My personal experience with cannabis edibles…
by Ask a Healer
Related:
about CBD legalization and benefits
by Ask a Healer Admin J. Howell unless otherwise noted
This is from a visit to Oregon in February of 2018. I was the Ashland area, considering it for relocation. There’s a lot to like, particularly for 55+ folks but that’s the subject of another report.
One of the reasons I wanted to come to Oregon is that recreational marijuana is legal here (well, as “legal” as it can be, given the federal government’s continued hold on this natural medicine) and I wanted to see if it would be of benefit to me.
I have researched the medicinal properties of cannabis and learned that our body has natural cannabinoid receptors. A receptor in the body is designed to receive a specific substance. My understanding is that the substance for a specific receptor will fit it naturally, like specific key for a specific door will unlock that door. If our body has these cannabinoid receptors already, why are they are there? I wanted to find out what it would feel like to be able to activate those receptors every day.
I purchased indica edibles because the indica strain is relaxing, not stimulating like the sativa. I also chose, again at the good advice of the bud tender, an edible that contained CBD since it modulates down the effect of the THC. My goal was not to get high but to sense the medicine potential.
I got the smallest dose they had and, as advised by the bud tender with regard to the qualities I wanted (help with joint pain and sleep) I chose an edible with a 1 to 1 ratio, meaning it had the same amount of CBD as it had THC. I think a half a jelly had around 5 units.
I started taking 1/4 of an edible in the morning, at noon and at night. I can absolutely attest that it helped my joint pain. In fact, the result was dramatic. I went from hardly ever walking long enough for it to be aerobic exercise to walking 2-4 miles within a week. I also slept deeper. I felt more relaxed, spiritually connected and focused than I had in a very long time.
The drawback for me with consuming cannabis edibles is that I had dry mouth and woke feeling a little hung over. This effect became uncomfortable for me when I tried to take half of an edible instead of 1/4 so I stayed at 1/4.
Was I getting high?
At 1/4 of an edible containing a total of about 3 units of thc, no. I felt relaxed and was able to meditate better but I did not feel “high”. With 1/2 of a edible, yes. I did feel high. For me, the indica low dose edible has helped me get back in shape and increase my personal physical stamina very quickly, by reducing joint pain so I could increase how long I walked without pain. The benefits for me were so dramatic that, if I lived somewhere that it was legal, I would take a very small dose of 1:1 edible every day. 1:1 refers to a balance of THC to CBD, which worked great for me.
What about Sativa?
Well… had a low dose sativa edible too and uh, no. Not for me. Edibles last a long time so the effect can be unpleasant due to duration, if it doesn’t agree with you. I had very rapid heartbeat that lasted a long time. I didn’t immediately connect this with the edible because it had been an hour since I ate it; edibles take longer to kick in. I had just walked two miles when it started so I didn’t immediately make the connection but later on, looking back, I figured it out. It scared me. I won’t be eating another sativa edible.
My bottom line: Low dose indica edibles provided sublime relief from joint and muscle pain and allowed a type A like me to more easily relax, slow down and smell the roses. Sativa did not agree with me at all and is a very different experience. It’s important to know your grower and rule out pesticide residual, particularly neem because it is not yet regulated.
