As we enter the next phase of cannabis legalization and widespread acceptance—or what our Canadian neighbors like to call “Cannabis 2.0”—we see a couple of contradictory trends emerging. One is a THC “arms race,” as growers and processors attempt to create cannabis with unbelievably high levels of THC, the cannabinoid responsible for the cannabis plant’s psychoactivity, or “high.”
The other is bent on taking cannabis in the opposite direction, producing plants with very little to low THC so as to minimize the intoxicating effects that many find distracting or even unpleasant. Oftentimes, this is balanced by an increase in CBD, the second most abundant cannabinoid. While it doesn’t produce the same sort of intoxicating effects as THC, it’s associated with many medical benefits, including the ability to help manage anxiety, some types of seizures, and pain.
We’re more interested in this second trend. For one thing, many cannabis users experience greater benefits from cannabis by using lower doses. An increasing number of medical patients are turning to microdosing, or using quantities of cannabis so small they’re not even perceptible.
Now, Lite Bud aims to appeal to the growing market for low THC cannabis. Even though it delivers a small dose, research suggests that it can still aid in symptom relief for certain conditions.
Low THC Cannabis: The Science
As we explained in a previous blog, cannabis is a biphasic medicine, meaning that below a certain threshold, patients taking cannabis may experience an increase in health benefits. On the other hand, taking high doses of THC has the potential to bring on negative side effects such as paranoia.
Microdosing is one response to this dilemma. Even though ideally, microdoses are barely perceptible—if at all—that’s not to say they’re not working with our bodies. Again, while it’s logical to assume that “more medicine = more pain relief,” that’s often not the case with cannabis.
In a 2012 study on pain relief, patients were given nabiximols, an oral spray delivering a low dose of both THC and CBD. One surprising finding was that patients taking the lowest doses actually experienced the greatest reductions in pain. Similarly, a 2014 study on PTSD found that lower doses were a positive factor in patients’ successful treatment of related syndromes such as anxiety.
Low THC Cannabis: An Easy-to-Use Microdose
One stumbling block in effective microdosing is the relative lack of low-dose cannabis, other than specialty strains bred specifically to deliver high doses of CBD with little to no THC. That’s the underpinning of Lite Bud, pre-rolled cannabis cones calibrated to deliver mild, consistent, and effective doses of cannabinoids.
Using proprietary strains and a slow-curing process under strict temperature, humidity, and air controls, Lite Bud’s cones are designed to be more intuitive and less wasteful than standard high-dose cannabis. One upside is that you’ll never have to carry half-smoked pre-rolls around with you again, a small but major improvement from our perspective.
We’re excited for the Lite Bud products to hit our shelves in states whose medical cannabis programs permit this product. If you’d like to learn more about microdosed or low-dose cannabis, just ask! We’re here to help, and we’d love to answer any questions you might have about this exciting development in the world of cannabis.
