Cannabis for Beginners

Cannabis is an amazing plant that has had a bad reputation in the mainstream for many decades. In recent years the plant has been accepted for medicinal use, and most recently for recreational use in many of the United States. However, with the industry still being in its infancy, it can be very confusing for consumers to find truthful information on the plant. I want to provide some information regarding what I have learned about cannabis and the industry thus far. Note that my experience pertains to primarily to cannabis with high CBD/low THC content.

Why Cannabis

I had used cannabis several times as a teenager in high school but stopped just before I began college. Well into my adult years I struggled with sleep, specifically to stay asleep at night. Often I would wake in the night and struggle to get back to sleep. This often resulted in me losing 2-3 hours of sleep.

I began searching for a solution. I had previously both tried hops and melatonin. Hops worked to put me to sleep but gave me a strong headache in the morning. Melatonin relaxed my body enough to fall asleep but I would inevitably wake a few hours later with a noticeable physically anxious sensation, a restlessness. IN my continued search for a solution I began to read about CBD but was very skeptical. After all, my previous experience with cannabis was limited to recreational use of in my younger years. I couldn’t understand how someone could use cannabis and not get high. I read, researched, and look for different angles and opinions. It did not want to simply believe something was going to work or was a healthy choice based on the hype alone.

Eventually I found a reputable distributor in Oregon, Lazarus Naturals. Their website provided some decent education on their process and the positive impact of CBD oil and explained yet again that it was not going to get you high. I and an order for their full spectrum CBD oil and I began using it slowly to see what dose worked for me.

I started with 25mg (¼ of a dropper) in the middle of the day to see how it made me feel. I felt nothing. Well, I was very aware of my body and I am now convinced the little bit I thought I felt, was actually in my head. I eventually found that between 50-100mg of CBD oil each night was what I needed to get to sleep and stay asleep. I did not wake feeling hung over but rather rested. There were not any negative side effects I could find. From there I continued to use cannabis effectively for sleep each night.

Beyond Sleep

About a year later I read that CBD promoted homeostasis in the human body and I began experimenting with using cannabis throughout the day in smaller doses up to 50mg to see if there were any effects on my mind and body. I discovered that using cannabis throughout the day seemingly lowered inflammation in my body, resulting in less muscle pain. It also calmed my overactive thinking (something I did not know I did until using cannabis. Another benefit that I began to experience was that I seemingly lost the desire to drink alcohol. When I began using the oil for sleep, I was also drinking scotch a few times a week. A very expensive endeavor itself. But over time my desire for drinking alcohol disappeared. This stuff was great… but it was also expensive for me at the time, so I sought to find another solution.

DIY Medicine

I learned people were making their own CBD oil at home. I admit the thought of that being possible sounded far fetched to me until I actually read the recipes and watched some videos on the topic. The recipes used “trim”, which consists of the sugar leaves, stems, and pieces of the plant that are trimmed away from the buds after harvest. Trim still contains cannabinoids but it would be harsh to smoke or vape, so people use it for oils and edibles. I found a supplier and bought some trim. It was shipped to my front door and I began my DIY journey.

Along this journey I learned that for me, some cannabis flowers promoted focused thought, better memory, and improved my circulation. All this and I wasn’t getting high. I could use cannabis and still make dinner, help my children with homework, think at work and virtually anything else I choose. CBD was working great for me.

Consumption

After some time in using the CBD oil I became curious about smoking CBD flower. I remembered enjoying smoking when I was a teenager but didn’t really want to injure my lungs. I read about edibles in general and looked for CBD edibles in particular. Then I learned about dry flower vaporization.

Vaporization is the process of heating the flower enough to release the cannabinoids and terpenes from the flower without combusting it to produce smoke. Vaporization is actually more efficient in that by not combusting the material, more of the cannabinoids are consumed. The result is that one-tenth of a gram can be a very suitable dose versus a half to a full gram when smoked.

Today I use both a dry herb vaporizer and homemade oil to consume cannabis. Each method serves a different approach to my desired outcome. Vaporization is similar to smoking in that the vapor is taken into your lungs and thus the effects of the flower are felt very quickly, if not instantly. However, vaporization does not allow for combusted/burnt plant material to be inhaled. Also, tar is at a minimum with vaporization. Therefore this is safer for your lungs than smoking. Vaporizers come in many different styles and not in the scope of this article.

Oil is also very helpful and useful when vaping or smoking are not allowed or desired. However, oil takes longer to bring about the desired effects. Therefore I use oil for sleep generally. Oil is a tincture taken sublingual (under the tongue). It takes about 15-45 minutes to take effect. Doses of up to 1500mg have been reported to be tolerated well by humans. My DIY oil is not very concentrated and therefore I need to take about 1tsp to get the 50-ish mg of CBD I am seeking.

It has been very effective in helping me to stay asleep or get back to sleep easily if woken in the night. My nightly routine has been to take oil and vape before bed. The vape has a quick onset but fades in a couple of hours where as the oil lasts longer and helps me to stay asleep or fall back asleep should I wake in the course of the night.

If you are looking for a vaporizer, before you head to your local smoke shop check out the Planet of the Vapes as they have a large variety and respectable prices. Because vapes often allow you to set the temperature of the oven, you can customize your vaping session to get out of your flower the terpenes and cannabinoids you are after.

If smoking is your thing, then your local smoke shop is a likely place to start so that you can see up close the different types of pipes, water pipes, and variety of rolling papers there are to choose from. There are also several online retailers in this space as well.

