Good morning to all smokers only. As mentioned in my last newsletter, I wanted to do something special for the beloved weed holiday of 4/20! I’ll be logged on from 4:20 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. PST today to respond to your questions about weed, recommendations of what you’d like to see next in my newsletter, your favorite weed-themed pop culture references and whatever else you want to talk about (such as how you feel about the proliferation of the joint meme on Twitter or the commercialization of 4/20). Feel free to join in on this thread earlier (or later), though, and I’ll make sure to respond to you as soon as I can.
Without further ado (well, maybe another tweet to prompt discussion), let’s get into it!
any advice on strategies for weed consumption that have minimal impact on physical health (from inhaling chemicals/hot air) and mental health (from too much thc concentration)?
i would really recommend topicals and edibles, as these are the consumption methods that don't require inhaling a burning substance. they also happen to be the best consumption methods for dosing. over the years, cannabis potency has skyrocketed, so it's definitely important to start small and add more doses as needed, rather than get too high right off the bat. unfortunately, many edibles' minimal doses are capped at 5 milligrams, whereas experts are now suggesting 2.5 milligrams is a better starting point. there are a couple of brands, like kiva, that do offer lower dosages, so i'd opt for those. i'd also recommend looking into microdosing, where you consume weed to get its beneficial effects without getting high, if that's something you'd be interested in!
hi josh, this is a great question, and i hate to say it, but it really depends on you and what you're looking for! each strain's effect depends on the unique blend of hundreds of cannabinoids (chemical compounds in cannabis, the most-known of which are THC and CBD) and terpenes (aromatic oils that give cannabis its smells) within it. and, each strain can greatly differ in its effects from one dispensary to the next. in my experience, for an uplifting effect, I really like sour diesel and birthday cake. for a mellow/euphoric experience, i prefer blueberry strains. as for strains for sleeping, i haven't really found one that i like. you can go to leafly.com and browse their comprehensive strain list, which is classified based on terpenes, cannabinoids and user reviews, to find out which is most suited for what you're looking for! i hope this helps
thank you so much melinda! and confession, i actually don't know how to (although once i rolled a very sad, thin blunt) but i hope to one day learn! and my favorite has to be this one: https://twitter.com/jaboukie/status/1383234529507176448?s=20 how about you?
hello natalie! I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Uruguay's approach to weed? they've nationalized their cannabis industry so the cultivation and sale of weed is controlled and executed by the government and the government receives all of the profits. the rationale behind this approach was that 1) if people can legally buy weed from the gov, they won't buy weed from cartels, so cartels will hopefully just leave. 2) the profits can be used for things like education, healthcare, etc. 3) they don't want weed to be commercialized and advertised because they don't want businesses encouraging people to buy weed or putting out false rumors to make people think it has benefits that it doesn't. I know Americans are generally anti-nationalizing any industries and it probably wouldn't happen, but that aside, do you think this would work in the U.S.? On one hand, I think it would be more just for the government to use profits from weed for social programs than for disproportionately white dispo owners to receive the profits. On the other hand, I'm not sure I trust the government to effectively use that money and I think Black communities should reap the rewards from legalization, so perhaps promoting and aiding private Black-owned dispos would be more just? What do you think?
hi rach, thanks for this question! I actually wasn't aware of this, so I'm definitely going to be doing more research on it. based on what you outlined though, I'd have to agree that it seems incredibly beneficial to use the revenue from weed sales to fund social equity programs such as education and that government-led control over the cannabis industry would likely truncate violence that comes from cartels. it also seems potentially more safe, as the government is able to regulate the potency of the THC in weed and is able to cap the amount for each consumer. at the same time, the consolidation is disadvantageous for small business owners/business owners of color, who probably were/are more criminalized by the government. on the other other hand, if we are thinking in terms of accessibility/pricing, a government-owned cannabis industry might be a fantastic socialist/communist model. with how pro-capitalist the u.s. is, i wouldn't expect the system to be adopted in the country, although it could definitely help curb the overwhelmingly white, wealthy ceos who are currently at the forefront of the green rush and reaping its benefits.
