Step into any room full of green-blooded cannabis enthusiasts, and the conversation is almost certain to revolve around all the amazing benefits their prized plant has to offer. There would be that guy with a faded eagle tattoo on his forearm who swears up and down that this weed helped him weed off addictive painkillers; the lady who would never leave the house if it were not for the power of grass to tame her restlessness; And another person finds that it has the miraculous ability to prevent mosquito bites.
No, unfortunately, weeds don’t keep out pesky summer bugs. At least that’s not what we know. It’s just that this person doesn’t care if cannabis has any medical benefits. They only enjoy it because it makes life fun, more bearable and who wouldn’t appreciate that?
On the other hand, somewhere there is an unfortunate soul who was once part of this group of bud aficionados but can no longer smoke or eat or vape pot because, well, he just doesn’t like them anymore. Although the idea of a plant betraying a human might sound like the plot of a really bad sci-fi movie—Killer killer attackCountless people reported that they were victims of this fateful incident. They begin friendships with Venus, forging a relationship that is much appreciated on many different levels, but eventually, somewhere along the line, something happened, and now the two don’t see eye to eye. “I used to love weed,” says Rick, 62, of Phoenix. “I’ve done it for years without any problems. One day a few years ago it started hitting differently in a bad way.”
Arizona is a legal status that allows Rick to purchase turf from retail sources instead of relying on the black market. At first, he attributed his poor reaction to how legal products were handled. However, as you soon learn, the weed purchased from the neighborhood dealer came with the same negative. “It made no difference,” he says. To hear him say that, the ill effects were terrifying. Ecstasy, which had once brought him so much pleasure, suddenly filled his mind with overwhelming feelings of dread, like life as he knew it was over, a travesty that made him question all the choices he had ever made. The result was a veritable cerebral torture chamber, an effect most people consume cannabis for escape, not exploration. “I always had this feeling of impending doom when I had a high,” he says. “It was a really frustrating mentality. I had to stop.”
Unfortunately, Rick is not alone.
Holly, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Illinois, had this unfortunate experience. Although cannabis was once a part of her daily life—mostly in the evening before bed—she can’t touch it now, unless she wants to be haunted all night by an unsupportive, smoke-filled parent. “I ended up lying in bed all night thinking about how much I failed,” she said. “It keeps me second guessing all my career moves, and my brain won’t stop spinning.”
Breaking up is a hard thing to do
This sudden change in the way cannabis affects a person can happen to the best of us. In a recent interview with Rolling Stonean actress Julia Louis-DreyfusShe is best known for her role as Elaine on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, she admitted that she had suffered a weed conversion that she had sworn off forever. When asked if she smokes marijuana, she says that while she wishes she could, she had to quit. “I did that when I was in A-college a lotThen something happened, and I started getting paranoid whenever I smoked pot.” I tried several times to get back at it, but I can’t. It makes me crazy. And I’m not happy with it. So, it’s not for me.”
several hemp now Readers we spoke to complained that the weed has, in fact, taken a dark turn. Not everyone felt the dread of the end times, like poor Rick. However, they were subjected to some unprecedented restrictions that hindered their consumption habits. “I can no longer smoke high THC strains,” Mary says. “I do better with lower percentages, like 20%.” Many others have claimed sativas no longer work for them, forcing them to switch exclusively to indica. “Sativas is my enemy,” explains Dan, 55, from Colorado.
Dr. Gordon Tishler, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, may have some answers. He is certainly the most qualified to speak on the matter. As if teaching medicine at one of the most elite medical schools in the country wasn’t enough, he’s also the president of the InhaledMD Medical Marijuana Clinic and president of the Association of Cannabis Professionals. Dr. Tishler works with a wide variety of patients, giving them advice on how to improve their lives with medical marijuana. He says the reason for these disturbing cannabis experiments hasn’t been cut and dried.
“We’re in completely no-data territory with this topic,” he says.
However, based on the doctor’s years of clinical experience and understanding of neuroscience, he believes there may be several possible reasons why a person’s cannabis experience is less enjoyable than it was initially. “It could be psychological — that an unpleasant event or thought has been associated with the sensation of using cannabis, and that turns the experience into a turn-on,” he says. “It could be something painful, even a small one, or it could be as simple as finding it boring after using it for a long time.”
