What’s the Difference Between Medical Cannabis and Illegal Cannabis?

Although there are many differences between medical and illegal cannabis, there are two that are far more prominent than the others.

Different Cannabinoids

Although this is not always the case, medical cannabis tends to have a much higher concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis, which is typically what individuals are looking for when purchasing "street cannabis."

CBD is responsible for the majority of the medical benefits of cannabis. As such, cannabis products containing high THC concentrations are classed as controlled substances (like most drugs) and are therefore illegal in most places.

Medical Quality

Even CBD products that contain no THC can still be illegal. Similar to how it's illegal to brew your own alcohol and sell it without a license, you aren't allowed to make your own CBD products and sell them without the required permit.

The reason for this is to maintain standards and quality. If you purchase alcohol from an unreputable source, there's no guarantee that you will not be buying methanol derivatives instead of ethanol, which could kill you even at a low dose. Even though cannabis products are much safer than alcohol, there's no guarantee that an unlicensed seller isn't mixing their products with dangerous substances to make them last longer or even make them addictive.