happy 4:20 on 4/20 everyone :)
any advice on strategies for weed consumption that have minimal impact on physical health (from inhaling chemicals/hot air) and mental health (from too much thc concentration)?
i would really recommend topicals and edibles, as these are the consumption methods that don't require inhaling a burning substance. they also happen to be the best consumption methods for dosing. over the years, cannabis potency has skyrocketed, so it's definitely important to start small and add more doses as needed, rather than get too high right off the bat. unfortunately, many edibles' minimal doses are capped at 5 milligrams, whereas experts are now suggesting 2.5 milligrams is a better starting point. there are a couple of brands, like kiva, that do offer lower dosages, so i'd opt for those. i'd also recommend looking into microdosing, where you consume weed to get its beneficial effects without getting high, if that's something you'd be interested in!
what are strains to try and which ones are best?
hi josh, this is a great question, and i hate to say it, but it really depends on you and what you're looking for! each strain's effect depends on the unique blend of hundreds of cannabinoids (chemical compounds in cannabis, the most-known of which are THC and CBD) and terpenes (aromatic oils that give cannabis its smells) within it. and, each strain can greatly differ in its effects from one dispensary to the next. in my experience, for an uplifting effect, I really like sour diesel and birthday cake. for a mellow/euphoric experience, i prefer blueberry strains. as for strains for sleeping, i haven't really found one that i like. you can go to leafly.com and browse their comprehensive strain list, which is classified based on terpenes, cannabinoids and user reviews, to find out which is most suited for what you're looking for! i hope this helps
hi natalie, this is such a fun idea! how did you learn to roll a joint? and what is your fave joint meme at the moment?
thank you so much melinda! and confession, i actually don't know how to (although once i rolled a very sad, thin blunt) but i hope to one day learn! and my favorite has to be this one: https://twitter.com/jaboukie/status/1383234529507176448?s=20 how about you?
hot girls don't need to know how to roll
gasp! I believe in you! and that is a perfect one, jaboukie never misses. this is one I just saw -- short and sweet, but very accurate https://twitter.com/nametrudie/status/1384346968730718210?s=20
in your opinion, what is the sexiest way one can consume weed?
would also like to know!
i can't really explain it but definitely a blunt
hello natalie! I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Uruguay's approach to weed? they've nationalized their cannabis industry so the cultivation and sale of weed is controlled and executed by the government and the government receives all of the profits. the rationale behind this approach was that 1) if people can legally buy weed from the gov, they won't buy weed from cartels, so cartels will hopefully just leave. 2) the profits can be used for things like education, healthcare, etc. 3) they don't want weed to be commercialized and advertised because they don't want businesses encouraging people to buy weed or putting out false rumors to make people think it has benefits that it doesn't. I know Americans are generally anti-nationalizing any industries and it probably wouldn't happen, but that aside, do you think this would work in the U.S.? On one hand, I think it would be more just for the government to use profits from weed for social programs than for disproportionately white dispo owners to receive the profits. On the other hand, I'm not sure I trust the government to effectively use that money and I think Black communities should reap the rewards from legalization, so perhaps promoting and aiding private Black-owned dispos would be more just? What do you think?
hi rach, thanks for this question! I actually wasn't aware of this, so I'm definitely going to be doing more research on it. based on what you outlined though, I'd have to agree that it seems incredibly beneficial to use the revenue from weed sales to fund social equity programs such as education and that government-led control over the cannabis industry would likely truncate violence that comes from cartels. it also seems potentially more safe, as the government is able to regulate the potency of the THC in weed and is able to cap the amount for each consumer. at the same time, the consolidation is disadvantageous for small business owners/business owners of color, who probably were/are more criminalized by the government. on the other other hand, if we are thinking in terms of accessibility/pricing, a government-owned cannabis industry might be a fantastic socialist/communist model. with how pro-capitalist the u.s. is, i wouldn't expect the system to be adopted in the country, although it could definitely help curb the overwhelmingly white, wealthy ceos who are currently at the forefront of the green rush and reaping its benefits.