Is Recreational Cannabis Right for Me?

With more and more regions legalizing recreational cannabis, many people are considering the drug for the first time, but doing so can feel like a big step.

If you feel unsure of your decision to try cannabis and how to do so, visit your local Bud Bar location. At a dispensary, you find helpful people who have a great deal of insight and information to share based on your local laws. These professionals can also help you find the right products for you.

Below, we provide some cannabis dispensary-approved insights to get you started.

Cannabis Is a Healthier Choice than Ever Before

Changing laws are largely due to changes in how cannabis is produced and sold in local markets. In other words, the new laws have enabled the legal production of products specifically for sale in a cannabis dispensary. A dispensary is a cannabis product store heavily regulated by the government.

Today’s cannabis is also different from the plant material that once came across country borders for illegal sale. Today, even recreational products are produced to specific quality standards through scientifically proven growing and processing methods.

These changes in how weed is manufactured means the end-user receives a much higher quality product with higher potency than ever before.

Cannabis bought in dispensaries can also provide a broader range of effects than ever before. You can choose your strain of plant and method of use. Ultimately, you also choose the type of high you feel and for how long you enjoy those effects.

Power to Choose Your High

When you visit a dispensary for the first time, the most important conversation you can have with someone who works there is about strains. Strains are the varieties of plants within a species.

For cannabis, the strain defines the cannabinoid profile, roughly the high you can expect. This profile is based on the plant’s mixture of THC and CBD, among other active components.

The three primary cannabis strains include:

Sativa

Sativas offer a more cerebral high, one based in euphoric effects and mental clarity. Most people feel more invigorated when using sativas.

Indica

Indicas provide a deeply relaxing, full-body high. If you seek sedative effects and calming relaxation, such as for improved sleep, this strain fulfills those needs.

Hybrid

Hybrids blend Sativa and Indica phenotypes for unique benefits on a spectrum between these plant types.

Benefits of Using Cannabis Recreationally

When choosing your ideal form of cannabis and delivery method, you have many options in front of you at a dispensary.

These include dry flower for smoking, oils for tinctures and many dispensaries offer a broad selection of edibles, including everything from sauces and salad oils to the more traditional brownies, other baked goods and lollipops.

You can use tinctures orally, vape or smoke your cannabis, eat foods that contain weed or even use salves and balms on your skin.

However you decide to use recreational marijuana, there is a multitude of reasons why it makes sense.

Benefits of using cannabis include:

It can help shy or introverted people open up
It stimulates your senses and enhances sensory experiences
Cannabis unlocks creativity
Use can make you more receptive to new ideas or information
Some people feel more lighthearted and less anxious or stressed
It can help you overcome negativity for a more positive outlook
It can help you sleep at night
Some strains can improve your energy

Of course, as with any drug, marijuana has some side effects. You should always stay safe when using cannabis recreationally.

Learn what type, method of delivery and dose work best for you while also getting to know your personal limits.

It helps to talk to your doctor about your decision to try recreational marijuana and understand your goals for its use before you begin.

Reasons Why You Should Not Use Recreational Cannabis

Marijuana does not hold the stigmas or mystique it once did. No longer do you have to illegally acquire weed and roll joints yourself to take part in recreational use. You also do not risk being caught and thrown in jail.

But just having legal access to cannabis is not good enough reason to jump into everyday use with both feet. As mentioned above, you should know why you want to use the drug and what you hope to achieve.

If your goal is simply to “get high”, there is nothing wrong with that anymore. In fact, you can enjoy recreational cannabis today, just like you go to a bar to have a recreational drink of alcohol. You can use it simply because you are an adult and have the legal right to do so, where it is legal.

However, the last thing you want is to start using because you feel pressured to do so. You should never use any substance without first knowing what it is, what to expect from it and how it can affect you. While this sounds like a buzzkill, it is simply smart.

Some reasons to NOT use recreational cannabis include:

Peer Pressure

Once used by many because of peer pressure to live on the edge of the law and do something “bad,” using cannabis has lost its dark edge. But today, many people feel pressured by their social circle to use cannabis.

You do not have to take these pressures seriously and can make your own choice about your body. If using weed does not sound enticing to you, it is probably not the right time to start.

As with drinking or getting drunk, you control your own actions.

Believing Use is Harmless

As briefly mentioned before, cannabis does have some side effects. Some people are more likely than others to experience these effects. Consider whether you feel ready to risk possible side effects before jumping into recreational use.

You can potentially experience some memory problems, cognitive problems, lost coordination, hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety or general discomfort while high or thereafter.

Some people experience a fast heart rate, increased risk for lung infections, or a weakening of their immune system.

Some studies show that people who use marijuana report more depression and relationship problems than those who do not use it. They also more frequently report lower satisfaction in life and poorer physical condition. For some, using cannabis leads to a substance use disorder.

Mental Health Condition Relief

If you seek to use marijuana recreationally but have hope for relief from mental health condition symptoms, talk to your doctor first.

Although cannabis certainly helps decrease symptoms of anxiety or other conditions for many people, you should involve your healthcare practitioner in that decision to self-medicate. In fact, for some people, prolonged use can lead to anxiety, sleep problems and mood disorders.

Otherwise, if you have thought through your decision to try recreational use of cannabis and doing so is legal in your region, you have the right to give it a try.

Just remember to talk to your local cannabis dispensary to learn about the plant and what to expect from it. Use safely and learn your limits as you go.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, ‘Is recreational cannabis right for me?’ Share your thought int the comments below!

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Jarad Wilson

Jarad is an avid medical cannabis advocate and has been serving the cause through blogging for over 10 years by sharing his extensive knowledge and experience on the benefits of using cannabis.