Marijuana has had a historic decade of legal victories for both medical and personal consumption. As of 2019, in some form or another, whether it be unfettered access for recreational use or for use under strict medical guidelines.

With over half of the country having the ability to partake in marijuana legally, many people who have never tried it before obviously have plenty of questions regarding the positive and negative effects of cannabis. Cannabis is an incredibly versatile, complex plant that can offer up a wide variety of different experiences based on how it is consumed, how much of it is consumed, and what type of it is consumed. Knowing the difference can be the deciding factor of whether a first-time user has an enjoyable time, or has a less-than pleasurable experience.

Different Methods Of Consumption

One of the easiest ways of controlling the experience one has with marijuana is through deciding which way it enters the body. The different methods of consuming marijuana can range from extremely low-tech to modern and cutting-edge methods that have been designed to get the most out of cannabis. While there is a huge variety of ways to take marijuana into the human body, the bulk of them fall into just two categories: inhalation and ingestion.

Inhalation methods are some of the easiest and most accessible ways to take in cannabis. Whether someone decides to purchase a pre-rolled joint, roll their own, go with the classic pipe and marijuana buds, or opt for the more high-tech vaporizers that use marijuana extracts, inhalation provides quick uptake of THC and CBD into the bloodstream. For first-time users, it is generally not recommended to use vaporizers or other systems that deliver cannabis extracts, as that sets on quickly, making it difficult to manage any deleterious effects of cannabis.

Ingestion might appeal to new users of marijuana because there is very little work that needs to be done in order to take marijuana into the system. Whether the ingestible comes in the form of cookies and brownies, candies, gummies, tinctures or even sodas, all one needs to do is eat or drink it to start things off. However, edibles can often lead people to bite off more than they can chew.

Edibles have a much longer onset period — up to a full hour — before any noticeable effect takes place and than when cannabis is inhaled. This can be dangerous for inexperienced users as they may assume that the cannabis isn’t taking effect and ingest even more before the initial dose even has time to kick in. Because of the slower nature of edibles, it can be difficult to manage just how much cannabis is being consumed by inexperienced users, and like highly potent concentrates, can lead to an unpleasant experience.

Possible Side Effects

Bloodshot eyes, a dry mouth, and a case of the munchies are the side effects most commonly associated with cannabis consumption. However, that can occur when someone takes marijuana into their system at any dosage level. Drowsiness, memory loss, anxiety, and paranoia are all negative side effects that can come from using cannabis. One of the best ways to avoid the less desirable side effects of cannabis consumption is to start out at low doses and work up gradually to see what level produces the desired effect.

The reason that many of these effects occur when using marijuana is that the psychoactive chemical THC interacts with several complex networks in the brain that serve to control certain thought processes. The reason why some people can seemingly handle marijuana with no issues comes down to how THC breaks down the salience network in the brain, which assigns value and meaning to someone’s perceptions. This means that under the influence of THC, the brain isn’t acting normally and is processing information differently, which can lead to anxiety that can quickly ramp up to paranoia and even mild hallucinations.

THC can even have an unseen physical effect on the human body’s . THC can interrupt the mTOR signaling pathway, which is the “central regulator of cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, and survival.” This essentially means that THC can inhibit the growth and proliferation of muscle tissues, which is bad news for bodybuilders who work hard to build muscle but also want to partake in cannabis at the end of the day to relax.

Medical Marijuana And CBD

For those looking to avoid negative or psychoactive effects of cannabis consumption can do so by opting to use marijuana that has a lower dose of THC and a higher concentration of CBD. CBD is cannabidiol and is the other main active compound in marijuana. However, unlike THC, CBD does not provide any of the euphoric effects commonly associated with marijuana use. Also unlike THC, and is widely accepted as a therapeutic compound, so much so that it is legal in the majority of U.S. states.

The main difference between cannabis and hemp is that hemp is a specific strain of Cannabis sativa that . While CBD is found in all strains of cannabis, the fact that it is not classified as a recreational drug has made it a popular supplement to relieve pain and reduce anxiety. The research revolving around CBD is still uncovering many new applications for the compound, several pointing to CBD having powerful medical applications that include to reduce muscle spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis.

While THC does have some medicinal properties such as the ability to effectively moderate and manage pain, CBD has much more going for it when viewed from a medical standpoint. CBD can help to fight inflammation, combat migraines, relieve arthritis, reduce epileptic episodes, and . Cannabis can also help to fight depression by replenishing endocannabinoid levels that are depleted by prolonged stress.

It seems that we are marching ever closer to a day where the stigma surrounding marijuana both recreationally and medically is a thing of the past. More and more Americans are trying cannabis for the first time as it becomes more available and legal nationwide, and for those looking to avoid experiencing negative side effects, there are plenty of things that can be done. Understanding how to properly consume cannabis, knowing what side effects might occur and at what dosages, and opting to partake in marijuana with a higher CBD to THC ratio can help inexperienced users have an enjoyable time trying cannabis.

Share this:Like this:Like Loading…
Related