Trying marijuana for the first time? Not sure where to start?
At The Grove we have the full range of cannabis productsin stock; Flowers, spray cartridges, edibles, extracts, concentrates, topicals and tinctures.
Since cannabis newbies often come into contact with the plant through inhalation (smoking and vaping) or ingesting edibles, we've put together a short guide to best practices for inhaling and ingesting your first cannabis products.
General rules for ALL types of consumption:
- "Start low, go slow."
- Make sure you are in a comfortable place and/or around people you trust before trying marijuana for the first time.
- If you are taking medications with a grapefruit warning label, talk to your doctor before trying cannabis (THC or CBD) products.
- Have a CBD tincture on hand. In the event of an accidental incorrect dose, taking pure CBD can help minimize the unpleasant effects of THC and bring you back to baseline.
edible
- Onset of action: 45 minutes - 2 hours
– Duration: 3-10 hours (depending on the dose)
What is a safe edible first dose?
For most people who are completely new to the world of cannabis and cannot tolerate the effects of the plant, starting with a 5mg dose of THC is a good starting point. Take 5 mg and wait 2 hours before taking another 5 mg.
Depending on the product you buy, 5 mg may seem like a very, very small serving. You may feel that this is a very small amount and you may wonder if it will be enough. The reality is, for anyone new to the world of cannabis, there is no way to predict how THC edibles will affect you until you try them. 5mg may not be enough for many people, but it's better to overdo it than do it the first time, trust us. You can always take more to feel the desired effects, but not less!
How long does an edible high last?
Each person's body chemistry is unique and will respond differently to the effects of edibles. The window of tolerance for cannabis edibles is huge: some people feel the effects for a long time with 5mg of THC, and other people don't feel high until they take 100mg of THC or more, and only feel the strongest effects. for a while. time.
The edibles you consume also affect the duration and experience. For example, cannabis lozenges, gum, and drinks tend to move through the body more quickly because they don't take as long to digest as a dense baked good. These forms can also be absorbed sublingually (under the tongue) if you suck or chew them first, bypassing conversion in the liver (more on that in a bit). In general, pills, candies, and marijuana-infused drinks kick in faster and offer a more focused experience compared to baked goods, but they don't last as long either. Of course, dense foods with more fiber and fat will take longer for your body to digest, so the effects of a high-fat, high-fiber, cannabis-infused baked good also take longer to absorb.
When THC is digested, the cannabinoid is converted to a more potent form that is amplified through "first-pass metabolism." First-pass metabolism describes how the concentration of a substance changes as it passes through the liver or intestinal mucosa. In the case of THC, liver enzymes actually convert tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to 11-hydroxy-THC. This new form of THC wasscientifically provenbeing more potent and easier to cross the blood-brain barrier than the original THC. The difference in effects between smoking or vaping cannabis and ingesting marijuana can be explained by the synthesis of 11-OH-THC in the liver, so be careful because the effects may surprise you!
Finding your “sweet spot” can take some trial and error, but for most new marijuana-infused edibles, a dose of between 5 and 10mg of THC seems to be the most common. In our home state of Nevada, and in most states where marijuana is legal, the state recommended single dose is 10mg of THC per serving. We recommend starting with half a single 10mg dose, which is most easily achieved with gummies or drinks.
When you stop by the pharmacy, ask one of our expert assistants to recommend the right foods for you!
tips and tricks
metabolism
If you tend to have a fast metabolism, you can expect its effects to kick in at the lower end of the 45 minute to 2 hour window and the effects may not last as long as someone with a slower metabolism.
Mealtime planning
To feel the full effects of the edible dose, arecent study from the University of Minnesotafound that it's best to eat your groceries with high-fat foods. They examined the effects of taking cannabinoids after consuming one capsule of concentrated CBD oil on an empty stomach or consuming a high-fat meal. When taken with fatty foods, CBD increases 4 times in the body and 14 times in the blood. Most edible baked goods already have a solid source of fat or oil that acts as a carrier for the cannabinoids. If the meal is a candy, drink, or capsule, you can take your meal an hour after your last meal or with a tablespoon of healthy fats like peanut butter or MCT oil to enhance absorption.
Since edibles must pass through the digestive system before being metabolized and circulated through the bloodstream, a full stomach can delay the onset of effects for up to 3-4 hours. A common mistake people make is to eat an edible on a full stomach and "double" the serving a few hours later, when they can no longer feel anything. Once the food is digested, the double dose the person was taking affects everyone at once and can lead to an uncomfortable experience.
