Things were much simpler in the past. You had to contact your dealer, meet him somewhere private, and hopefully, the dope wouldn’t contain any extra stuff that would cause you to foam at the mouth. Now, if you are lucky enough to live in one of the 11 states where recreational marijuana is legal, you can get weed, though your journey doesn’t end the moment you step into a dispensary. Oh no, you still have to choose among dozens of different kinds of marijuana. In a second, you’ll learn what the cannabis terpenes are and whether they differ from each other. Let’s go!
What are terpenes, and what are its effects?
Terpenes are not something that can be uniquely found in cannabis plants. Any fragrant flowers contain them. They are what’s causing a particular flower to have a specific smell and taste. If you have ever tried Crouching Tiger Hidden Alien or Charlie Sheen (yes, those are real names of weed strains), you might have noticed that the smell between particular strains differs. Certain places, like InyoLasVegas.com, even rate strains based on how energetic or calming they are. Is it true that the terpenes in weed affect its effects?
The truth is: probably not. Marijuana only became legal recently, which means that there isn’t enough research done on this subject. So far, though, the studies have failed to link different types of terpenes to particular effects. It doesn’t mean that there is no link – there are hundreds of different compounds in weed, and we have studied only a small fraction of them. Does it mean that, well, weed is a weed, and that’s all that you should care about?
Not necessarily
Even if the evidence about specific terpenes having different effects is anecdotal at best, there are 2 things that certainly produce different effects. Those two elements are the content of THC and the content of CBD.
You will likely hear that a particular weed strain is mostly Sativa, or mostly Indica. What does it mean? It is said that Sativa strains are supposed to be euphoric and energizing, whereas Indica strains cause sleepiness and relaxation. There is one issue: we don’t know what a “pure Indica” or “pure Sativa” strains look like. All that we have right now are strains that are mixes of those two. It might be true that a strain of weed described as “mostly Sativa” is going to be more energetic, but that’s just because it has a lot of THC in it, and not that much of CBD. It doesn’t mean, though, that the name is something that you should rely on. As far as we know, all that matters is the content of THC and CBD. Okay, so what is the difference between those two?
Strains high in CBD
They have calming effects. Different products containing CBD are often used to relieve anxiety. Products containing only CBD will make you more calm and relaxed, though if you smoke weed that contains both CBD and THC, you might also get a bit sleepy.
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, smoking some weed that has a lot of CBD might help you. Ideally, you should stick to products containing only CBD. Why? CBD can actually increase the amount of REM sleep that you are getting, especially if you are experiencing problems caused by stress. The studies have shown that CBD is also helpful for people with REM sleep behavior disorder. Remember, though, that if sleeping better at night is your goal, you should stay away from weed that contains a lot of THC. It would have the opposite effect. You might fall asleep faster, but the quality of your sleep would be worse.
Strains high in THC
Pain relief is a domain of strains high in THC, though it’s best to combine THC and CBD. Why? That’s because of something called “entourage effect”. There are hundreds of different compounds in weed, and although some of them might not help with the pain, if you combine them with f.e. THC, the effects will be much stronger.
If you want to feel energized, then choose weed with a high THC content. It will make you ready to face the challenges, that is, if they don’t require a lot of analysis. Some people smoke weed high in THC before their workouts. Try to stay away from CBD, though – it could make you too sleepy. If you have any doubts if exercising before a workout is a good idea, then just look at Joe Rogan. It doesn’t mean that if you smoke weed, your kicks will be as incredible, but that’s a good start.
THC could also be helpful if you want to become creative. If you smoke enough, you will discover that you can see your thoughts, or you might experience synesthesia. If you lack discipline, then staying focused might be a problem, though it’s not impossible, just tricky. Your mind won’t be following the typical paths, and some social constructs might seem a bit artificial. Many artists dabbled in psychedelics, and that’s not without reason. Depending on your job, following through with all the ideas that will appear in your mind might be difficult, but if you write them down, you could go back to them later. Just try to use this as a technique to improve your work, and not as a requirement to work at all. Otherwise, you might discover quickly that being creative while sober is not that easy.
The expectations
When it comes to weed, the misconceptions are pretty common. People might think that strains called The Ultimate Pain and The Primal Temptation (okay, those are made up) are much different when in reality, all that differs is the CBD and THC content. Every person might feel slightly different effects, as our bodies aren’t the same either. When it comes to psychoactive substances, the expectations can affect the experience itself, which means that it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
