$49 – $229
Royal CBD
Royal CBD Oil 30 mL
| Total CBD: | 500 – 2500 mg |
| Potency: | 16.6 – 83.3 mg/mL |
| Cost per mg CBD: | $0.12 – $0.18 |
| Extract Type: | Full-spectrum |
| THC Content: | <0.3% |
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Evidence based
Does CBD Oil Smell Like Weed?
CBD is often touted as a non-intoxicating, medicinal alternative to marijuana. However, CBD comes from the same plant. Does that mean CBD smells like marijuana?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the many cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. It’s revered as a non-intoxicating alternative to marijuana, offering similar benefits without making users feel high.
While CBD remains federally legal throughout the USA, marijuana is not. Many CBD users are understandably concerned about whether or not their CBD products are going to get them into trouble due to the potential “weed-like” smell.
The truth is that some CBD products can smell like weed.
However, isolated and pure CBD products that contain no THC shouldn’t smell like weed at all. This article will explain how and why different CBD products may have different smells and what to buy if you want to avoid the weedy aroma.
Does CBD Oil Smell Like Weed?
The answer to this question largely depends on what type of CBD product you’re using. CBD is used in many different ways. It can be vaped, taken in capsule form, or ingested through the use of oils and tinctures. Some of these products release a stronger smell than others.
Generally, only CBD products made from high-grade, full-spectrum extracts will smell like weed. This is because most of the odor from cannabis is the result of terpenes. Terpenes are aromatic phytochemicals that are known for producing strong aromas.
Isolated CBD, however, has no odor. If you’re concerned about the smell of marijuana, you may want to make sure you invest in some CBD isolate.
Full-Spectrum CBD Oil
(Moderate weed smell)
Full-spectrum CBD oil is made using all of the active cannabinoids found in the hemp plant.
Throughout most of the United States, CBD products are derived only from agricultural hemp. Hemp is legally defined as any cannabis plant containing less than 0.3% THC. As such, there may be trace amounts of THC found in the end product.
Full-spectrum extracts also include all of the terpenes and other phytochemicals that are found in the hemp plant. These terpenes are responsible for most of the strong, skunky cannabis smell.
However, hemp plants are generally much less smelly than normal marijuana plants. As such, full-spectrum CBD oil made from hemp plants may have a mild weed smell. However, it is very unlikely to be as potent as regular marijuana.
Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil
(Some weed smell)
$45–$300
Penguin CBD
Penguin CBD Oil
| Total CBD: | 250–5000 |
| Potency: | 8.3 – 166.7 mg/mL |
| Cost per mg CBD: | $0.06 – $0.18 |
| Extract Type: | Broad-Spectrum |
| THC Content: | 0 mg |
Broad-spectrum CBD oil is made in a similar manner as full-spectrum CBD oil. The main difference is that THC is excluded from the final recipe. Other psychoactive compounds, including terpenes, are often omitted from the end product.
This allows the manufacturers of broad-spectrum oils to market their products in regions where THC remains illegal.
Most of these products will not have much of a weed smell. However, some manufacturers choose to include or add terpenes to their broad-spectrum oils. These products can, indeed, smell like marijuana.
CBD Isolate Oil
(No weed smell)
$88.00 – $148.00
EIR Health
Eir Health CBD Isolate Oils 30 mL
| Total CBD: | 1500 – 3000 mg |
| Potency: | 50 – 100 mg/mL |
| Cost per mg CBD: | $0.05 – $0.06 |
| Extract Type: | CBD Isolate |
CBD isolate oils are made using extracted, isolated CBD.
To make these oils, CBD is extracted from hemp plants and completely separated from other cannabinoids and terpenes. As such, these oils won’t have much of a cannabis smell.
These oils smell most like the carrier oil that they are diluted in. Most high-end CBD manufacturers use MCT oil for their CBD tinctures. MCT oil produces a unique but fairly subtle scent. Other companies may use hemp oil or even olive oil for their CBD isolate oils, so you can expect these products to smell like their respective oil.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is an infused oil made from cannabidiol, one of the active compounds found in the cannabis plant.
