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Cannabis is the current hype, there is no doubt about it. Whether you go in for a whole weed bud with all its terpenes and cannabinoids intact, a CBD isolate tincture or recreational pain relieving balms and energy drinks, you’re getting different cannabis experiences with them all. With so many products available in the market, how do you decide which product would suit you best?
Here’s what you do.
Your purpose of using weed will determine what type of product you’ll need, the potency that would suit you best and if you’re better off buying recreational products or medical.
If you’re trying to combat a medical condition, a medically recommended marijuana product will suit your requirement better. With a physician’s recommendation, you can also access high potency CBD products which would otherwise be out of reach. As a recreational user, you cannot get your hands on anything that has more than 0.3% THC (maybe you can, but definitely not legally).
If you’re looking for immediate effects, blunts, spliffs and joints, vapes, bongs and e-cigs, sublingual tinctures and topicals might work the best for you. All smokables might start showing effect within seconds while sublingual and topical might take a few minutes.
On the other hand, if the purpose of consumption is relief over a longer period, you might want to invest in edibles and drinks that need to be digested before taking effect. While these products might take longer, sometimes even hours to show effect, their benefits are long lasting.
Smokables are perfect for instant gratification. You can start feeling the effects within seconds. But you might not be the biggest fan of smoking or vaping flowers, and we understand. While it’s the quickest way to dose on weed and rarely ever leads to overconsumption, it can take a toll on your health. Especially if you’re prone to lung infections or suffer from any respiratory disorders.
In such a case, you can opt for sublingual oils. These take effect quickly and do not put you at the risk of lung infections.
For consumers who enjoy taking cannabis in the form of delicious goodies, you can find chocolates, protein bars, gummies, brownies and other baked goods to relish.
As a new consumer, you should know everything there is to know about cannabis, all its cannabinoids and what different potencies can do for you. Cannabis, as a whole, has many other components and chances are, any product you buy will have some of these too. These could be other cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids that are unique to every strain.
One such component that you need to be aware of is THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive cannabinoid – in other words, it brings the ‘high’ you associate with cannabis. While recreational CBD products have a 0.3% legal limit of THC, doses accessed with a medical marijuana card can have much larger concentrations.
In other words, if you consume too much of THC, it might lead to intoxication.
Another issue of concern can be the lack of regulation from the FDA. This means that you’ll have to pay extra attention to find a reliable source for your product.
You’ll come across hundreds of cannabis vendors, CBD retail outlets and dispensaries, but not all of them have been licensed to deal in weed. And let me tell you, you don’t want to buy your weed from a shady vendor. In the best case scenario, the flower would not be as potent as it claims or they would sell hemp oil instead of CBD oil. However, the worst case scenario could include a contaminated product that sends you off to the emergency room.
Along with the vendor’s license, you should look the following when buying a product:
Learn About Dosing, and the Best Dose For You
As new consumers, it is always recommended that you go for the smallest dose possible. Especially if you’re consuming a full spectrum product.
Full spectrum CBD also contains THC which can be intoxicating even in small doses for first time consumers. To ensure that no side effects prevail, microdosing is preferable.
Consuming the product in small doses can help you assess your own tolerance and build on it with time.
Irrespective of the cannabis product you’ve decided to invest in, sitting through a consultation with your physician might do you some good. As a certified professional, they can brief you about all possible side effects and consequences of consuming the product.
One of the major cannabinoids, CBD, also tends to interact with prescribed medications and other drugs that you might be consuming. To avoid suffering from any side effects of such interactions, make sure you’re transparent with your physician about your medical history, medications you might be currently consuming or any other drug that might still be in your body.
If you’ve made up your mind about consuming weed, what type of product you want and the potency that would best suit you; it’s time to enter the local dispensary and get your hands on the right product. But before you do that, make sure to apply for a medical marijuana card. With an MMJ card, you can access any marijuana product available in your state.
With an MMJ card,
Your MMJ card also enables you to possess, consume and even grow your own doses of cannabis without becoming a law breaker.
As a newbie in this greenland, learning about all aspects of cannabis should be your first approach. You can then consult an MMJ doctor, get your recommendation and buy your first dose from a reputed and reliable dispensary.