As a growing number of states legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes, intake styles have grown to match. There are the classics like smoking a joint or using a pipe. There are plenty of new edibles and a number of other new products made from cannabis.
However, the products themselves aren’t the only part of intake that’s changed. Vaporizers create a water vapor, and microdosing is becoming more popular. These two styles of using cannabis not only change the feeling of the high but also the overall benefits. Microdosing is incredibly beneficial to those who use cannabis to help with anxiety.
The Definition Of Microdosing
Joints, edibles, and vaporizers change the substance you’re imbibing. Microdosing, as the name suggests, affects how much you’re taking. As the name further suggests, microdosing involves taking small doses of cannabis multiple times per day. For someone with a high tolerance, this can sound pointless. For someone who doesn’t smoke very often, it may sound weird to smoke multiple times throughout the day. Both types of people can find benefit from microdosing.
As a general rule of thumb, a microdose is anywhere from 5mg to 10mg depending on your tolerance. The idea is to use enough to receive the slight euphoric effect without activating the psychotropic effects. This keeps you functional and clear-minded while still offering the same general benefits.
Why Microdose?
Many people enjoy a normal smoking session. For decades, smoking marijuana has involved sitting down and smoking an entire joint. Or filling a bowl or other style of pipe and smoking until you can feel the high. Even with the newer vape pens, most of those who smoke regularly enjoy the long sessions.
However, microdosing can be especially beneficial to those suffering from anxiety. There are many people who use marijuana to treat their anxiety due to having a difficult time with psychiatric drugs. Others use it because their anxiety isn’t bad enough to require psychiatric medication but they still need help occasionally.
While it’s not possible to overdose on marijuana, it is possible to suffer negative side-effects. At higher doses marijuana can leave a person feeling lethargic, light headed, or nausea. Even if people don’t suffer these side effects, marijuana makes everyone a bit tired.
Anxiety is a terrible burden to suffer, so it makes perfect sense that someone would smoke large amounts of marijuana. If you’re the kind of person who benefits from being stoned and doesn’t use marijuana very often due to the side effects then microdosing is the solution for you.
Specific Effects Of Microdosing
If microdosing can give the euphoric feeling of marijuana without the “high”, what’s happening? It can depend on your exact biology, but you should feel one of several things.
Clear Mind – Higher doses of marijuana often cause the mind to feel clouded. By microdosing, you can avoid the brain fog. This allows you to be more focused while still enjoying the other benefits of marijuana.
Regulated Physical Sensations – People with chronic pain can benefit from marijuana just like those with anxiety. In both cases, higher doses can sometimes increase the symptoms you’re trying to manage. Marijuana use can increase sensations. Lower doses keep the sensations regulated, which helps manage the pain and anxiety.
Gentle Calm – With larger doses of marijuana it can be difficult to tell where the relaxed state ends and the euphoric state begins. With microdosing, the difference becomes much more clear. You’ll feel a more relaxed state come on as your muscles unclench and the rapid-fire thoughts of anxiety and ADHD slow down.
Greater Focus – With the gentle calm and the lack of brain fog it’s easier to get focused. For those with anxiety and ADHD, it can be easy to get distracted. Thoughts fire off at breakneck speed and get louder and angrier as time goes on. When microdosing slows down the rapid-fire thoughts you’ll be able to finally focus on the things you’re trying to do.
How To Microdose
The way to microdose can depend on exactly how you choose to use marijuana. As mentioned earlier a good rule of thumb is that a microdose should be between 5mg and 10mg. However, not every intake style gives you the same control over your dosage.
Combustion Smoke
Burning marijuana leaves offers the least control over the size of your dose. It’s also the least efficient, making it the most expensive. It’s also the easiest to find, which makes it desirable. However, if you plan to microdose then it may be a good idea to find a different method. One toke of smoke can launch you past the appropriate dose size, which negates any benefits you might have gotten.
Vaporizers
This is the best method for those who don’t enjoy edible THC. Most vaporizers give you the ability to set the amount of THC in each puff. Even those that don’t will list the estimated amount of THC per each puff. In addition, vape is the most efficient way to get THC from marijuana.
Edibles
Edibles give you the most control over the dose. However, digestion causes a different style of high than intake through the lungs. This means you should avoid using edibles unless you already know how they affect you.
How Microdosing Affects You
Make sure you take it slow! As long as you are, you should expect the euphoric, relaxed sensations coming on within half an hour from the first intake. Unlike with normal ingestion, microdosing won’t give you the same kind of peak high.
However, you’ll be able to stretch the benefits out for a longer period of time. This is the ultimate goal of microdosing. If you do it right you’ll be able to experience the benefits of marijuana without the negative side-effects, and you’ll be able to keep the benefits going the entire day.
For those with anxiety, this might sound like a miracle drug. It’s important to remember that the full psychiatric studies on marijuana are still being done. It’s important to continue following your psychiatrist’s advice. However, supplemental microdosing can do amazing things.
There are regulations now for purchasing the medical cannabis products. Great strides are being made to find the best credit card processing to make it easier for you, the consumer to purchase with your credit card.
