.png)
Arkansas hasn’t slowed down in growing cannabis, in fact new strains are continuing to show up at dispensaries nearly as fast as they are selling out.
And that’s great news for medical marijuana patients, who previously saw shortages of product close to this time last year.
With new indicas, sativas, and hybrids showing up, some may find themselves wondering what different effects they might produce, or what kind of “high” they’ll get from different strains and strengths.
In this Arkansas Marijuana Card Guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the different types of “high” and what kind of strains to look out for to achieve them!
Two Types of Stoned - “Body High” vs “Mind High”
Typically, the type of experience you have after consuming cannabis is categorized by the type of cannabis you consumed:
Indica – “Body High” - usually associated with more of a sedated or relaxing, “in-the-couch” experience.
Sativa – “Mind High” – often associated with a more energized, cerebral effect.
Although these generalized categories are exactly that, generalized, they can usually be applied and have at least some accuracies to them.
Sometimes a strain’s terpene profile can influence just as much of the experience as the strain type itself, but often there are enough similarities between indica-dominant terpene profiles and sativa-dominant terpene profiles to make indicas usually “sleepy” and sativas usually “excited”.
One of the best things about cannabis is its versatility in producing experiences and flavors based on different terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids in the plant.
You can have plants recognized for their powerful anti-inflammatory effects purposefully crossbred with plants that are known to have very strong sedation, a cocktail perhaps grown for patients with arthritis or severe chronic pain.
You can have strains that are chosen for their calming mental effects, crossbred with strains that have mood-boosting effects or high-CBD strains, perhaps for patients with anxiety or PTSD.
There are endless possibilities in growing cannabis, and that means there can be endless possibilities in how people experience those strains.
Is There a Lethal Dosage for Cannabis?
It is almost unanimously understood that cannabis can be safe for many to consume. As a plant, it’s about as harmless and innocent as anything else that grows out of the ground.
And while it’s true that aspirin and peanuts have killed more people than cannabis, there’s also not been a confirmed death reported as being caused solely by cannabis, although you can likely have a non-fatal overdose.
Smoke inhalation aside, cannabis as a plant can be consumed in many ways that are not identifiably detrimental to the human body, such as the case with edibles, tinctures, and vaporizing.
But you can consume too many compounds from the cannabis plant, and when you do, it can become very sedating or even unpleasant.
People who have consumed too much THC for their tolerance level can experience unpleasant effects such as sweating, confusion, paranoia, and increased heart rate.
Although none of these THC-induced effects are particularly fatal in most cases, they can be scary or uncomfortable.
Since you would likely need to smoke something like 1,500 pounds of cannabis within about 15 minutes for a lethal dosage, it’s probably safe to say you won’t be the first registered death from cannabis consumption.
Tolerance & Effectiveness of Cannabis
Although you might experience some uncomfortable experiences at the far end of the dosage spectrum, if your tolerance is high, you’ll likely have a much lower chance of experiencing negative effects at higher dosages.
It’s always safe to stay on the smaller side of dosages to be sure. You can always add more, but you can’t ever take less.
And especially for patients with chronic or terminal illnesses that require large and frequent doses, tolerance can be built quite quickly, and at a certain point, dosages that would put a newcomer on the couch for a weekend might not even be enough for a veteran stoner’s wake and bake.
So, tolerance can play a critical role in how high you will get and how you will feel about being that high.
That’s part of why dosage guides are often difficult to give, not only is everyone’s biology different and will receive new substances differently, but specifically with cannabis, a person’s biological familiarity with cannabis can dampen or increase potency depending on how much of a tolerance they have built.
But even for those with extraordinary tolerance, cannabis can punch you in the gut if you don’t treat it with respect.
Just because you can take 5000mg of THC doesn’t mean you should, or that you’d enjoy it if you did.
And alongside tolerance, is effectiveness.
Some people’s endocannabinoid systems are likely more agreeable to compounds from cannabis than others.
Similar to alcohol, this means that there will be some people who try cannabis for the first time and feel nothing at all until they take a higher dosage, and there will be some people who use cannabis all their life and only need a few puffs every session.
The Levels of Being High
As a general rule, whether you’re new to the party or a seasoned stoner, you can probably find yourself in one of these categories after consuming cannabis:
Level 1: A Few Puffs of a Joint
Not particularly sedating for those with tolerance, effects are minimal. Perhaps slight boost in mood, or less sensitivity to pain, but objectively as intoxicating as perhaps one beer or a ¼ glass of wine.
Level 2: Quarter of a Joint
A step up, where effects are noticeable. Possibly dry mouth or medium-euphoria, possible physical effects could include warm sensations, or extra awareness of body or thoughts.
Level 3: Half a Joint
For those without tolerance, this would probably be the line not to cross until you’re more comfortable. Can produce stronger senses of euphoria, decreased pain or comfortability, likely dry mouth and red eyes. Very pleasant, but probably noticeable decreases in motor function and response time.
Level 4: ¾ of a Joint
Surprisingly this makes it into a category purely because right before the drop off of “definitely too high”, is a “I might be too high” level. This is that level. Here you might experience slight paranoia, unusual thoughts or bodily senses, which may be very pleasant or you might have some hesitation towards them.
Level 5: Entire Joint, aka the King Kong Finger.
This is almost certainly too high for the average beginner, though again, for those with tolerance it might take at least a joint or a few to reach level 3 or 4.
But for everyone else that hasn’t acquired Snoop Dogg’s tolerance, an entire joint is likely stepping, or rather, leaping aggressively into the deep end.
Possible temporary paralysis, or at least the entire lack of motivation to move.
Complete sedation is likely at this level, certainly dry mouth and red eyes.
Overly dramatic thoughts and senses of experience, as well as usually an intense desire for Coco Puffs, this is where people will often report extreme paranoia. Everything has a slight or significant tint of feeling overwhelming at this level, and for those unfamiliar with these senses it can be difficult to remain calm.
Obviously not everyone will experience these exact effects, and not everyone’s tolerance will permit them to experience specific effects with specific dosages, but in general it might look something like that for the average medical marijuana patient.
Fortunately in Arkansas, there are plenty of strains available that can range anywhere from very lightweight to extreme sedation available at dispensaries.
Fan favorites in the indica-dominant category are Delta’s King Crasher for the lighter, more agreeable side, and Bold’s Cookies and Cream for the heavier, more sedating strain.
Favorites in the sativa-dominant category are NSM’s Mandarin Cookies for the easygoing, and Bold’s Blue Dream for the serious stoner (extra points if you get the terp sugar concentrate, it’s excellent!).
Become an Arkansas Marijuana Patient
Qualifying Arkansas patients can schedule an appointment to meet with one of our certified physicians and get approved for medical marijuana treatment.
We’re dedicated to helping patients every step of the way, feel free to give us a call at 844-249-8714, and we can answer your questions about getting medical marijuana in Arkansas.
Doctors Who Care. Relief You Can Trust.
Helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at 844-249-8714, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Arkansas Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Arkansas.
Comments