5 Things that Affect How You Feel on Cannabis
Set and Setting
One of the most important concepts in any work with psychoactive medicines, set and setting play a huge role in determining the arc and character of the experience. In this case, “set” refers to your mindset, and “setting” refers to the physical space in which the experience occurs. And while they’re separate factors, they each exert a strong influence on the other.
When you’re first working with cannabis, start paying careful attention to your mindset and your environment both before and after you ingest it. Do certain situations tend to make you feel anxious, depressed, or otherwise uneasy? Does being outdoors as opposed to indoors make you feel freer, or more anxious? The more you can do to identify your “safe spaces” before taking cannabis medicine, the more productive and pleasurable experience you’ll tend to have.
Dosage
Cannabinoid and Terpene Profile
Because the cannabis plant contains literally hundreds of cannabinoids and terpenes—the major “active ingredients”—this is a complicated topic. But the main thing to understand is that THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the cannabis plant’s intoxicating capabilities. CBD, on the other hand, may help counteract THC’s effects.
Similarly, the terpenes in any particular cannabis may exert their own, milder effects. To find your own optimal cannabinoid profile, we recommend careful experimentation informed by this evidence-based approach. For further explanation, feel free to reach out to our cannabis pharmacists.
Delivery Method
Your Personal Tolerance and Your Age
One of the most fascinating aspects of cannabis medicine is the fact that we all experience it in slightly—and sometimes majorly—different ways. Whether due to a built-up or innate tolerance to cannabis, the same amount of the same kind of cannabis can affect two people in very different ways.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know this beforehand. Again, that’s why we always recommend you take the lowest dose of cannabis medicine possible and wait to assess the results by having more.
On a similar note, it appears that our age plays a role in determining our personal experience of cannabis. A rodent-based study determined that, all things being equal, older subjects tended to experience more stress, anxiety, and decreased mobility as a result of ingesting cannabis. While no large-scale human studies have probed the question, anecdotal evidence suggests it’s wise to keep this in mind when you’re starting to use cannabis medicine in your senior years.
Have any other questions about what factors can affect your experience of cannabis? Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Please note that qualifying conditions vary by state, and the information relating to qualifying conditions may not apply to cannabis patients in all states.
Product availability also varies based on state program restrictions and rules, so the products discussed may not be available in all states. Be sure to check with your local Green Goods location about the products available in your state!