Excessive consumption (typical in recreational use cases) is another potential trigger. Although many cannabis users consume from morning to night, seven days a week, this practice is consistent with problematic behavior. At this point, it’s not a cure; It’s abuse. “In the cannabis world tolerance is often spoken of as a good thing, but it is certainly not,” Dr. Tishler asserts. “Tolerance is caused by the down-regulation (removal) of cannabinoid receptors in response to exposure to excessive cannabis. It’s kind of like lowering the volume in response to a very ‘loud’ stimulus, but like lowering the volume in music, the quieter things are— endocannabinoid system– becomes hard to hear. When your internal signals are not high enough, you become dependent on cannabis.”
Therefore, it is conceivable that an individual’s relationship to cannabis could begin to deteriorate over time.
“Getting high over the years is definitely not the same experience it was when you first started,” says Dr. Tishler. “Many people use ever-increasing amounts, which leads to tolerance and dependence. It makes sense that at higher doses over long periods of time, the experience could also become unpleasant.”
I’ve also witnessed a shift in how cannabis affects me. It’s not the very interesting business it was two decades ago. Depending on the situation, the dread Rick is talking about crept into me. Not always, but sometimes. I’ve noticed this change with alcohol, too. I linked it to aging, just a by-product of getting older, something Dr. Tishler undoubtedly agrees with alcohol, but not with cannabis. At least nothing science knows yet. “We know that the level of alcohol dehydrogenase (the enzyme that removes alcohol) decreases with age,” he said. “We don’t know that our ECS changes with age. More to come, for sure.”
Let’s stay together
For those looking to rekindle their relationship with the pot, hoping to go back to the good old days, the fix may be complicated, but it’s not impossible. “Assuming a recreational user, I’d suggest a long break from tolerance, like a month,” says Dr. Tishler. “I generally don’t recommend tolerance periods to patients because it leaves their disease untreated (I suggest slow weaning, which is often harder than breaking a T).” If that doesn’t work, counseling might be worth a try. “I suggest some psychotherapy to look at the psychological factors that may be at work.”
This is just another reason why you should let the science of cannabis keep up with the times. As Dr. Tishler points out, we don’t have enough research to understand why some regular cannabis users eventually experience negative effects from their consumption and others don’t. The solution, suggests the good doctor, may be as simple as avoiding overconsumption for long periods of time.
Microdosing (eating small amounts to achieve a subtle change of head) may be one way to avoid such behavior. The standard dose is usually between 5 and 10 milligrams of THC. Exact dosing consists of consuming about 2-3mg as needed throughout the day.
It may also be beneficial for the consumer to explore different terpene profiles and lower THC strains. Higher percentages of THC are not indicative of quality. terpenes Contribute to the overall composition of cannabinoids, in fact providing variety. And as we’ve heard from some people, it’s often the higher THC strains that cause their problems. Once we made some adjustments in the way they handled it, perhaps to find a more palatable terpene profile for their metabolism, the hate reaction started to subside. Given that there are countless combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes profiles out there, the solution to finding a friendly relationship with cannabis again may be as simple as discovering a product that complements one’s body chemistry.
Humans are built differently, and what is good for one may not be good for another. However, finding the right combination may take some experimentation. But it might be worth the effort. “Take notes about what you enjoy doing/when and in what situations…activities…rest,” advises Katie, 38. She admits to having frequent bad reactions to cannabis a few years ago until she did some homework. Eventually, I found a solution and got back to regular use. “It takes time but with some dedication, it can be great again.”
It is important to remember that millions of people across the country have found some measure of relief from the legalization of cannabis. Some have relied on it to tame a variety of health conditions (from mild to severe), while some have used it as a gateway out of alcoholism and other abominable habits. So if you, like many others, are experiencing sudden negative influences, there is hope
It may be time to switch product, stress, repeat consumption, or take a break from tolerance. It may also be a good idea to discuss these issues with your doctor, caregiver or sponsor to see how they can help come up with a reasonable solution. We assure you, as bleak as the situation may seem, there is a solution that will help you hang out with your old buddy again.