If you must eat a food immediately after a meal on a full stomach, it is best to play it safe and wait at least 4 hours before determining whether or not you need to eat more.
metabolism
If you're someone who tends to get anxious, trying an edible with a CBD:THC ratio of 1:1 might help. The CBD will help mitigate the effects of THC and prevent overstimulation. You can always buy a CBD tincture to take if the edible experience is overwhelming. Ask one of our team budtenders and they will help you find the right product.
Inhalation - smoke and vaporizer
– Onset of action: 5-10 minutes
– Duration: 2-4 hours (depending on the dose)
How do I consistently dose inhaled cannabis?
Dosing inhaled cannabis is complicated, but we're here to make it easy for you! The heat applied to a bowl and the percentage of THC in a smokable product will determine how much activated delta-9 THC you will consume. The following general guidelines make it easy to understand and apply right away, whether you're smoking a pre-rolled joint, a bowl of flowers, or a vape cartridge.
To start, take a puff, wait 5-10 minutes, and see how you feel. If after 5-10 minutes you feel like you need another puff, take it again. Then wait again for 5-10 minutes and repeat the process until you are in a comfortable place. Trust us, if the feeling is right, you'll know it.
In general, one or two puffs is enough for new cannabis users to feel high enough, although this depends on a few factors, which we'll discuss below.
Inhaling cannabis is generally much more predictable than edibles. The effects are almost instantaneous and the duration of the effects is relatively short for cannabis products. However, the effects last if you smoke too much. Only you can determine what "one hit" means to you, and likewise, only you can determine how much "too much" is for you.
How can you measure the size?
No matter how experienced a smoker you are, measuring the size of your inhale can be a challenge. 3 main factors determine how big your puff is: the potency of the flower or vape you smoke, what you smoke (base vs vape vs vape base), and the method of grinding play a role in how much you'll get from a single inhalation.
product power
It is helpful to visualize the potency of a variety of flowers in relation to alcohol. When drinking whiskey on the rocks, a sip is likely to be much smaller than a sip of beer, a glass of wine, or a cocktail. Look for the THC label on any product you receive and adjust the dose size accordingly.
- Flower joints and pre-rolls
21% THC or higher: Measure a dose as a 1 second puff.
10-20% THC: Measure a dose as a 2 second puff.
3-10% THC: Measure a dose in a three-second puff. It doesn't taste or feel good in your lungs, and you'll end up inhaling too much plant matter for too little THC. We do not test cannabis flowers below 10% THC. - Vaporizer cartridges are 100% cannabis oil with no fillers or additives
65% THC or higher: Measure a dose as a 1 second puff.
40-64% THC: Measure a dose as a 2 second puff.
20-39% THC: Measure a dose as a three second puff. Most vapes that test this low THC level are blended with fillers, so we don't test the oil below 50% THC.
bowl size
Smoking in a container can be difficult. The larger the size of the container, the greater the chance that you will breathe more than you intended. When smoking, keep flower potency in mind when using a pipe, hookah, or other head-mounted smoking container.
- Large (1 inch diameter)
Pay attention to the size of the surface that the flame of your lighter touches. Aim for a surface the size of a cotton swab (or the end of a joint). For larger heads, aim for a small corner of the head and reduce the size of the hit when smoking buds with 20% THC or higher. - Medium (diameter ½ to ¾ inch)
Pay attention to the size of the surface that the flame of your lighter touches. Aim for a surface the size of a cotton swab (or the end of a joint). Aim for a small corner of the head and reduce the size of the hit when smoking a bud that is 20% THC or higher. - Small (½ inch or less)
Treat a mini pipe like you would a rolled joint and base the size of the hit on the potency of the flower you are putting into it.
grinding process
- Finger
If you grind the buds with your fingers you will end up losing some of the THC because it will stick to your fingers. This can result in a smoother lift. Grinding flowers with your fingers can be difficult, especially in more humid environments. Unevenly ground cannabis flowers will sometimes cause the bowl to burn slower and at different rates. - grinder
When you grind buds with a grinder, you end up getting the most out of your THC because it allows you to get all of the plant material into your pipe, bong, or other smoking container. This can result in a more intense high. Using a grinder allows for a consistent burn rate and more consistency, which means there is less variation with each stroke.
tips and tricks
I can't stand it
The old pot movies are wrong: after you inhale, you don't have to hold the smoke in your lungs before exhaling. Lung tissue absorbs cannabinoids almost instantly, and holding the smoke in only irritates the throat and lungs. You may feel like you are stronger, but that is just the effect of depriving your body of fresh oxygen.