BY RUTH HILL R.N.
Are you wanting to use cannabis/marijuana and are afraid to try? This article is for you. When you pick up your prescription from the drugstore do you read the insert? I do not because most often it does not pertain to my particular issue. Anyway, it is generally too long to read. Very few individuals take a cannabis tincture, gummy, or tote and receive benefits immediately. The strength or mode of ingesting determines your body’s response. Using any plant medicine is a journey demanding patience.
During my recent sojourn into Palm Desert CA Barnes and Noble, I found very few cannabis books. Amazon is no different. Local libraries are devoid of cannabis books also. So, let’s say you don’t have time to read a book and you want to try it on your own. Or your friend or relative brought you a product and encourages you to try using but you are afraid. The package sits on your counter for weeks. Plus, you do not have time to read all that gobbledegook on science.
Your daughter still nags you to use, and you finally give in. What to do now? Do you remember when you took your first alcoholic drink? Did you on the first try, ingest a six-pack of beer all at once? Did you take shots of liquor or mix it with soda? It’s the same with cannabis. Don’t eat the whole bag of gummies and expect to be ok. You gradually try a small amount and determine your tolerance the same as when you started drinking alcohol.
My first golden rule is DO NOT BE AFRAID. Cannabis has been around for over 5000 years. In contrast to propaganda on the news, it does not kill you. Too much alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, and synthetic cannabis CAN KILL you. Did you catch the word synthetic? Synthetic cannabis is made in the lab not from a plant. The cannabis you grow yourself or purchase in a legal dispensary will NOT kill you.
Here is the only science you need to absorb. There are receptors on each of our cells, too numerous to count. Technicians need a computer to calculate. Our breathing is controlled by the receptors on our brain stem. Too many activated in that special place depress breathing. Alcohol, opiates, and other dangerous drugs can depress our breathing. If 911 is not called in time to reverse that depression, you die.
Drum roll everyone. rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat. There are NO receptors for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) & cannabidiol (CBD) in the brain stem. Eureka! No depression of your breathing. THC is the only psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that makes you high. Ingest too much THC and you have couch lock. However, when it wears off you wake up feeling fine, in contrast to having a hangover from being drunk. OK, enough of this preamble. It’s time to try cannabis.
Using our alcohol metaphor, beer wine, or hard liquor all have different effects. Start low, adjust the dose slowly, and know your milligram dose and ratios. (80-proof alcohol or 90-proof THC). I always recommend tinctures for anyone new to cannabis. Start with 1-2mg twice a day of a tincture that has a ratio of 30 CBD to 1 THC. Stick with this dose for 2-3 days then increase by 1-2 mg daily. Slowly repeat this process until you obtain the desired benefit.
Most gummies have 5-10mg of THC. Cut the gummy in half with scissors the first time to determine your tolerance to THC. CBD is the rescue for getting high on THC. For this reason, have high-dose CBD or peppercorns on hand. Peppercorns have beta-caryophyllene which is similar to CBD. A high from too much THC can always be reversed within 10-15 minutes with a rescue dose of CBD or peppercorns. Gummies taste great which can lead to gouging like candy. Watch this video on what to do if you get too high.
The books I recommend are Bonnie Goldstein Cannabis is Medicine and Leonard Leinow’s CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis. Patients who cannot tolerate THC will need a broad-spectrum product that has ZERO THC.
For more guidance on the self-administration of cannabis contact cannaangel16@gmail.com.
