Ways to Consume

Ways to Consume

Many people shy away from cannabis because they think the only way to consume it, is to to smoke it. Since cannabis has become a legal and regulated substance in Canada, there are many ways you can legally consume cannabis beyond smoking a joint.

Don’t have time to read the whole article? This is a summary of ways you can consume cannabis. 

  • Sublingual (under your tongue)- oils, drops, strips, sprays.                  
  • Inhalation (smoking) – flower used in joints, pre-rolled joints, vape pen (oil), pax, bong (LOL, are we 17?)              
  • Topical (on your skin) – cream, bath bombs.
  • Ingestion (eating or drinking)- food and non-alcoholic beverages like gummies, chocolates, sparkling water.  
Are you the type that wants all the details? I got you covered below! 
 
Sublingual

Sublingual means under your tongue. This is a common method used to get treatments like medication and vitamins into your blood stream and avoid your digestive tract. This method is direct and fast. 

Sublingual products can be placed under your tongue and held for 30 seconds -1 minute to be absorbed into your blood stream to dispersed throughout your body. This method generally takes 15-30 minute to feel the effects.

If you are new to cannabis, a CBD dominant sublingual oil or spray is a good place to start.

Inhalation

Smoking or vaping can be done with traditional dried flower or oil. You can kick it old school and grind up flower and roll a joint, but you’re a mom and mamma ‘ain’t got time for that.  

One accessible way to smoke and feel the effects as quickly as 1-3 minutes is using a vape pen. It comes ready to go filled with the oil of your choice, no flame required, it is discrete and may have a very faint often fruity smell, associated with it’s terpene – which is essentially the plants essential oil,  not necessarily the weed-like smell you would expect.

Some people find vaping oil to be less harsh, but this method will still go through your lungs and avoid your digestive tract. 

Topicals

Topicals are creams and bath bombs, used to spot treat pain externally. It will only have an effect on the are that it touches. And no you will not get high, no matter how much you use and slather on, you will not get high from a topical treatment. 

Topicals are great for a muscle pull, post workout recovery or joint pain caused by inflammation like arthritis. If you want to use a product with cannabis, check out my free down load to make sure it is a cannabis containing product.  many
companies are starting to roll out lip balms and other body care products like
soap, shampoo and conditioners that contain hemp, not active CBD. And there are limited evidence to suggest they help with anything.

Ingestion 

I have saved this one for last as it is the juiciest of all.  Ingestion refers to eating or drinking your cannabis. You can purchase premade items like gummies, chocolate or sparkling water, or you can make your own and add cannabis to anything you can think of! Currently, Canadian retailers are not allowed to sell alcohol and cannabis together – either in the same bottle or establishment. For many newcomers to cannabis, ingestion seems like the most accessible method – after all, we all eat! It is this mentality that gets a lot of people into trouble. Ingesting cannabis, like all food and drink, goes through your digestive tract and can take anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours to feel the effects!  

Factors like metabolism, body mass, previous experience, food in your stomach, gender, and age are some of the elements that will determine your experience. The good news is that you cannot overdose on cannabis, you can however, have a very bad night. You will be fine once it passes through your system. 

I am about to get into the nitty gritty science part of ingestion. If you only read this far, just remember, start low and go slow! A low dose would be 2.5mg of cannabis in your edibles. 

ok, now for the science of it all. 

when you eat food or medicine it goes from your stomach to your small intestine. From there, the nutrients and other raw material are pulled into your liver to be metabolized further (broken down) or used for various chemical reactions your body needs to function like energy, cell repair and growth. The liver also detoxes harmful chemicals and helps to excrete them from your body.   

Lucky for us, our body and liver do not perceive cannabis as toxic! Your endocannabinoid system may be deficient and holding onto the cannabis for later use*. Specifically with THC containing cannabis, instead of breaking down THC to excrete from the body, the liver turns it from the current state of delta-9 THC to a more potent and active form 11-hydroxy THC. This is fancy talk for a different chemical structure, these different structures are used differently by the body and this more potent and active form is the reason so many people have the had a bad experience, especially compared to other methods. 

Keeping this whole process in mind when ingesting explains why it can take up to two hours to feel the effects. Many people will feel impatient around 30-60 minutes and consume far more than they should. In good news, you cannot overdoes and there are no known cases of overdose from cannabis alone. But you can have a very bad night one that can turn you off of trying it again. Remember, I cannot say this enough, Start low and go slow

 

THC, CBD, Ratios, Strains…oh my!

