Cannabis products offer a variety of consumption options for users to choose from, including edibles, joints, vapes, and suppositories. These dosage formats fit different needs and consumer preferences, but cannabis products can also be administered externally through formats such as creams and balms.
The most popular cannabinoids used in topical products are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is well-known for being intoxicating when ingested orally, but there is not a great deal of research on THC’s psychoactive effects when applied on the skin. That said, it is commonly accepted that THC is not intoxicating when applied topically. One study published in Advances in Therapy asked subjects applying a topical containing 100 mg CBD: 100 mg THC whether they were experiencing psychoactive effects at multiple timepoints.