What is Microdosing Cannabis?
- 1. How is cannabis biphasic?
- 2. What is microdosing cannabis?
- 3. Why microdose cannabis?
People usually think of cannabis users as wasted humans lying on the couch with no goals in life. In fact, cannabis users are commonly judged as stoners. However, that’s not really true. Sure, some users go overboard on weekends and parties, but there is a large population that believes in the “less is more” concept.
Today, high-THC strains are in vogue. And, so are CBD-rich strains. But, no matter the strain, cannabis will be more beneficial if you ingest or smoke it in small quantities. So, if you’ve ever wondered what is meant by micro-dosing cannabis, know that it’s nothing but enjoying the benefits of cannabis by consuming it in small amounts.
But, why micro-dose when you can enjoy a joint and still feel great, you ask? Well, it’s more of a personal choice, really. But, you must also remember that cannabis is biphasic.
How is cannabis biphasic?
You’ve probably got some friends that react to cannabis in different ways. While one friend may be perfectly alright with smoking even two joints in one go, another friend may struggle with just a puff. This happens because cannabis is biphasic.
When something is biphasic, high and low doses will have different and opposite effects. In other words, it means that while a small dose of marijuana can offer amazing health benefits and make you feel good, high doses may just kill the buzz and even make you paranoid. This is also why some people start hating cannabis. While they don’t realize that they aren’t able to handle the dose, ingesting too much will have negative effects. Point is – don’t blame cannabis – blame your own indulgence.
Let’s take an example of Mary – a lady who’s just introduced to cannabis. Filled with excitement, she tries her first puff. She realizes she’s in love with cannabis. She continues until she’s smoked a complete joint on the very first go. Miraculously, she continues smoking and feels great. But, things take a wrong turn suddenly.
She was feeling amazing a few minutes ago, but now she’s paranoid. She freaks out and everything goes downhill in a matter of minutes. After she comes back to her senses in a few hours, Mary swears to never touch cannabis.
Now, look at John. Instead of going ballistic the very first time, he decides to take it slow. He starts with low amounts of cannabis and smokes just a little every day. For instance, he starts with 0.5 grams on the first day and continues the same practice depending on the side effects he feels. On days he feels weird, he stops immediately.
To be fair, John and Mary may have used different strains and the effects will obviously be different. For instance, strains like Gorilla Glue will knock you out pretty quickly while other strains like Californian Snow may take a while to show its effects.
The difference between Mary and John is that Mary could have experienced the medical benefits of cannabis if only she had taken it a bit slow. What John is doing is described as micro-dosing. When you set out to find your optimal dose, you start with small ones at the beginning. As days pass by, you can increase it, but notice how you exactly feel when you do so.
As long as you feel comfortable, you’re doing great. For example, if you’re able to perform basic daily duties as usual without any hindrance with just a gram of cannabis, that’s good. However, if you start feeling a bit off with 2 grams, it means that the biphasic effects of marijuana are showing up.
What is microdosing cannabis?
Coming back to the original question, what really is microdosing cannabis? Microdosing is exactly what it seems like – taking small quantities to reap the benefits of the wonderful herb. And, why do people do that? Well, it’s because although you love cannabis, high doses of THC may interfere with your daily activities.
It’s a different matter if you’re chilling out on a Saturday night and have nothing else to do. But, what if you want to feel great just before heading out for a presentation? Obviously, you cannot smoke an entire joint and expect things to go your way. Of course, some people can actually pull this off, but not many can do it.
There could be situations where you want cannabis to help you relax. But, you don’t want to go overboard either. That’s when you can microdose cannabis. You can ingest doses that are so small that you don’t let the psychoactive effects overpower you. Note that this isn’t applicable only to CBD or low-THC strains. You can do this even with high-THC strains!
The trick lies in the dosing. Thus, when you take small amounts of marijuana, your mental health and focus remain steady. You don’t struggle for clarity. On the other hand, you feel fantastic and actually do better than your own expectations.
Why microdose cannabis?
The answer to this question lies in how you feel. Or react to a particular dose. Think about it. Would you want to stay active and enjoy cannabis or would you want to consume so much that you’ve no idea what’s happening around you? I bet you’ll choose the first option.
Apart from how you feel, you’ve also got to understand that you’ll lose the benefits of cannabis once the dosage is too high. But, what’s that dosage? Nobody knows because it completely depends on your body. Remember that cannabis affects everyone differently. A dose too small for you may be high for your neighbor. You may not feel anything even after a big fat blunt but your neighbor might not be able to function after consuming just 2 grams.
It also depends on the endocannabinoid profile of your body. The ECS or endocannabinoid system has a network of receptors that react to the incoming cannabinoids when you smoke or consume marijuana. If you go overboard with high doses, it’s highly likely that the receptors are over-saturated to a point where the body starts turning them off.
Will it affect you negatively when the receptors are off? Yes, and that’s because the body is not in a state of homeostasis or balance anymore. The human body relies on homeostasis to a great deal. Like nature, everything in the body is carefully balanced.
When you smoke a small dose of marijuana, the receptors react to it and you’ll see positive effects. This is because the body itself contains endocannabinoids that are similar to THC. Anandamide, for example, is an endocannabinoid produced by the body to put you in a state of bliss. THC is similar to anandamide.
Thus, when you smoke cannabis, THC binds itself to the receptors and you feel happy and joyful. However, if you overload your body with THC, the receptors are switched off and the body produces enzymes to metabolize the incoming cannabinoids and they are excreted into your blood. When the state of homeostasis is achieved again, the receptors switch back on, and you’ll feel normal again.
So, what’s the moral of the story here? Well, it’s all about finding the balance. In other words, be like John in the example mentioned above. Start with low doses, and stop as soon as you feel something amiss. For example, if 2 grams of cannabis makes you feel fantastic but 3 grams make you feel nervous, it means your sweet spot is 2 grams.
Your body is telling you that it feels great when you take only 2 grams. So, don’t push it. Of course, there are situations when doctors prescribe high doses of THC. But, that’s to cure a particular illness. Cancer patients, for example, need high large amounts of THC to treat the side effects of chemotherapy. However, we are only talking about using cannabis in a recreational manner here.
As long as you don’t abuse cannabis, you’ll reap the benefits, and that’s also why you should micro-dose and let cannabis help you rather than going crazy and experience the negative effects.
