November 10, 2023

What is Microdosing?

As Cannabis use is becoming more widespread, many individuals are approaching their marijuana consumption differently than when they were younger. Instead of just getting high, they are paying attention to their wellness. Many began to recognize the benefits of microdosing cannabis, enabling them to remain productive and function proficiently, while still experiencing its effects to a moderate degree, providing the therapeutic respite they desire.

Microdosing entails consuming a precise dosage of cannabis without becoming overly intoxicated, which can vary from person to person. It is intended to impart a steady euphoria throughout the day without overwhelming one's tolerance.

Related article: Marijuana for productivity - smoking weed and being productive - 5 Top Tips

Why Microdosing?

• Wellness, not impairment: People use Cannabis for different purposes. For Recreational purposes, which is mainly to get baked, have munchies, watch a movie, or even having sex, and it's indeed an experience enhancer. On the other hand, many other marijuana users, especially after legalization, consume the herb for the medicinal purposes, to relieve a physical pain or overcome their anxiety and focus more on the benefits rather the impairment that may come with being overly baked.

• Minimum time for t-breaks: As much as I enjoy getting high, I don't want to be high all day. Not because I don't like it, but because it'll make my tolerance sky high (no pun intended) in only few months and then I have to take a month or so t-break. And I really don't want to do that. It also can get a bit expensive. More about it below.

• Stay productive (read more about marijuana and productivity here)

• You will save lots of money.

• Preventing panic/anxiety attacks (read more about marijuana and anxiety here).

• Also microdosing can be effective for suppressing pain. The dose vs. response curve for cannabis is bimodal (involving two modes, two maxima). Microdosing targets the lower mode to avoid the high associated with larger dosages. Which can be beneficial for some, however not that much for others. You will have to try it out and judge by yourself.

• Finally, a more fulfilled life!

How to lower weed tolerance without break? 

The 9 Tips to control your cannabis tolerance and enhance your high

Let's not abuse the herb. I have managed to regulate my cannabis consumption through 9 strategies, resulting in a reduction from 1 gram per day to 1 gram per week within a year. This has enabled me to take advantage of the benefits of cannabis use with a lower financial cost and better emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing.

Related article: Marijuana Tolerance, Withdrawal Symptoms, and 5 Tips to Take a T-Break

Below are some steps that may help you reduce your tolerance without needing to take the t-break:

1. Be mindful about why, when, and how much you smoke: Choose the right occasions where you need to smoke weed. Pay attention to your daily dose control, find the minimal amount you actually "need" as opposed to what you "want," and stick to it.  

 2. Follow the 420 Rule: to combat my high tolerance, I began to limit my consumption on weekdays using the 420 rule; refrain from smoking on weekdays until 4:20 pm, and until 2 pm on weekends, I like to wake and bake too once a week, but only on the weekends.

3. Track your consumption religiously: Keep track of the amount you use each week, as well as the duration of the effects. 

4. Setting boundaries: Avoid consuming throughout the day with every activity. 

5. Use distraction: Distract yourself from the urge to use by engaging in a favorite activity without adding cannabis to the mix.

6. Cycle Strains: Change it up regularly. Trick your body by mixing up strains; Indica, sativa, high THC, high CBD, etc. It’s a lot easier if you were living in a legal state because you can buy small quantities of any variety of strains. 

7. Pace yourself: Don't smoke a whole joint at once, instead, blaze mini joints throughout the day, or hit the vape once or twice (depends on your tolerance), wait for few minutes to assess your high before you hit it again. Most of the time, you overestimate how much is required to stone you. Often we over medicate..

8. Use different methods of consumption: I usually try to stay away from the old traditional way of smoking weed, like bongs and bowls. Instead, I used a vaporizer, which I encourage you to try. It gives you a cleaner high without all the toxins from combustion (check my blog piece Vaporizer high vs. Smoking high), also you will have full control on the temperature which will also help your tolerance. Try smoking oil every once in a while, edibles, tinctures in drinks, baking, rosin chips, cooking, etc.

9. Meditate: Meditation may decrease your desire to habitually get high. It helps to concentrate and teaches you to live the moment. In case you decided to meditate while high, it also very helpful for your tolerance. It can enhance your high without the need to take another hit. The best type of meditation for this purpose is the breathing technique, which is basically will teach you how to breathe to maximize oxygen intake. Start filling your lungs from the bottom, fill your lungs to 100% capacity, hold for around 3 seconds, then slowly exhale. You can do it as long as you want.

Finally, Mango! We all have heard many myths about different methods stoners can use to lower their tolerance level and improve their high without taking a t-break.

Based on my personal observation, the only way that works for me so far is eating mango. Eat a mango (or two) 45 minutes before you smoke. Eating mangos could help especially if you don’t have much myrcene in your diet. Myrcene is a terpene that is believed to help the THC to interact with the Cannabinoid receptors in your brain faster, but I haven't found into any scientific studies prove that nor otherwise. All this is based on my and other stoners' personal experience. 

There's only one proven scientific method; consuming more Omega-3. The online magazine, Civilized, has reported that researchers found that a lack of Omega-3 fats in a person's body lowers the medical effects of cannabis. Without Omega-3 fats, the receptors in a person's brain that absorb the compounds (cannabinoids such as THC and CBD) in cannabis won’t function properly, therefore, a person won't receive the full effects from marijuana.

Although American diet is not high on Omega-3 (mainly Omega-6 fat),you can still get Omega-3 from many sources such as fish oil, flax seeds, ground up hemp seeds and more. Even if you weren't a Cannabis user and you don't care about your marijuana tolerance, which you probably not, increasing your Omega-3 intake is still a great idea to improve overall brain health.

Conclusion: don't abuse the herb

If you enjoy smoking weed and you don't want to quit, why would you abuse it and pin it on your "medical condition." It's like enjoying a vegeburger, and you decided to have it three times a day, 7 days a week, because you have to eat 3 meals a day and you just can't resist a vegeburger.

Here are my rules of thumb:

If you haven’t already abused the herb, then:

• You're not high all day long,.
• Weed doesn’t justify your shortcoming in social, intimate or professional life.
• You don’t feel that you can't "tolerate" your life sober.
• You feel that you still get good high when you smoke weed.

Stay toasty my friends.

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