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A new product made and sold by a well-known pharmaceutical scientist is claiming to reverse the effects of a too-intense THC high — with the help of more cannabis.
According to MLive, Steve Goldner, the man who invented the formulation for liquid methadone — a narcotic that is now the most common opioid addiction recovery tool in use — has developed a pure CBD tablet called Parachute that he says mitigates the high associated with THC. A mint flavored pill that dissolves under the tongue, Parachute is supposedly not processed in the liver like a traditional edible cannabis product, but is absorbed in the body “like nitroglycerin.”
“People take edibles and then they get too high — it can be pretty dreadful,” Goldner told MLive. “CBD is a tremendous ameliorator.”
Over the past couple years, the concept that high doses of cannabidiol are able to counteract or reverse the intoxicating effects of THC has become a common refrain for budtenders, CBD salespeople, and everyday consumers alike. But while high doses of CBD have been shown in some studies to help decrease THC-induced anxiety and memory loss, those results are not universal. And unlike Goldner’s previous opioid research, federal prohibition has stymied any potential large scale research into cannabinoids.
While Goldner’s CBD capsule could very well help someone come down from an intense THC high, Parachute’s effectiveness will be determined by the dose of THC taken, a person’s specific mental state, and potentially their genetic makeup.
“CBD interacts with THC in complex ways, diminishing certain effects (the munchies, sleepiness, the high) while augmenting others,” Martin A. Lee wrote in his book, Smoke Signals, according to a recent deep dive from Leafly that discussed the CBD/THC mitigation phenomenon. “Cannabidiol balances the buzz and softens the euphoria — or, in some cases, the dysphoria — induced by THC, which, in concentrated form, can make people feel very loopy and weird. CBD is the yin of THC’s yang.”
If you want to find out for yourself if the CBD tablet can counteract your THC buzz, it’s time to trek to the Wolverine State and start on some state health paperwork. Parachute is available now from Goldner’s company, Pure Green, but is currently sold only through licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan.
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