The Case for Mild Weed
Getting Too High
There are few feelings more unpleasant than being too high. The dopamine and anandamide receptor activity caused by THC can induce feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and calmness, but it can also trigger anxiety-inducing thoughts, hyper-alertness, and feelings of panic. While a person is highly unlikely to die from a THC overdose, overdose side effects are common among cannabis beginners and can sometimes happen to veterans. There are countless stories of people eating too many edibles, or getting paranoid from smoking too much weed, or feeling over-stimulated from a few puffs. The culprit is an over-emphasis on high potency THC.
The issue with 20-30% THC-rich cannabis is the higher likelihood of overconsumption or THC overdose, therefore a greater possibility for adverse side effects. At 28% THC, for example, there is about 280mg of THC in one gram of flower. One eighth of that gram or 0.125g at 30% bioavailability would deliver about 10mg of THC. Having packed many bowls and rolled many joints, it’s safe to say people usually smoke more than this at one time. For someone seeking 50-80mg of THC as their dose this flower would be ideal, but for most new users it will be too potent.
Too Much THC
THC-rich cannabis is a powerful narcotic plant. Anything above 10mg is likely to have some adverse effects, varying in severity from person to person and depending on the total dose. As one’s tolerance for the compound increases or a consumer gets used to the brain’s response to the chemical, dosage can generally be increased for desired effects. However, just 7mg of THC will leave a new user with a pleasant experience.
The decades old cannabis market has led to many innovations but one thing that has lagged behind is cannabinoid research. Instead, the market has demanded THC and only THC. Only recently has the conversation shifted toward terpenes (and CBD) as an indicator of quality. After all, you can’t smell or taste THC. It’s the terpenes and flavonoids that bring your buds to life.
Diversifying Your Cannabis Use
CBD is known as the “non-psychoactive” compound but, anecdotally, people report feeling less anxious and more calm after using it. Some people report managing pain better and say they’ve had an easier time falling asleep after using CBD. Upon more studies in the future, CBD may even be used to treat psychiatric conditions like anxiety.
It’s known that CBD can alter chemical levels in the brain, which can affect mood and emotions. This is why we prefer to say that CBD is ‘non-intoxicating’, as opposed to ‘non-psychoactive’, because it can have a psychoactive effect.
Knowing that only a small amount of THC is needed to produce an intoxicating effect we recommend about a 1:3 or 1:5 of THC to CBD for occasional or recreational use. For example, if you take 10mg of THC adding 50mg of CBD could help balance out the intoxicating effects of THC, leaving you with a more mellow feeling. Alternatively, taking 1-5mg of THC and a higher dose of CBD (100-300mg) could have a similar therapeutic effect but less intensity as far as intoxication. CBD-rich hemp flower generally contains about 150mg of CBD in one gram and less than 3mg of THC, making it a great option for those seeking to benefit from the cannabis plant's potential medicinal and therapeutic properties without getting high.
At the end of the day we want your experience with cannabis to be a positive one. Whether you are seeking more subtle effects or unsure of how your body will react to heavier cannabis use, mild weed is a great place to start experimenting.
How to mellow out your weed experience:
Consider adding CBD-rich flowers to your cannabis consumption.
Example of creating 4:1 and 1:1 CBD to THC ratios with cannabis flowers