10 things I learned during my 10 year relationship with weed

This fall I’m celebrating my 10 year cannaversary with sweet Mary Jane.

I first smoked weed a decade ago when I was a 21 year old college student. My boyfriend at the time and I packed my pickup truck into a hotbox one evening and I ate a whole can of Pringles. I’ve had a relationship with cannabis ever since.

Like most long-term relationships, we’ve had our ups and downs over the years, but I’m not sure I would be here if it weren’t for the healing and calming powers of the plant.

Okay, raved enough. Here is a non-exhaustive list of things I learned during my 10 year relationship with cannabis.

How to save – or just manage – an overwhelming high

Most experienced cannabis users got too high too quickly at least once. I know I have. The last time I dabbed, I was instantly panicked and paranoid. Fortunately, those feelings quickly disappeared when I went outside, and I ended up having a really fun day.

What helps me save – or just manage – an overwhelming cannabis experience may not work for everyone. That said, spending time in nature, hanging out with people I trust, cuddling with pets or going for walks can help me feel grounded and safe when the grass hits too hard. If nothing works, I try to sleep in.

How cannabis can help women, survivors, and anyone with the menstrual cycle

Cannabis can make sex more enjoyable for many women, including myself. It also relieves excruciating menstrual pain. It can also help survivors heal.

As a victim of abuse and sexual violence myself, I am still healing, and I don’t know if I would have survived the darkest parts of my healing process without cannabis. The trauma of abuse and sexual violence can cause panic attacks, depression, PTSD, and persistently poor sleep, among other things.

Cannabis can often handle all of these conditions more easily.

Why cannabis justice is social justice

Racial differences in cannabis arrests make it clear that cannabis justice is a social justice issue. In addition, thousands of people in America and even more worldwide are being incarcerated for cannabis.

Related

You can help free America’s cannabis prisoners. Here is how

Even in states that have legalized the plant for adult use in whole or in part, people with cannabis convictions may have to wait years for their records to be cleared.

It is also undeniable that cannabis can be an effective medicine for people suffering from chronic illness and chronic pain. The sometimes illegal cultivation of the plant creates barriers to entry and causes unreasonable suffering. The issue of cannabis justice is another reason why cannabis justice is social justice.

The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of consumption

For most of my 20s, I was a daily smoker. When I wasn’t smoking, I was vaping. Granted, these are probably the most social and iconic ways to lift yourself up, but they certainly aren’t the healthiest for your lungs. That’s why I’m sticking to tinctures and edibles today and will probably be without inhalations for the foreseeable future.

I feel that tinctures and edibles are much gentler on my body, and while they usually don’t work as quickly, in my experience they are better at providing long-lasting relief. Fortunately, with widespread legalization increasing the transparency of cannabis, finding the right product and dose is easier than it used to be.

The importance of weed-friendly loves

I don’t need everyone in my life to be a cannabis enthusiast. Weed isn’t necessarily for everyone. I took weed breaks for a few months myself. But it is important to me that my closest friends support my relationship with cannabis and adult cannabis use in general.

Related

Poll: 60% of cannabis users want to get high with their grandparents

My relationship with cannabis has not always been the healthiest, but overall it has been and is a positive part of my life. I am not ashamed of it by the people who are closest to me.

How aging can change a person’s relationship with cannabis

In early 2021, I wrote a full article on cannabis and aging and learned a lot in the process. Research in rats supports an association between age and THC sensitivity. And anecdotally, it seems that some people may be more sensitive to THC as they age. I definitely belong to those people.

I noticed a change in my perception of THC in 2019 when I was going through a particularly stressful period. All of a sudden, THC-dominant cannabis products began to aggravate my stress and anxiety rather than relieve them. I was also rushed to the hospital unexpectedly that summer and haven’t felt safe enough in my own body to get super high since then.

Related

10 CBD Dominant Cannabis Strains Our Users Love

There is more than one way to identify yourself as a cannabis enthusiast

Loving THC-dominant weed – and getting high every day – has been a huge part of my identity for years, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, since my cannabis routine has included mostly hemp-derived CBD products since moving to Missouri in 2019, my definition of a cannabis enthusiast has changed. In my book, if you love hemp, you love cannabis.

What to look for in CBD products

Great CBD helps me feel less anxious and more focused. It helps me fall asleep. It takes the edge off when I’m hurt. But there are plenty of nondescript CBD products out there.

In recent years, both research and personal experience have taught me how to avoid being under-challenged. These are the phrases I look for when determining the quality of a CBD product: “full spectrum” or “broad spectrum”, “third party laboratory tested” and “made from organically grown US hemp”.

If you are undergoing a drug test, consider broad-spectrum CBD as it contains 0% THC. I recommend Spero CBD. The company recently gave me their peppermint flavored CBD oil, and it’s great.

Cannabis is not a panacea for mental health

Cannabis has helped me a lot on my mental health journey. I’ve written a lot about it because it’s undeniable. But that doesn’t mean that cannabis is a panacea for mental health for me.

It won’t undo the trauma I experienced, nor does it change the fact that I am a thoroughly proud bisexual woman from a conservative Christian family living in the rural Bible belt. In addition to my cannabis routine, I feel that my mental health would benefit greatly from therapy. Anti-anxiety medication or an antidepressant can also help.

Unfortunately, I can’t afford all of these things right now, but I hope that one day that will change.

I still have a lot to learn and experience

I’ve learned so much about cannabis over the past decade, and I’ve seen the plant come in many forms – I’ve smoked it, vaporizes it, drank it, ate it, and dabbed it.

I once participated in a cannabis masquerade, spoken to several cannabis users and doctors, and I wrote extensively about weed. Nevertheless, I know that I still have a lot to learn and experience.

I haven’t tried Delta-8 yet and would like to grow my own stash legally one day. With legalization spreading across North America, it is likely that the plant will be easier to study in the near future. I can only imagine what I will learn about cannabis in the next ten years.

One thing is certain: my relationship with cannabis is constantly evolving, and for that I am constantly grateful. To many more cannaversaries!

Elisabeth of Enoch

Liz Enochs is a writer and journalist from a small Missouri town that you’ve probably never heard of. In addition to Leafly, her work has been published by Bustle, Narratively, USA Today, HelloGiggles, POPSUGAR, and many others. Mostly you can find them in the forest.

View article by Elizabeth Enochs

By submitting this form, you subscribe to Leafly news and promotional emails and agree to Leafly’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages at any time.