Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the benefits of keeping a cannabis journal, tips on how to detox from THC, the need to keep edibles secure and away from children and more. Enjoy.
Tips On Keeping a Cannabis Journal
Mature consumers and others who want to get the most out of what cannabis has to offer may want to keep a cannabis journal.
That’s the word from Ben Hartman, reporting for The Cannigma. According to Hartman, journaling can make cannabis use more mindful and deliberate. It can also help a consumer to articulate his or her goals or reasons for using cannabis, reflect on past experiences and keep track of what works best for them. It’s also a way to help consumers manage the ever-growing list of product options, particularly in states where recreational cannabis is legal.
If you’re not sure where to start or the kind of information that can make a cannabis journal useful, Hartman has a few suggestions. You may want to begin by recording the following:
Set and setting
When and where did you use cannabis? What was the time? The date? How do you feel as you start? What, if anything, was unique about the situation or how you felt?
Your goals
Why are you using cannabis? Is it to treat specific symptoms or alleviate a particular health condition? Are you looking to relax in the evening or find a product that produces an energetic high during the day? Using a journal to identify your goals allows you to gauge which products produce the results you are looking for and which miss the mark.
Product type, delivery method, and dosage
How are you taking the cannabis? Different delivery methods can affect you in different ways, even if they come from the same chemovar or strain. How much are you taking? Be specific. With edibles and tinctures it’s easier to know what dose you took down to the milligram, but if you’re smoking a joint or using a vape pen, write down how many times you inhaled.
Product details
Different products can have the same strain name but different cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and different batches of the same product produced by the same company can even have different THC or CBD levels. That’s why recording the brands and product names is important for making sure you are able to replicate the good sessions and avoid revisiting the disappointing ones.
Cannabinoid and terpene profile
Recording the THC, CBD and other cannabinoid content of your cannabis product is crucial. Knowing and recording which terpenes are present in your cannabis is an important tool for figuring out what cannabis products work for you.
How did it make you feel?
This is key. How did you feel after using cannabis? Did you get what you were looking for? Did it help to relieve your symptoms? For how long? Were there any adverse side effects? If it’s helpful, you can rank each of the effects from 1-10 to track how effective the session was for each of your goals. Just make sure you’re consistent with how you record this information. It will make it easier to see what is working best.
Over time, your cannabis journal should help you identify the factors that contributed to a successful session — whether it’s the dose, cannabinoid profile, terpene profile, delivery method, time of day, or any combination of those or others. Just remember it’s a process and reaping helpful results can take time.
Hartman also describes the benefits of several journaling apps designed to help those who use medical marijuana. The first, called Tetragram, is a mobile app designed to help medical cannabis patients determine which products — including which strains, formulations, and delivery methods — work best for their ailments or their recreational goals.
The second journaling app, called Releaf, is described as being “geared towards helping that individual lessen the amount of time and money they spend in that trial and error process and strictly hone in on what works for them.”
A third journaling app, called Goldleaf, is said to produce a “wide variety of sophisticated, informative, and handy journals for all types of cannabis users.” The templated and educational notebooks are described as being suited for everyday users, patients, and growers alike, and come complete with infographics and artwork covering a variety of topics in cannabis.
We can’t say enough good things about Ben Hartman’s article, which originally appeared in the February 15, 2021 issue of The Cannigma.com. Thankfully, the site recently decided to repost it. Simply click on the link that follows.
cannigma.com/treatment/cannabis-journaling/?
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“Despite claims by some that marijuana has yet to be subject to adequate scientific scrutiny, scientists’ interest in studying cannabis has increased exponentially in recent years, as has our understanding of the plant, its active constituents, their mechanisms of action, and their effects on both the user and upon society. It is time for politicians and others to stop assessing cannabis through the lens of ‘what we don’t know’ and instead start engaging in evidence-based discussions about marijuana and marijuana reform policies that are indicative of all that we do know.” — Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Mr. Armentano’s comments accompanied the release of a report by NORML that stated more than 4,300 scientific papers covering cannabis were published in 2022, the majority of which investigated the plant’s therapeutic properties.
According to Graham Abbott, who covered the story for Ganjapreneur, the number of peer-reviewed cannabis studies recorded this year means that researchers have published more than 30,000 such studies since 2010. This is compared to fewer than 3,000 cannabis studies in the 1990s and fewer than 2,000 studies during the 1980s.
Clearly, thanks to President Biden signing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act into law, researchers are about to find it increasingly easier to investigate the medicinal properties of cannabis.
As a result, cannabis advocates and critics alike are about to be confronted with the fact that what we know about cannabis is changing and is likely to continue to change as more studies are conducted.
