If you live a large North American city in 2018, you’ve probably noticed a seismic cultural shift. A large and increasing portion of society has thrown away the bottle, as well as prescription drugs that can leave you feeling fuzzy and lethargic. Increasingly, adults are getting ‘stoned’ on hot yoga, meditation and different forms of carefully cultivated marijuana. In your youth, you may have bought pot from the local dealer in a sketchy alleyway with no way of knowing where it came from or if anything had been added to it. For this reason, many folks had negative interactions with less than mellow marijuana that put them off of it for a long time.
Now, with cannabis being legal in several states in the US and Canadian legalization on the way in 2019, there are ways of obtaining strains that meet your precise needs – whether it’s help sleeping, a burst of creative energy, or simply unwinding at the end of the day – without the risk of a bad trip. When you buy cannabis from a boutique source, the strain (Sativa or Indica) is indicated, and often a terpene chart as well, for those who truly want to know what they’re dealing with.
This trend can be likened to craft beer savants who are obsessed with fermentation, IBUs, and the source of the hops in their IPA. In the same way that a beer savant is probably sipping, rather than chugging, responsible cannabis use entails finding the precise dose that will help you relax and feel good without unwanted paranoia or brain fog.
Many cannabis aficionados will want to consume it the old-fashioned way by breaking up the flower and rolling it into a joint or using a pipe. To return to the beer metaphor, some smokers enjoy the nuanced flavour of certain strains and make a note of the subtleties in the same way that self-proclaimed beer nerds would when sipping. Of course, for those who don’t enjoy smoking, those with weak lungs or those who want to avoid carcinogens as much as possible, there are a plethora of new options as budding entrepreneurs package the cannabis experience into innovative products:
Vape Pens:
Vape pens operate under a similar principle as more mainstream kinds of vapes for reformed cigarette smokers. They deliver a clean high by heating the flower to the point where you inhale vapour without burning anything. In this way, the THC and CBD are still absorbed through the lungs, but the delivery method is much more innocuous and should not irritate your chest too much.
Edibles:
While the trope of a mom or dad getting ripped on pot after accidentally ingesting a ‘whacky brownie’ is a cultural institution, today’s edibles have evolved beyond that sitcom scenario. Some companies offer organic, gourmet experiences that make for the perfect date night fodder or mid-movie snack.
Tea: Most folks already equate sipping tea with unwinding at the end of the day; a bit of Indica infused chamomile might just help calm your racing mind after a long day at the office. If you’re curious to explore a wide variety of specialty teas infused with cannabis to make that cup of hot, delicious tea a bit more relaxing when you get home from work, check out Ollibrands.com and some of their exclusive and premium cannabis infused tea blends.
With casual anxiety and depression becoming an endemic issue in the West, alternative rituals like yoga, meditation and a bit of cannabis use are finding their way into the mainstream, so open your mind and find what works for you!