Many people hate the smell of marijuana. It’s an incredibly strong, skunky odor that turns people off. When people consider using CBD, they may wonder if CBD smells like marijuana since they both come from cannabis plants. So, does CBD smell like weed?
First, you should know that CBD itself doesn’t really produce a scent. Manufacturers can extract the CBD from marijuana or hemp plants so they other compounds that do affect taste and smell are not extracted with it. If you were to smell a pure sample, you wouldn’t really detect a smell.
The smell of a CBD product then depends on the other ingredients. In oil products, CBD is combined with another oil to give it flavor. Many products use MCT oil, which is extracted from coconut oil. CBD oil made with MCT will therefore usually smell like coconut oil. Sometimes CBD is combined with hemp oil, and hemp oil will have an odor more similar to marijuana. But most people say hemp oil smells grassier than the skunky odor associated with marijuana.
But even if the CBD hemp oil smells like marijuana, it’s not nearly as strong and you’d need to put your nose directly next to the oil to smell it. These oils are mostly for flavor and won’t produce an odor that other people around you will notice.
Also Read: What does CBD feel like?
Do CBD vapes smell like weed?
CBD vapes will produce a smell, however. The vapor cloud producing while using one of these can have many different smells. In vapes, CBD is usually combined with oils or food additives to produce a certain flavor for the user. These ingredients will produce an odor.
But, CBD vapes rarely smell like marijuana. They’re more likely to smell like the ingredients themselves. But burning the CBD oil in a vape does produce an odor, but it’s much less strong than marijuana. This is because when someone smokes marijuana, they burn the actual flower part of the cannabis plant. So, all compounds, herbs and substances in the flower are burnt and produce an odor. But when someone vapes CBD, the only thing getting burned is the CBD oil, which doesn’t contain as much odor-producing compounds.
Also Read: 3 Pros and 3 Cons of CBD Flower
So, don’t worry about becoming the person whose apartment constantly smells like skunks if you start using CBD. Your CBD does not smell like weed. This may be one of the reasons why people try CBD and think it may not be working. But that’s not the case!
Joseph has been writing and editing for a wide variety of publications over the last decade. His most notable roles were at Playboy, where he helped relaunch the iconic brand’s digital arm and Civilized — where he has written extensively about all aspects of CBD.
