Weed. If you’re going to enjoy it, do it right. With all the methods and contraptions for indulging in bud this day and age, it’s important to know how to do so safely and responsibly too. While typically safer than the more prevalent alcohol, there are still some hazards associated with weed that are typically ignored.
First off, it may be worth it to reconsider your method of ingestion. Sure, you could light up that joint, or maybe even share a large bowl, but that hot smoke is anything but good for your lungs. If you consider yourself a consistent smoker, it might be worth it to invest in a vaporizer instead. With a selection from portable and cheap to stationary and efficient, these handy devices will help you get more out of your bud, while also giving your lungs an easier job. You could always give edibles a try as well, but unless you know how to prepare it or live in a state where recreational usage is permitted and sold, it’s likely not an economic choice.
Secondary, while arguably more important, is your mental health and attitude towards the drug itself. While many people do use it responsibly and within reason, its important to put your relationships, studies and health first. It’s often too easy to see it as harmless when you compare it to other drugs of choice, which often leads people to use it often. Instead, try enjoying it as a reward for taking care of yourself, you’ll save money, have a lower tolerance, and always have more to share; which for lack of a better word, is awesome.
Now weed isn’t only for recreational users, there’s a list of reasons behind its increasingly common medical usage. I’m sure if you yourself have smoked yourself or seen someone indulge, the one thing you might be familiar with is THC induced munchies. This occurs due to the cannabanoid’s effect upon the hypothalamus, increasing the appetite of users dramatically. Luckily, this effect allows patients receiving chemotherapy to keep a healthier body weight despite the harsh effects of cancer therapy. In addition to the endless appetite, weed has long been known to act as an analgesic, and a pain-killer. While less effective than opioid prescriptions, weed is known to reduce pain with little to no risk of addiction; a stark contrast to the overly prescribed and lethal addictions of drugs such as oxycontin.
Besides the lovable THC, many medicinal marijuana users find relief from their symptoms through CBD, Cannabidiol, a molecule seen to reverse the psychoactive effects of THC. Ranging from comparable treatment to modern antipsychotics for Schizophrenics, to reduced social anxiety and depression in some individuals, CBD as it turns out, is becoming an increasingly useful medicine, according to anecdotal evidence. Most well known for its use in the treatment of Dravet syndrome, a rare epileptic disorder that begins in infancy, CBD has been said to reduce the amount of seizures experienced dramatically. In some cases, the chemical’s been shown to reduce the seizures in children from hundreds weekly, to less than a handful in the same time.
So the next time you light up, keep those pro tips in mind. A very promising medicine should be handled with care to assure our government and ourselves that it can be used responsibly. You can help set this image and reduce this stigma by keeping your priorities straight and your health in check, so enjoy.
Thank you for smoking,
Ms. Token
&
Lipman