CBD oil is generally marketed for its therapeutic benefits. It has been scientifically proven to help reduce anxiety and depression, improve sleep, reduce pain, and improve immunity.
Many of these benefits are associated with cannabis. However, across the United States and most of the world, cannabis remains strictly regulated. Most countries strictly outlaw its usage. Those that do allow it usually only make exceptions for medical patients who purchase their cannabis through the government.
CBD oils are generally made from CBD derived from the hemp plant. As mentioned, hemp is legally defined in the USA as any cannabis plant containing less than 0.3% THC. These hemp plants are often grown for the express purpose of producing CBD oils.
Will CBD Oil Make Me High?
CBD oil will not make you high. For the most part, the most significant psychoactive changes that people notice after taking CBD involve relaxation and sleepiness. Even so, most of these effects are not strong enough to impair their day-to-day functioning.
The reason CBD oil doesn’t make you high is because of the way that it interacts with your body.
Cannabinoids interact with a system known as the endocannabinoid system. This is a system present in all mammals that regulate things like appetite, mood, pain sensation, sleepiness, and stress levels.
Our bodies produce a number of cannabinoids called endocannabinoids. Cannabinoids found in marijuana and some other plants interact with this same system, causing different effects.
THC is a direct agonist of the endocannabinoid system. This means that it directly binds to and activates the receptors that are found in the system. This allows THC to cause direct and profound effects.
CBD, on the other hand, works indirectly. It does not bind directly to these receptors, instead of causing a number of different reactions indirectly. This allows it to affect the human body in
Does Delta 8 THC Oil Smell Like Weed?
Delta 8 THC is one of the many compounds found in cannabis. It’s very similar in effects to delta 9 THC, which is the ‘alpha’ cannabinoid in marijuana. When people refer to THC, they’re most likely referring to delta 9 THC.
Delta 8 THC, however, has gained traction because it falls into a legal grey area. Delta 8 THC can be found in hemp plants, which are currently legal across the United States. This means that many people interested in a THC experience can resort to using delta 8 THC instead of delta 9, which is often illegal.
Delta 8 THC can also be synthesized from CBD. Since CBD is also derived from hemp, products made from it (including delta 8 THC) can be considered hemp-derived products.
On its own, delta 8 THC doesn’t have much of a smell. Again, it’s the terpenes in cannabis that are largely responsible for its skunky odor. In order to make delta 8 extracts, these terpenes need to be removed during production. Therefore, raw delta 8 THC has no smell to it.
With that said, some manufacturers add these terpenes back into the final product. If this is the case, then the product will likely smell like weed.
If you want something that doesn’t smell, go for pure, unflavored, pure delta 8 THC oil.
What Type of CBD Oil is Best?
There are different benefits associated with the different types of CBD oil that we’ve described today. Whether or not any of them are ‘better’ than the next is a matter of your personal preference.
Objectively, however, most experts agree that full-spectrum extracts are better. This is because of a concept called the entourage effect. The entourage effect is a cascade reaction that occurs when all the active compounds in cannabis work together to produce ‘emergent effects,’ benefits that aren’t necessarily attributed to any individual compound.
In other words, CBD oil tends to work better when you use it as nature would have intended. Who’d have thunk?
Different types of CBD oil have other benefits, though. If you’re concerned about legality, you’ll want to use either a broad-spectrum or a CBD isolate oil.
Broad-spectrum oils are for people who want to take advantage of the entourage effect but can’t legally acquire THC. CBD isolate oils are for people who want to enjoy the benefits of CBD on its own. Isolate oils are also generally cheaper.
Final Thoughts: Does CBD Oil Smell Like Weed?
CBD itself doesn’t have much of a smell, but some of the CBD oil products might smell like weed.
Terpenes are the compounds responsible for most of the skunky cannabis smell, so if you’re purchasing an oil infused with terpenes, you can expect that it might smell like marijuana.
However, many other CBD products are terpene-free and don’t have any smell at all. Broad-spectrum extracts without terpenes, as well as CBD isolate oils or pure delta 8 THC oils (without added terpenes), will produce the same benefits without any of the weedy aroma.