That is different from saying that “we don’t know enough,” to make informed policy decisions. Not getting results we expect or agree with, particularly when it comes to cannabis, is not the same as “not knowing enough.”
The fact is, policy decisions are made all the time about other substances with the knowledge that what we know today may change tomorrow. The trick is to stay open to change and apply the facts as they are revealed.
To learn more, we suggest reading Graham Abbot’s article in the December 30, 2022 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/researchers-published-more-than-4300-cannabis-studies-this-year/?
Spotlight on Safety
The idea that with greater freedom comes great responsibility was recently underscored by a study that found that over the last five years the number of very young children who have accidentally ingested cannabis edibles has grown significantly.
The study, which appeared in the journal Pediatrics, was directed by Dr. Marit Tweet, a medical toxicologist with the Southern Illinois School of Medicine. It found that more than 7,000 confirmed cases of kids younger than 6 eating marijuana edibles were reported to the nation’s poison control centers between 2017 and 2021. Of those, nearly a quarter of the children wound up hospitalized, some were said to be seriously ill. Drowsiness, breathing problems, fast heart rate and vomiting were the most common symptoms.
According to Jonel Aleccia, a national reporter who covered the story for The Associated Press, the increase in the number of cases of children eating cannabis products such as candies, chocolate and cookies has coincided with more states allowing medical and recreational cannabis use.
Aleccia noted that Tweet, the director of the study, called for greater vigilance on the part of parents and for more laws, such as those adopted by several states, intended to make cannabis products — particularly those packaged to look like candies and snacks — less appealing and accessible to children.
Said Tweet, “When it’s in a candy form or cookies, people don’t think of it in the same way as household chemicals or other things a child could get into. But people should really be thinking of it as a medication.”
Clearly, those who consume edibles—or other forms of cannabis—need to keep them secure and out of the reach of children and teens, the same way they would with alcohol or medications that have the potential for abuse.
To learn more, we urge you to read Jonel Aleccia’s article. It appeared in the January 3, 2023 issue of APnews.com.
apnews.com/article/health-children-marijuana-district-of-columbia-bf55c85be2c2720a4988e6ecedafdb95?
To read the study that appeared in the January 3,2023 issue of Pediatrics, simply click on the link that follows.
Tips on a THC Detox
For many mature consumers, particularly those who use cannabis for recreational purposes, the new year can be an excellent time to take a break and cleanse the system with a THC detox. It can also be a good time to reflect on how and why you are using cannabis and whether or not you are getting what you want from the experience.
To help, Keegan Williams, writing for the online publication Hi There, has a number of tips to help make the process more effective.
According to Williams, a THC detox involves eliminating THC and any other residual cannabinoids that have accumulated in the body over time. He contends the best way to begin this process is by abstaining from cannabis and allowing the body to flush out all remaining cannabinoids and terpenes. However, not using cannabis alone may not be the most efficient way to engage in a detox.
Williams also points out that a number of factors can influence how long THC stays in the system. Frequency of use is a big one, though factors such as metabolism, exercise, diet and amount of body fat also matter and it may take as long as six weeks for a person to completely eliminate THC from his or her body.
To help your detox get off to a great start, he offers these tips:
• Exercise is key. THC is stored in fat cells, and physical exercise not only burns these cells, it increases metabolism. A higher metabolic rate will help your body detox more quickly. Exercise also releases endorphins which can help to increase your overall sense of wellbeing.
• Williams also points out that what you drink and eat can either help or hinder the process. Staying hydrated is important, though make sure not to take it too far. Water will definitely assist in expelling THC and other cannabinoids from your system, though drinking it in excess won’t necessarily help.
Eating right is also important since certain foods can speed up the metabolism and others will slow it down. Williams suggests avoiding salty, sugary and fatty foods while lean meats, vegetables, fruits and high-fiber foods are more likely to work in favor of your detox.
• If you associate using cannabis with better sleep or less stress you may want to explore other ways to achieve these goals, such as yoga, meditation, stretching or getting the occasional massage.
• If you’re thinking of using a commercial detox kit, remember that such kits are often designed to help detoxify the body in general and not just remove THC, so some may opt to use a detox drink or kit in conjunction with natural methods.
• Home remedies, such as vinegar or the ever-popular shot of pickle juice may not hurt, but probably aren’t the key to achieving the most efficient and effective detox.
If you want to learn more, we suggest reading the article by Keegan Williams in the December 27, 2022 issue of Hi There.com.
highthere.com/learn/how-to/detox-from-thc
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com or at 347-528-8753.
