When you begin your medical marijuana journey, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of strains, consumption methods, waiting periods, and other considerations. Unlike taking a simple prescription pill, medical cannabis often involves a trial and error period where you learn what works best for you. You can speed through this period with minimal hurdles by avoiding the common medical marijuana mistakes many new users make.
Mistakes to Avoid When Beginning Your Medical Cannabis Journey
At LeafMed, a dispensary for medical marijuana in Mississippi, we want to help new cannabis users understand the best way to feel the effects of medical marijuana. Medical cannabis affects everyone differently, so you must understand its intricacies to find your perfect dosing regimen. Below, we discuss the common mistakes you should avoid when beginning your medical cannabis journey.
1. Not Giving It Enough Time
You should not expect immediate results from medical marijuana, CBD, or hybrid products. Even the fastest-acting consumption methods, like vaping, can take around 20 minutes to kick in, but edibles, capsules, and concentrates can take hours. While you may begin feeling some effects after this initial onset, you should not expect to feel full results until following a consistent dosing schedule for at least a few weeks.
Medical marijuana contains cannabinoids that interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system, offering whole-body benefits. You cannot enjoy these benefits with a single dosage. This is because your body’s fat cells store the cannabinoids, which will gradually release into your bloodstream over the course of weeks.
The more doses you take, the more cannabis can build up in your system.
2. Expecting Magic Results
Medical marijuana cannot fuse together broken bones or cure cancer. Most patients use medical marijuana to improve symptoms of their condition, not to cure the condition itself. In addition, medical marijuana often works best when combined with your existing medical plan.
For example, say you suffer from chronic pain from your arthritis. While medical marijuana may not permanently cure your arthritis, it can alleviate some of the daily pain you struggle with. Entering your medical marijuana journey with realistic expectations can give you a more positive mindset.
3. Picking the Wrong Strains
One of the most common medical marijuana mistakes is believing all strains are identical. Cannabis includes a few primary categories with distinctive health effects, and many strains exist within these categories:
- Sativa: Sativa strains often produce mind-enhancing “head highs” that can sharpen focus, increase energy, and boost productivity.
- Indica: Indica strains offer more relaxing “body highs” that can provide sedating, calming effects.
- Hybrid: Hybrid strains combine both sativas and indicas for comprehensive benefits.
- CBD-dominant: The above categories typically refer to THC-dominant strains, though you can also select CBD-dominant strains that produce less “high” effects.
If you’re unsure which strain will work best for you, our team can offer recommendations. You can tell us about your needs and concerns, and we’ll walk you through your best options.
4. Assuming All Consumption Methods Work the Same
You can consume medical marijuana in many ways. Each consumption method offers varying advantages depending on your preferences and schedule. A few of the most common options include the following:
- Flower: Dried flower that you can smoke, offering fast onset times but short durations
- Vapes: Vapor inhalation for nearly instant onset times but short durations
- Oils and tinctures: Concentrates you can drop under your tongue for quick onsets and short durations
- Edibles: Infused snacks that take longer to kick in but offer extended effects
- Capsules: Dosed pills that you can take like any other supplement offering long-duration periods
Continue Learning with LeafMed
Now that you know how to avoid the most common medical marijuana mistakes, you can begin learning about purchasing and storing your products. Use our LeafMed guide on medical marijuana storage to understand the proper storage requirements, then visit one of our Mississippi dispensary locations when you’re ready to shop.