THC, CBD, Ratios, Strains…oh my!

Todays cannabis isn’t like what you tried or avoided trying behind the bleachers at school. It is cultivated carefully and purposefully. You can pick the strain, the ratio and the terpenes to get whatever desired effect you are looking for. Researchers have discovered that cannabis is made up of more than 120 components. These components are called cannabinoids. Of those  120+, researchers have really honed in on the two most well known cannabinoids, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

For many years – those years spent behind the school- growers thought the good part was THC, so most plants were grown to only have THC. Due to this, and likely a bad experience, this is what most people think of when they think of cannabis.

THC is the psychoactive component in cannabis and it will make you feel intoxicated or high.

CBD is still considered psychoactive because it can alter your mood, but it is not intoxicating, you will not feel high from taking CBD.

Let’s say that again, CBD will not get you high, will not get you buzzed, will not make you feel intoxicated. The feeling you get with CBD use is more of an absence of the unwanted feeling or pain- comparable to taking a pain killer.

ARE YOU NEW TO THE WORLD OF CANNABIS?

A good place to start if you have never tried cannabis is a CBD dominant product. You will still be able to do your job, be present in your kids life, and function at your best when you use a CBD dominant product.

HOW CAN YOU IDENTIFY A CBD DOMINANT PRODUCT?

With the legalization of cannabis, and stores popping up across many Canadian cities, it is becoming very easy to find the information you are looking for.Many local stores and provincial online retailers have make it easy to find the products you are looking for like CBD dominant products. Some have taken it a step further on their site to identify categories by name, themes or colours. Some retailers you may be able to search for themes like “calm” or  “get up and go” to make shopping and finding what you are looking for as easy as possible.

Keep in mind stores are deemed recreational, not a wellness store. Budtenders (people working behind the counter at cannabis stores) are not allowed to tell you how to consume the product or advise based on medical issues. They can however, describe the qualities of the product. 

RATIO…??

Ratios are used to tell consumers how much CBD TO THC they are getting in a product. While it isn’t mandatory to list the ratio on the label, the amount of THC and CBD is required to be displayed. You may be lucky to get a package that lists the product contains 1:10, 1:20, 1:30 of THC:CBD. or you could find 30:1, 20:1 or anything in-between. If your package does not lay out the ratio, you can figure it out by looking at the how much THC and CBD are in the product when ready to consume

WHAT DOES A STRAIN MEAN? GREAT QUESTION.

Strains are used to describe the plant and the effects it will have on you. The two main strains are called indica and sativa.

Indica is known for being more mellow, calming, relaxing and could put you to sleep.

Sativa is known for getting you up and going, and motivating to finish your projects.

 

CBD Mom is the New Wine Mom

CBD Mom is the New Wine Mom

Do you like to brush off a hard day of zoom school with a glass, ok, more than one, of wine? You are not alone. This year has been beyond challenging, with a profound heaviness weighing on the shoulders and mental health of moms.

If you love a good glass of Malbec, then CBD might be right for you too. CBD (the non-psycho active ingredient in Cannabis) has long been taboo and illegal in most countries around the world. Many rules and regulations are based off long standing beliefs that using CBD, cannabis, marijuana, weed – what ever you want to call it- was only used by criminals. Much of this information was made up to oppress users & certain cultural backgrounds.

Due to this belief and actual regulations in many countries, it still has a stigma attached to its use especially for women and mothers.

The legal regulated CBD and/or Cannabis that is available today, isn’t like what you smoked behind bleachers in high school growing up. It is cultivated carefully and purposefully. You can chose the strain and the exact ratios of CDB to THC to ensure it’s right for you. CBD is calming and non-intoxicating, while THC is intoxicating. Each have their own benefits, properties and purpose for use. Neither is better than the other – only finding what works best for you.

Choosing the right strain and dosage can help reduce pain and inflammation, stabilize your mood, decrease anxiety and help you be more present in your kids zoom school life ? Wait, do I want to be more present in their zoom school?

CBD and Cannabis is as important to your overall health as the vegetables you eat. Neither wine nor CBD or cannabis usage makes you a bad mother, CBD and/or cannabis can help you relieve chronic pain, anxiety or depression so you can be more present for your kids , your partner and even at work. With the right guidance to this highly personal herb, you can take control to become an active participant in your own health and help restore balance within your mind and body.