More Than a Smoke: 7 Unexpected Marijuana Usages
The culture around weed is changing. 10 years ago, marijuana was federally illegal across the United States. Today, millions of Americans use weed for legal recreational purposes and millions even use weed for its potent and powerful medicinal usages. In 2020 alone, 5 states have legalized weed including New Jersey, Montana, Vermont, and South Dakota.
There’a a lot more to weed than getting high, and the earlier stigmas around “pot smoking hippies” is starting to evolve, just as our knowledge about the plant is. Here are some unexpected usages of the sacred herb.
1) Sleep Aid
Let’s start with the obvious. Anyone who knows someone who smokes weed has probably heard the “couch lock” story. It starts with you smoking a jay on the couch with your pals, and then you don’t leave the couch for the rest of the night.
The higher levels of CBD in indica strains act as the powerful sleep aid that cannabis can be known for. Although the couch lock story may not be that exciting, it surely is entertaining when observing the side effects of marijuana.
There is interesting ongoing science on how THC interacts with the receptors in our brains, similarly to that of traditionally prescribed medications. I will probably explore that more in depth in a separate article, but I am also not a science genius.
If you are someone who wants to pursue using weed as a sleep aid, first do your research on the strains you’re buying and what dosages would be best for you and your sleep.
2) Weight Loss and Appetite
Scooby and Shaggy had it right, munchies are real. Although I am unsure if Shaggy and Scooby smoked weed, but they sure ate like it. By taking advantage of the appetite simulator, people have been using weed to fight eating disorders.
There is another cool science thing that explains weed’s effects on hunger. Simply stated, THC activates the CB1 receptor found in our cells which activates hunger hormones. From my understanding the process is not fully understood. In theory, if you understand how marijuana interacts with our hunger hormones, then you can further manipulate you appetite by encouraging it, and even suppressing it by using weed.
3) An Addiction Fighter
A clinic in Los Angeles called High Sobriety is experimenting with a concept that is backwards from popular belief: pot is not a gateway drug, but a gateway out. Unlike most rehabilitation centers across the country, smoking weed is part of their program and used as a tool to help ween their patients from their more dangerous drugs of choice. The patients of High Sobriety also deal with a broad range of substance abuse, including alcohol, opioids, and heroine.
A small and growing amount of pain specialists are using marijuana as a substitute for dangerous opioids due to the increase in legalization across the country. The lack of studies and ability to do official federal testing is inhibiting any concrete evidence that cannibinoids can induce a withdrawal from heavier substances.
A report published in January 2017 from the National Academy of Sciences on how weed may effect our health “found no evidence to support or refute the conclusion that cannabinoids are an effective treatment for achieving abstinence in the use of addictive substances,” according to Dr. Marie McCormick, the chairwoman of the report committee.
Some psychiatrists and specialists think the idea is absurd, and the lack of concrete evidence does not refute their thoughts. Other specialists like Dr. Mark Wallace, chairman of the division of pain medicine in the department of anesthesia at the University of California, San Diego, have used cannabis in practice to transition patients from hard drugs to weed. Unfortunately, Dr. Wallace admits his evidence is anecdotal and more study is needed.
** If you feel that you or someone you know struggles with addiction, please contact an expert. I am not a doctor and do not make important medical decisions based off of an amateur writer’s research**
The SAMHSA National Helpline is 1–800- 662–4357 for confidential free help from public health agencies to help find treatments
4) Alternative to Painkillers
Although the lack of studies to help aid with addiction are less concrete, the same research group found strong evidence to support that cannabis and related chemical compounds can be used to treat pain in adults.
For those who are suffering from chronic pain, cannabis may be a viable-option for you. Several states legally use marijuana as medical prescriptions if you apply for a medical card. If you are in the several states where weed is illegal, don’t worry. You’ll probably still be able to find weed and at a cheaper price than the dispensaries.
Contact your doctor to see if weed is the right fit for you!
5) Cancer Treatment
A growing amount of cancer patients and oncologists are viewing weed as a practical way to subdue the side effects of chemo therapy, and research has shown cannabis kills cancer cells.
A 2014 poll done by Medscape and WebMD found oncologists were the strongest supporters in using cannabis as a treatment choice for some patients at a whopping 82% approval rate.
The exciting results found in the minimal research is exciting, but again, more research needs to be conducted to fully understand the benefits of marijuana in relation to cancer treatments.
6) Pet Therapy
If your pet got into your nug stash or ate a plate of pot brownies, that’s probably not great. Marijuana on its own, like how we traditionally consume it, can be poisons to your pets. Some animal lovers though have turned to cannabis-based products when treating a host of ailments; including anxiety, pain, seizures, and inflammation (basically for the same reasons we use it).
Because the FDA has not approved the usage of cannabis on pets, vets are not allowed to prescribe it, but pet owners are witnessing the effects.
Dogs and other pets are sensitive to the effects of THC so most pet friendly products contain high levels of CBD so your pets get all the good vibes without the buzz.
7) Skin Repair
Smoking is not going to cure your acne problem. Smoking is notoriously harmful to your skin because it clogs your pores, or makes them bigger, I’m not so sure. Maybe I’ll write another article on that later.
Instead of smoking weed to cure your skin problems, using topicals containing cannabinoids can.
Historically, ancient Chinese medicines used ointments containing cannabis to treat wounds, ulcers, and other skin conditions. Today as the consumption of marijuana increases, also has the amount of topicals containing weed.
You aren’t going to get high using topical because you put it on your skin, but your skin will feel nice, I swear.
Simply to put it, there’s more to the herb than just smoking it. If you or someone you know will benefit from the usage of any of these day to day obstacles, do your research. Weed is a complicated plant and there are hundreds of strains out there with different THC and CBD levels that will change your high.
