An Updated Newcomers Guide to Consuming Marijuana for Both Recreational and Medical Purposes
With the legal cannabis industry maturing, more people will be trying cannabis for the first time. With such a diverse selection of products, information and options available, I feel it’s my duty to help newcomers get settled.
Today, we’ll be talking about some basic points you should know before smoking or consuming marijuana in any form it may be presented.
Recreational Pot Tips
Let’s start with the Recreational aspects of cannabis first. If you’re going to try marijuana for the first time, it’s important to understand a few things.
RULE 1 – Walk before you run, lest you crawl
The first thing you need to know is that weed can be very potent. There are different effects depending on the method of consumption. For instance, smoking a joint is far less potent than taking a dab hit. Eating an edible is far more potent than any other form of consuming marijuana.
If it is your first time consuming the plant, I recommend vaping or smoking first. Work your way up. Start with lower doses. There is no shame in starting off with a hit or two just to try it. Don’t try to keep up with seasoned stoners. Cannabis is about enjoyment, not about getting out of your wits stoned.
RULE 2 – Know your cannabis strains
You’ve got ‘uppers’ and ‘downers’ in the cannabis game. Strains that are marketed as “Sativa or Sativa Dominant” would be your uppers, and strains marketed as “Indica or Indica dominant” are your downers. Knowing these two terms will help you greatly when you’re in a store buying weed.
RULE 3 – Potency Matters
Some forms of pot is very potent. Even a small hit of a powerful concentrate can be enough to floor you, especially if you’re not used to it. That’s why, in conjuction with Rule 1, take it slow and take it low. Strains between 8% - 14% THC is a good starting point. When you’re hitting 90% THC per hit…you’ll not need as much, but it’s also easier to overdo it.
RULE 4 – You can’t die from too much pot
Even though it might feel like it, you won’t die from eating too much pot. On very rare occasions, you can experience hallucinations on pot. These vivid, often terrifying experiences, might send you into a world of panic. Just remember to breathe and relax, once the pot is out of your system…the experience will fade. There has never been a recorded death due to cannabis consumption only.
RULE 5 – Have Fun
Cannabis use in moderation is fun, relaxing and enjoyable. You don’t need to get “faded” to experience the benefits. It’s not about “how much you can consume” or “how much of a badass you are”, but rather a personal journey between you and a plant. Just have fun with it.
Medical Marijuana Rules
When it comes to medical marijuana, you should ALWAYS work in tandem with your physician. Don’t ever solely rely on the information provided on the internet. While there might be well-intentioned sources out there, they don’t know your specific medical condition and while cannabis might seem like a good idea…in some medical conditions it may not.
RULE 1 – Work with your Doctor
Cannabis works differently for everyone. This is because it interacts with our organisms on a completely unique level. In other words, what might work for you might not work for your neighbor. This is why it’s always a good idea to have a doctor monitoring your health and helping you through your condition.
RULE 2 – Do the Research
Sometimes, your doctors might not be schooled on cannabis. That’s okay. You can do the preliminary research for your physician and provide them with a dossier of the information you found. Let them review it and help you make a decision. There’s a lot of information out there, just look for sources that cite studies and be sure to include those studies in your dossier.
RULE 3 – Heart Problems
This one is very important. People who suffer from heart conditions should be extra careful with cannabis. Cannabis does spike your heart rate. In modest doses, it would spike it between 20 BBM to 30 BBM, however will level out within the hour.
Nonetheless, a big dose of cannabis, let’s say a lollipop containing 90mg of THC in it, could induce anxiety in the patient which could result in hyperventilation and even more spiking of beats per minute. If you do have heart problems, always talk to a physician first and use low dose cannabis if you must. In fact, people with heart conditions would probably be best served with CBD only.
RULE 4 – It’s not a cure all
Cannabis helps. This is true. It helps you maintain homeostasis in the body and brain, it regulates mood, appetite, immune systems and much more. However, this doesn’t mean it will cure everything. Every person is unique and the effects of cannabis varies from patient to patient.
Cannabis can help treat some of the symptoms of your conditions, it may even help treat your condition, but never rely solely on cannabis to do the trick. When you are sick, your body is telling you that “something is amiss”. You’ll need to implement more than just integrating cannabis to your diet to overcome your illness. Perhaps dietary changes, exercise and a host of other things need to be done to make it truly effective.
RULE 5 – Cannabis-based medicines are still in development
Right now, people have been mainly medicating with cannabis as they see fit. The medications based on cannabis is still in process of being developed. Soon, you’ll be able to get dose-specific medication that provides consistency in quality and delivery mechanisms, however until then, you’ll have to work with a physician to know what the right combination of cannabinoids, ratios, and the likes should be used.
Bottom Line
In the end, cannabis is a plant that can help you or allow you to let off some steam. However, it’s always important to know what you’re putting in your body…even when it comes to cannabis.
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