Where to Get CBD Cannabis

The easy answer is… not in a dispensary. To my knowledge most dispensaries specialize in high THC flower. There are quite a few distributors online who sell hemp flower. I have ordered from a few and recommend one in particular, Holy City Farms. HCF has been stellar. While other CBD retailers are moving into the high THCa flower, HCF still grows and sells lots of low/non-THC flower. As of this writing my last two purchases have been from HCF and they do not disappoint. They have great flowers, reasonable prices, and easy shipping.

What to Look for in CBD Flower

What you are looking for in a CBD/hemp flower will vary from person to person. Do not let that scare you. Cannabis preference is the same as selecting a cheese or alcohol to go with dinner. You want a flower that will compliment your body and provide the effect you are seeking.

There are a number of terms in the cannabis world which can be confusing and overwhelming. However, it is not difficult to learn. Let us start with strains. Strains at a high level are sativa, indica, and ruderails. Sativas tend to produce uplifting and stimulating effects. Indicas tend to produce sedating effects. Ruderails naturally have low THC and high CBD, and thus have effects of CBD overall. Then there are hybrids. These are strains which have been cultivated over the years to blend the effects or characteristics of both sativas and indicas or either with ruderails. Today many of the strains we find available on the retail market are hybrids. They have been mixed over and over again and thus is is difficult to find a true indica or sativa.

When evaluating a flower the areas to consider are:

Aroma: Many flowers have a scent described as "loud". The louder the flower, the more that scent will smack you in the face when you open the bag. Not all flowers are loud, and not all that are subtle are bad. Though the strong scent is also characteristic of the terpene profile.
Terpenes: These compounds give the plant its scent and taste. They also are responsible for other medicinal effects. See this article on High Times.
Bud Structure: A healthy looking bud generally means a superior experience. You will want a well trimmed bud. This means the sugar leaves have been trimmed away. The bud should also be dense and not floppy.
Tricomes: These are the very tiny structures on the bud which will give it a frosted look. The tricomes hold many of the beneficial oils of the plant. In general the frostier the better. Tricome oils can also make the flower very sticky to the touch. Breaking up a flower with your fingers can leave a sticky residue and feeling similar to pine sap. That is a great bud.

What to Look for in a Vendor

You want a vendor that cares about their product. Do not buy any CBD product from a gas station or convenience store. Their products are just as important to them as the old candy bars and motor oil on the shelf. You want a vendor whom provides certificates of analysis (CoAs). These reports should detail the amounts of cannabinoids (CBDa, CBD, THC, THCa, CBG, etc.) as well as pesticides, heavy metals, and molds present in the harvest sample. Some will even list the terpene content of the flower. With this information you can make an informed choice and later compare your experience with the flower against the content of the flower. This will help you to understand what you like and what your body benefits from.

You also want a vendor that has fair prices, good shipping practices, and promotions from time to time. I have tried a few different vendors and when it comes to dry flower, Holy City Farms has met the mark and set a standard.

Education

Because of the prohibition on cannabis since the 1930s, society has lost time to research the plant. However, today there are many books on the topic that should be considered. I have read the following books and they have provided me with an understanding of the cannabis plant that I would have never obtained through reading blogs and watching YouTube videos. Books are still king in my opinion.

Cannabis Pharmacy by Michael Backes (Author), Andrew Weil MD (Foreword)
The Medical Marijuana Guide by Patricia C. Frye MD (Author), Dave Smitherman - contributor (Author)
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? by Steve Fox (Author), Paul Armentano (Author), Mason Tvert (Author): If you read any book in this list, let it be this one! It is the book that allowed me to really embrace cannabis and realize that we have been lied to about the plant for generations. Here is the Amazon Description: In 2012, voters in Colorado shocked the political establishment by making the use of marijuana legal for anyone in the state twenty-one years of age or older. In the wake of that unprecedented victory, nationally recognized marijuana-policy experts Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert revisit the "Marijuana Is Safer" message that contributed to the campaign’s success--as the first edition of this book predicted it would in 2009. In this updated and expanded edition, the authors include a new chapter on the victory in Colorado and updates on a growing mountain of research that supports their position. Through an objective examination of marijuana and alcohol, and the laws and social practices that steer people toward the latter, the authors pose a simple yet rarely considered question: Why do we punish adults who make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol? For those unfamiliar with marijuana, Marijuana Is Safer provides an introduction to the cannabis plant and its effects on the user, and debunks some of the government's most frequently cited marijuana myths. More importantly, for the millions of Americans who want to advance the cause of marijuana policy reform--or simply want to defend their own personal, safer choice--this book provides the talking points and detailed information needed to make persuasive arguments to friends, family, coworkers, elected officials and, of course, future voters.
Grow Your Own: Understanding, Cultivating, and Enjoying Marijuana

Other Resources

There are many websites with lots of information on this topic. I recommend the following:

r/hempflowers: This subreddit is excellent as it is full of veteran hemp users as well as newcomers. So many questions, answers, recommendations, and accounts of personal experiences.
Honest Marijuana Co.: This blog is well written and will have you feeling like you have been consuming herb for decades with their very informative style.
Leafly: This site has dispensary listings, products and review, a blog, and more. It is a cannabis information playground. Check out Leafly and learn more than you wanted to even know about cannabis.

Conclusion

You will need to educate yourself and perhaps even try cannabis in the form that is best for you. Cannabis is not for everyone but it is also simply not the monster the government and its associated puppets would have us believe. Yes there are certainly people who have abused cannabis and become the poster children for government campaigns. But the plant its self, when used responsibly, has far more benefits to a large swath of our society than negatives.