day, getting along better with family and friends, eating better - and I was still having fun with cannabis! 

After my interview at Hemp Elf I decided to pretty much completely switch to CBD knowing I could still have fun with cannabis and live a better quality life. I still enjoy THC every now and then, but I find myself preferring the effects and life I live with a CBD dominant routine. 

What Are Your 5 Favorite CBD Products For Having Fun?

1. Stawnana Distillate CBD Vape Pen

My go to CBD product is The Goods Strawnana Vape Pen, just because it’s fast acting and can go anywhere with me. It's the only CBD product I’ve traveled with which is a major plus - I never thought I’d be able to comfortably take a cannabis product on the plane with me. 

There’s something about being able to carry a few weeks worth of cannabis in such a small device that makes me feel particularly safe with it. Flavor is very important to me, back when I smoked THC I was always asking for the fruity strains - Strawnana being something I would buy whenever it was available. I find the CBD vape pen version of this strain to taste better than what I was experiencing on the street, and the effects are potent. The best way to describe how I feel after taking a hit is a flush of warm fuzziness, similar to euphoria. 

2. Watermelon Hoops CBD Gummies

These are hands down the tastiest CBD gummies I’ve ever tried. The first time I opened a pack of them, I literally ate the entire pack that day. Each gummy is 40mg, and there are 10 per pack - so I was in a complete state of bliss from 400mg CBD. I used to enjoy THC edibles back in the day, but the effects were all over the place. Sometimes they would be too weak and I’d feel nothing, other times, they’d induce paranoia and I’d have to cancel all plans and try to fix an awful mental state. 

These gummies have become a regular part of my day - I take at least one a day as soon as I finish work. Because they’re so tasty, I find myself looking forward to taking them. 

These gummies only take about an hour for me to notice their effect. Out of nowhere, I notice myself feeling more light, almost floaty, yet with total control of my thoughts. I used to experience extremely bad memory loss and dissociation taking THC edibles and found that would ruin my post-work relaxation. Now I can enjoy the relaxing effects of cannabis without losing my evening zoned out from what I want to be doing. 

3. Granddaddy Purple CBD Wax

This is the one CBD product I take every night to help me sleep. I load about 50mg of this Wax into the King Coil and take long and slow draws through the mouthpiece at the medium temperature setting. I find the combination of the Granddaddy Purple terpenes and high strength broad spectrum CBD extract make my eyes feel heavy and slow down racing thoughts that often keep me awake at night.

I try to stick to a fairly regular bed-time, however, like many, I’ve found myself staying up longer and since the lockdowns. Vaping CBD wax satisfied my need for an immediate release of CBD to help me get to sleep when I reach my bed. Unlike the CBD vape pen, I can take an enormous dose of CBD in one inhale using CBD wax. 

4. Lemon & Ginger CBD Water Soluble Drops

Before making the switch to CBD, I was never fond of the plain taste of water. This worked against me during my THC days, as I would get cotton-mouth, and find it hard to force myself to hydrate when there was only water around me. Since I found out that I could add CBD and delicious flavors to any drink with literally a single drop of these concentrated water solubles, I’ve been better hydrated than ever. I was initially alarmed at how much faster the water solubles affected me compared to other drops, like CBD oils. 

Within a few minutes after drinking a glass of water with a couple drops of this water soluble CBD, I feel uplifted and euphoric. Beyond just making me feel good and floaty, I’ve noticed this to reduce the intensity of my body pains after hurting myself working out. 

I find myself adding this water soluble to nearly everything I drink, including warm drinks like coffee. It’s a great way to quickly get CBD into the system and feel relaxed in my opinion. 

5. CBD Flower “Shake”

If you had asked me what my favorite CBD product was last year, CBD flower would have come number 1. However, I’ve unfortunately moved to a no-smoking/vaping apartment, so I’ve been using the more stealthy CBD products. I find there’s few things that come close to the extreme potency of raw CBD flowers. I’ve learnt a lot about the Entourage Effect whilst working at Hemp Elf and talking with others about how certain strains with particular terpenes have unmatched effects. 

CBD shake is my CBD flower of choice due to the price and quality I can get it at. It’s basically just the small buds from the high quality indoor grown CBD flowers, and personally I’m not too fussed about the appearance of CBD flowers. My main requirements are good terpenes, good cure, lots of resin, and well priced. This meets all my needs and hilariously is superior to the THC I mostly smoked a few years ago… despite being 70% cheaper. 

What Would You Say To People Who Are Skeptical To Take CBD?

One problem I’ve seen, even among my own friend group, is people knocking CBD without even trying it. Make sure you find the goods stuff, it’s easy to fall for CBD products that are simply put… money grabs. Everyone is looking for a bargain these days, which I think we’ve done a good job at offering at Hemp Elf. Just don’t fall for the blatant low quality deals that we see so frequently out there. There’s enough good hemp to go around for everyone, but of course, bad suppliers can make more profit from overreporting how much CBD you’ll receive. Before trying CBD, I would ask the vendor where they get their hemp from, if they’ve had it 3rd party lab tested, and how their products are extracted and packaged. 

I found replacing THC with CBD made significant changes to my general happiness and productivity, however, that’s not to say that you’ll be the same. We’re all different, but sometimes trying something new can show you what you’ve been missing out on.