Does CBD Flower Reduce Anxiety? – Which Strain Works Best

In general, no, CBD flower does not cause anxiety. U.S.-grown hemp harvested for CBD flower is specially cultivated to contain low THC levels. THC is the compound that causes the fear and paranoia associated with bad marijuana highs. CBD itself cannot cause anxiety in users and instead is an effective anxiolytic. While, yes, whole CBD flower does contain small amounts of THC, unlike highly distilled CBD products such as CBD isolate, CBD flower does not have nearly enough THC to cause anxiety and paranoia in the vast majority of cases. 

However, there are rare instances where people have reported mild anxiety after smoking CBD flower. This anxiety can only happen for two reasons:

1. The flower contains more THC than what’s listed on the label.

Unfortunately, mislabeling is endemic among the sketchier parts of the CBD industry. While many reputable companies will go above and beyond to ensure that their growing, processing, and labeling processes are well-documented and third-party approved, some more insidious sellers may try and pass off products that are poorly labeled or even just plain illegal as high-quality CBD, hoping to cash in on uninformed users in a newly lucrative industry. 

By law, THC percentages in all CBD products must be less than or equal to 0.3% THC by dry weight or else be subject to the penalties that come with growing, processing, and selling a schedule 1 drug. However, FDA overhead is currently scarce in the CBD industry. Many companies get away with selling mislabelled products by marketing their products as cosmetics, despite the fact that CBD products other than topicals are intended for internal use. Other companies simply hope that no third parties will check the THC percentages, or percentages of contaminants such as metals and toxic chemicals, in their products. While extreme cases are relatively rare, mislabelled CBD products have caused some harm already. 

For this reason, it’s essential to purchase your CBD from a reputable seller who you know has not only consumer health at the forefront of their minds but also sellers who make explicit attempts to be accountable to their consumer base. Being a reliable CBD seller means keeping and providing ample documentation of the production process, such as how they grow and process their products. 

However, the most important signifier of a company’s reputability is its willingness to provide a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) to its customers. A CoA is a document showing the results of third-party lab testing of a product. They are done by labs that have no affiliation with the seller or growers, and they are guaranteed to have an unbiased look at the quality of the product. The most basic CoAs will include cannabinoid levels, including THC levels and CBD levels, while some companies test contaminants, such as microbes, pesticides, and toxic solvents. 

2. The person is allergic to THC or other cannabinoids and terpenes within the plant.

Like any plant, it is possible to be allergic to cannabis. Cannabis contains pollen that can create or exacerbate allergy symptoms in individuals sensitive to it. Individuals who have allergies to common fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, peaches, grapefruit, eggplant, apples, and bananas may experience allergies to cannabis, as many pollen proteins in these plants resemble the pollen proteins in cannabis. 

When exposed to allergens, individuals with a cannabis allergy may experience symptoms such as: 

• Red eyes
• Itchy or dry skin
• Hives
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Runny nose
• Congestion

However, the allergy itself is not likely to cause anxiety. Instead, all of these unpleasant symptoms may induce stress in the individual, especially if they have never experienced a cannabis-induced allergic reaction or if they may be worried about the possibility of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reaction.