Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis are three plants having psychotropic effects. When these plants’ blooms are picked and dried, you get one of the worlds’ most widely used medications, referred to as weed, pot, or marijuana, although names for cannabis are changing as it becomes legal in more places.
Cannabis is known for its calming and relaxing properties. It provides aid for various medical illnesses, including chronic pain, glaucoma, and low appetite. A separate case study suggests that the FDA has approved the use of cannabis for two syndromes, i.e., Dravet Syndrome and Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.
Main components of cannabis
Cannabinoids, which are bioactive compounds found in the flowers of the cannabis plant, number in the hundreds and experts are still unsure what each cannabinoid accomplishes. The most famous and well-studied compounds are THC and CBD.
- THC: This is the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis. THC causes the euphoric “high” that most people associate with cannabis. THC can also benefit those suffering from nausea, pain, and appetite.
- CBD: This is a mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that is neither intoxicating nor euphoric so that you won’t feel “high” from it. It’s frequently used to alleviate pain and inflammation. Nausea, migraines, seizures, and anxiety may also all be relieved.
Different ways to consume cannabis
1. Smoking: Tobacco rolling papers are commonly used to roll cannabis into a cigarette (or joint) and then smoke it. Individuals can also smoke it in a bong or a pipe.
2. Vaping: Vaporization is a relatively new method of taking cannabis. Vaporizers heat cannabis to a specific temperature just below ignition. Rather than inhaling toxic smoke, the active chemicals can be inhaled as a vapor. You can vape dried cannabis flower with a dry herb vaporizer or a desktop vaporizer. Different types of vapes include:
- Pod Vapes
- Mod Vapes
- Pen vapes
- Cig like vapes
3. Gravity Bongs: Gravity bongs, also known as bucket bongs or waterfall bongs, are another way to smoke cannabis with everyday home items. Milk jugs, buckets, and two-liter soda bottles can all be used to make a gravity bong (learn how to make a geeb here)..
4. Dabbing: This form of cannabis consumption is similar to vaping, except it uses THC or CBD resin produced from the cannabis plant. A blowtorch is used to heat a glass pipe or bong. When you put the resin extract in the pipe, it nearly instantly produces vapor which you inhale. Dabbing cannabis is considered to give you a more potent experience than when smoking it.
Learn about CBD consumption methods
Buying cannabis from a dispensary
It can be intimidating to walk into a dispensary for the first time, whether it’s your first time using cannabis or your first time consuming legal cannabis. When confronted with new cannabis measurements, the experience can become even more daunting.
However, we’re going to explain exactly what to expect when it comes to the measurements you’ll most likely encounter in your local dispensary, so you can shop more confidently. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, an appropriate dose of THC for a cannabis newcomer is around 5mg and the recommended dose for someone who is not very tolerant to THC is around 10mg. In other words, a little goes a long way.
1. Grams
A gram is one-thousandth of a kilogram or, to put it another way, one gram of weed equals around two average-sized joints. Eggs come in dozens, milk comes in quarts, and cannabis comes in grams. A gram is generally the smallest unit for purchasing marijuana at a dispensary, but a half-gram pre-rolled joint will sometimes be available.
You can’t go wrong with a gram if you’re new to smoking marijuana or want to check out a new strain. The cost of a gram will vary substantially depending on the quality, availability, demand, and where you’re purchasing it from.
2. Ounces
If buying a gram of pot is the equivalent of buying a can of soda, buying an ounce of weed is the equivalent of buying a 24-pack of soda. It’s a technique to buy in bulk to save money in the long run and ensure that you have enough flower to last you for a while. One ounce is 28 grams and other cannabis metrics in a dispensary are based on ounce measurements.
An ounce is the most you can buy in a single day in many dispensaries. An eighth is equal to one eighth of an ounce, or 3.5 grams. The weight of a quarter is seven grams and a half weighs 14 grams.
If you find a strain you like then buying a larger quantity of it at one time is a good idea, especially if it’s a popular strain as it may sell out quickly. In addition to this, dispensaries usually provide more competitive prices on cannabis flower when you purchase larger quantities.
3. Different Densities and Strains of Flower
The degree of consistency weighed by the quantity of mass per unit volume is called density. Simply put, it is the object’s mass divided by the object’s volume. The nug density can massively affect your visual perception of the product.
It’s not uncommon to walk out of a dispensary with such a dense flower product that it appears as if someone has shorted you. However, licensed dispensaries will always sell you correct weight of cannabis and if your eighth does look a little smaller than usual then it will be down to the genetics of the cannabis strain producing denser blossoms.
Different cannabis strains can produce fluffy, airy, light nugs or thick, dense, heavy nugs, resulting in a diverse experience. The different terpene and cannabinoid profiles of each strain will also offer unique tastes, smells, and experiences.
Read our guide to CBD flower here
4. Dosage
Experienced cannabis budtenders can help guide you on suggested dosages for flower, concentrates, and edibles. Your current tolerance level and the proportion of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the product will significantly influence determining the proper dosage for a customer.
The proportion of THC in flowers and concentrates varies. Cannabis flower can range from one percent to 38 percent THC, whereas concentrates use Total Active Cannabinoids (TAC) as an indicator of potency and range from 70 percent to 98 percent.
For first-time flower users, it’s best to start slow and steady, beginning with a small amount of flower and gradually increasing your consumption over time, as needed. Smoking or vaping THC flower has a very fast psychoactive effect, so start with one or two solid hits and work your way up according to your comfort level.
Please remember that a lower THC testing flower does not always imply a lesser quality flower. Due to genetics, some cannabis strains simply generate lower or higher testing flowers. Lower-testing strains range from 10% to 17% and are ideal for novices.
5. Edibles
Edibles can be a different story since they are taken into your body in a more long-lasting method than smoking or vaping marijuana. That means individuals may require less weed in order to stay high for several hours.
Edibles’ potency is assessed in milligrams, or thousandths’ of grams, rather than grams. THC potencies in edibles can range from 5 milligrams per serving to 500 milligrams. If you try and like a five milligram dose then you can gradually work your way up the spectrum to find the dosage that best suits your needs the best.
Try a five milligram serving as your first edible experience to see how you enjoy it, before increasing the dose as, once you’ve taken it, there’s no going back for 4-6 hours.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember, when it comes to measuring cannabis, is to start low and go slow. Buy your cannabis in smaller amounts at the beginning, so you can experience how they taste and how they make you feel. Once you’ve found some strains that you like, then you should consider buying in slightly larger amounts (eighths or quarters) so you don’t have to stock up so often.
Now that you’ve mastered cannabis measurements, you’re ready to start experimenting with recreational cannabis.