Like most medicines, using Cannabis is not a one solution fits all. While one medicine may help your friend, it may not agree with you. As important it is to understand what may help you, it also is critical to understand what may harm you.
Following are some factors to consider before consuming Cannabis:
Start Low, Go Slow
Start with 2.5 mg THC per dose or less and increase 1-2 mg until you feel better or reach the maximum dose recommended for medical treatment (which is typically 10-15 mg THC).
Research your THC: CBD ratio for your specific concern.
Age, stress, frame of mind, physical fitness all play a role in determining how you work and react with Cannabis.
Patience
Edibles take time to digest – 30 minutes to 4 hours. Resist the impulse to take another dose if you don’t feel any affects.
A great tip: Make half the recipe without Cannabis so you can have that second serving without worrying about ingesting too much THC.
Tweens, Teens and Twenties
Since the brain isn’t fully developed until 25, there are risks that Cannabis can affect the neural pathways. THC affects younger people differently than older ones.
“Taking a break is good for your developing brain and a way to see if cannabis is negatively affecting your life and relationships”
- journalist Erin Anderssen, Globe and Mail, June 30, 2018
Be Cautious
Don’t drive
Mixing cannabis with alcohol will produce more impairment then either drug used alone
Women: don’t use when planning to conceive or when pregnant
Not advised for those with certain mental illnesses or family history of it