Can a cannabis-infused topical get me high?
Cannabis-infused topicals are the perfect solution for those who want to benefit from all of the health-enhancing effects linked to the drug without actually ingesting cannabis. Topicals come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from infused creams and lotions to bath bombs.
Provacan is a UK based brand that specializes in creating high-quality CBD products and is a great place to buy CBD paste in the UK, as well as many other CBD-infused topicals. An increasing number of people are swapping out their natural skincare products for CBD infused version, in an attempt to keep their skin looking and feeling healthy.
Despite cannabis-infused topicals being more popular than ever before, many people are still put off of trying them, worried that they will experience the high effects associated with cannabis.
So, can you get high from using cannabis-infused topicals? Let's find out.
What Are Cannabis-Infused Topicals?
Cannabis-infused topicals come in many different forms, with some of the most popular being creams, lotions, and oils. A topical is technically anything that is applied to your skin and left to naturally absorb, making it different from all other cannabis products which must be ingested.
Topicals cause localized effects, making them ideal for treating surface-level pains, inflammation, and skin conditions. Topicals do not impact the rest of your body and should not, therefore, interact with other supplements that you have taken, allowing you to increase the CBD within just the one area of your body.
Cannabis-infused topicals work by binding to cannabinoid receptors in the area that they get applied to. Cannabinoid receptors can be found throughout the body and can be activated by both your body's natural cannabinoids and those that are located within cannabis products.
Most topicals stay within the area of application and never reach your bloodstream, providing fast-acting localized effects.
What Causes the Cannabis High?
Cannabis plants contain many different cannabinoids, with one of the main ones being THC known for its psychoactive effects. Most of the other cannabinoids found within cannabis plants, such as CBD, do not cause psychoactive effects that get you high.
Most cannabis products that are sold as health and wellness products contain very little if any THC, instead favoring CBD and other health-enhancing cannabinoids. In the U.S., CBD wellness products cannot contain more than 0.3% THC. 0.3% is considered to be a safe amount of THC for humans to consume on a regular basis and is thought to be too low to cause any psychoactive effects.
When shopping for cannabis topicals, it is always worth checking the listed ingredients as this should tell you whether THC is present and, if so, how much. Cannabis topicals that are sold as CBD topicals are unlikely to contain enough THC to be able to trigger even the mildest high.
So, what about topicals that are advertised as being infused with cannabis, rather than CBD – can they get you high?
Can You Experience a High from THC within Topicals?
As most topicals never enter your bloodstream, they are unable to cause vast feels, regardless of how much THC they contain. What cannabis topicals are able to do, however, is trigger some of the therapeutic effects that can sometimes occur with a high.
Cannabis topicals contain a range of different terpenes and essential oils, such as lavender and clove, which are able to have a calming effect on your body in much the same way as therapeutic oils used in massages and sleep aids are.
The effects felt from the terpenes and essential oils within topicals varying depending on the way in which topicals are used. Cannabis-infused bath bombs, for example, can fill the air with calming aromas and can cause a mild sense of euphoria.
Cannabis-infused creams and lotions will have less of a therapeutic effect as they are applied to a small area of the skin and absorbed quickly, although their calming scent can still cause mild effects.
Transdermal Patches – The exception to the rule
Transdermal patches are a slightly different topical in that while they are applied to the skin, they can still affect your entire body. Transdermal patches contain a concentrated dose of cannabis, which is absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream over several hours.
Some transdermal patches can affect your body for as long as 12 hours, with microdoses of cannabis entering your blood streaming throughout the day. As the cannabis contained within transdermal patches enters your bloodstream, it impacts your whole body, unlike other forms topicals. If a patch contains THC, it could have intoxicating and psychoactive effects.
It is, however, rare to find transdermal patches that contain enough THC to trigger a full high as they are primarily designed for medicinal purposes.
Final Thoughts on Cannabis-Infused Topicals
Except for transdermal patches, cannabis-infused topicals can't get you high. In order to experience the psychoactive effects of THC, it needs to enter your bloodstream, allowing it to travel around your entire body.
For those who are concerned about experiencing unwanted psychoactive effects and the potential side effects associated with being high, topicals are a great way to still benefit from cannabis without the risk.
