Finding that “dose”, is a tedious but important process that can help to ensure you are having a positive experience when medicating with THC. How many times have you visited a dispensary and popped a medicated edible in your mouth, only to find yourself having adverse effects and regretting it later on?
In Hawai’i, we call that “chance ’em”, which means “take it and wish for the best.” But why wish for the best when you can work towards finding your right dose and having a great experience every time? Let’s say you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and you want just enough THC to lift your spirits to get you moving? Is it the best time to “chance ’em?’.
Cannabis in Hawai’i is available for anyone with a Hawai’i 329 Medical Cannabis Card! The best thing about medical cannabis is that everything is lab-tested and there is a plethora of helpful information available to understand how to medicate correctly.
All cannabis products in Hawai’i are tested at cannabis lab testing facilities for potency, terpene (flavor) levels, yeast, mold, heavy metals and pesticides. One of the most important tests (arguably) would be cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids are what many people refer to as the chemical make-up of the plant. Here are some familiar cannabinoids- THC, CBD, CBG, THCV, etc. Each cannabinoid is special and has its own specific health benefits, but for someone who is just starting, we suggest focusing on THC and CBD.
THC and CBD potency is written on the labels of all cannabis products in Hawai’i (and at a lot of other dispensaries around the world). The best advice one can give a patient on how they can start to find their ideal dose is to read labels.
ALWAYS read the label before you do anything! Potencies are either written in %, mg, or ml. Edibles such as gummies, mints, or THC beverages can range from 1 mg per gummy to 10 mg per serving. If you don’t read the label correctly, this could be a huge mistake that might lead to you having a bad reaction.
We always suggest to start low and go slow because every person’s system reacts differently to cannabis. Just because your friend can take 5 mg of THC and not feel a single reaction does not mean that you will also not feel anything.
The golden rule that one must follow while dealing with cannabis is do what makes you comfortable. If you’re a beginner you can start as low as 1mg THC. If you don’t feel any effects after 15 minutes – 30 minutes, take another mg. From there, you can work your way up till you achieve whatever effects you are hoping for.
Here are a few tips and tricks you should keep in mind before starting to use cannabis. If you are ingesting THC, your effects will be stronger than inhaling it (i.e.: vape or flower).
It is possible that you will also not feel its effects for at least 15-30 minutes after ingesting. Once ingested, THC is digested by your stomach which then works its way to the liver where it is converted into a stronger form of THC. The final destination is your bloodstream.
This journey to the bloodstream takes longer to feel effects than smoking or vaping, as these have almost instant reactions.
At Aloha Green – our soft lozenges are always lab tested before they arrive at the dispensary. Purchasing a soft lozenge from a licensed medical dispensary gives patients the advantage to know exactly how many mg of THC each gummy consists of. You can even ask for lab testing!
Since each batch of gummies is slightly different – read the label before anything!
Once you figure out how to read labels, the next best thing to do if you want to find your ideal dose is to track your medicating sessions. Several resources can help you track your dose, including some mobile phone applications that can help you track your session digitally. You can always also just write down how you feel in a simple journal.
It is really important to track the dose so that you can remember how you felt later. For example, if you took 5 mg of a certain edible gummy, and it felt great, then you will want to write down how much you took, exactly what you took, over what period of time, and any other extra comments that might have contributed to how your medicating session went. If it felt horrible, we recommend writing about the horrible sessions too. That way the next time you medicate you can try to avoid the same situation.
There are a few other factors that have to be considered like how much food you ate that day, the activities that took place that day, the way you were medicated (in this case, what did you ingest, what were its ingredients), etc.
There are other factors too that can contribute to knowing if the medication session was beneficial or not because Medical Cannabis is so new to Hawaii, that if you are ever unsure you must ask for more help.
There are a few other factors that have to be considered like how much food you ate that day, the activities that took place that day, how tired are you, where are you medicating etc. If you ever have any questions, do not be afraid of asking your Patient Consultant at any dispensary! There is never any right or wrong questions.
We all were beginners once too, and we all have gone through our own journey of discovering and exploration with medical cannabis.
