Weed FAQs

The safety benefit of vaping is the inhalation of water vapor rather than actual smoke, which poses a bigger threat to one’s respiratory system. Vaping is also safer from a detection standpoint as a user will not smell like an illegal substance. Still, vaping has some unsafe components. When heated to high temperatures, the solutions in a vaporizer can emit propylene glycol, which converts into tiny polymers that can do great damage to lung tissue.

Cannabis was first discovered in Taiwan (8,000 BC) where hemp was used to make pottery. The first signs of recreational use of Marijuana can be traced back to the Middle East, where a Persian religious text referred to it as a “good narcotic” in around 600 BC. Cannabis’ medicinal roots in North America can be traced back to the USA where it was sold as a medicinal drug from 1850-1914.

Smoking weed can increase the user’s heart rate, according to the United Sates National Institute on Drug Abuse. This side effect may make heart attacks and strokes more likely for weed smokers. People with pre-existing heart problems and older people might be at a higher risk of complications from an increased heart rate. The heart rate increase can last for up to three hours after smoking weed.

Yes. You can get a hangover from weed, although it’s root cause and effects may not be what you envision. Traditional hangovers have been linked to the over consumption of alcohol, and their manifested symptoms include headaches, nausea and general sluggishness.  A marijuana hangover can also occur when a user exceeds their recommended dosage and will have similar symptoms, however the causation and severity of the aftereffects greatly differ.

THC rich cannabis can be a very effective sleep inducer and also has the ability to cure sleep apnea. Strains high in CBD, however, have the opposite effect of making one feel energetic. The downsides of cannabis as a sleep aid are its capacity to interfere with REM sleep and the hangover users can feel the next morning, leaving them lethargic and unmotivated. Starting marijuana too early in life can also result in long-term sleep difficulties.

Hotboxing is an activity where a user(s) smokes cannabis in an enclosed and unventilated space like a closet, car, shed, or blanket fort. A study at Johns Hopkins confirmed that smoking in this fashion can get users far more intoxicated.  They achieved this by placing non-smokers in the same environment as those who were inhaling the smoke first hand, then measuring the effects that the second hand smoke had on the non-smoking participants.  Some refer to this as a contact high.

Cannabinoids work by binding to specialized receptors in the brain and other parts of the body.  This binding causes neurons to release different amounts of chemicals, such as dopamine.  Cannabinoid receptors are concentrated in parts of the brain that deal with short-term memory, coordination, appetite, and mood.  Some cannabinoid receptors are also found in the immune system, which may be how marijuana helps regulate pain and inflammation.

By increasing endocannabinoid function, sativa strains of marijuana can be effective at treating depression. Researchers at McGill University discovered that when administered in small doses, THC can be effective at alleviating some of the root causes of depression, such as stress, by increasing serotonin levels. Conversely, in large doses, or when given to adolescents, cannabis can actually cause or worsen symptoms.

The Green Party of Canada strongly supports the notion that marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed. In combination with implementing a marijuana awareness program, the Green Party believes that legalization would lead to a decrease in organized crime associated with marijuana, keep it out of the hands of youth, and better protect the health, public safety and promising futures of Canadians.

If you are new to medical marijuana, you must follow the the Government of Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) in order to legally obtain and possess medical marijuana. According to ACMPR, physicians have primary responsibility for the decision to authorize patient use of marijuana for medical purposes. They will assess your eligibility by reviewing your medical conditions and symptoms.

When you eat weed, it gets metabolized in your digestive system to produce a different kind of THC than when you smoke.  The gut and liver form a product called 11-Hydroxy-Delta-9-THC, which then gets circulated in your bloodstream to your brain to take effect.  It takes longer to get high when you eat weed, but it can offer a longer-lasting and more intense body high than smoking.

CAMH considers marijuana an addictive substance. Users who start below the age of eighteen are four to seven times more likely to form dependencies. Compared to other drugs like opiates, alcohol and tobacco, the dependency rate of marijuana users is lower and withdrawal symptoms are much less severe. For those who are addicted, rehabilitation methods include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Marijuana Rehab Centers.

While cannabis infused edibles neither cause nor contribute to chronic or acute liver disease, studies suggesting edibles as a viable option for gastrointestinal or liver rehabilitation therapy are largely anecdotal. Until such a time as further comprehensive academic studies are conducted regarding the usage of cannabis in this way, it is widely acknowledged that moderate utilization of cannabis-infused edibles is entirely safe for the biliary and gastrointestinal tract.

Marijuana plants have different appearances mainly based on their status as Sativa, Indica or Ruderalis plants. Sativa plants are taller, produce fewer flowers and are more often grown outdoors, where they can reach heights of twenty feet. Indica plants are best grown indoors and are shorter and bushier in appearance. Ruderalis plants have varied leaflets, shorter stature and are small in size.

The idea that Marijuana kills brain cells is unfounded, and dates back to popular anti-drug campaigns of the 70’s and 80’s. Rather, the photo-cannabinoids in cannabis are shown to interact positively with CB1 receptors in the brain’s endocannabinoid system. This has benefits for seizures, Alzheimer’s and cell regeneration. A study done on animals shows that both THC and CBD promote the formation of new healthy cells in the adult brain.

An Ontario driver found to be driving under the influence of Marijuana can be hit with temporary license suspensions and a $180 re-instatement fee. Penalties increase for repeat offences from three days for a first offence to ninety days for a third. Having said this, it is much more difficult to test and prove that a driver is under the influence of marijuana. Only a handful of Officers are capable and the training is $17,000.

Sometimes discretion is needed when indulging in cannabis, which is known for having a very distinct smell. Dabs are one option to get high more discreetly. Dabs still smell like weed, but they do not smell as strongly as smoke from a joint. For best results, be sure that all the vapour from the dab goes out the window or — less ideally — into a vent.

Not in any direct way. The global statistic for marijuana deaths is consistently zero. Marijuana can, however, lead to death indirectly by driving while intoxicated, committing suicide as a result of marijuana induced depression, developing fatal heart conditions like cardiac arrhythmia and cannabis arteritis.

The term vaping is short for vaporizing or vaporizer. It is a process of heating up dry cannabis or cannabis concentrates to a temperature that is below the combustion threshold. Vaporizers do not produce smoke, but instead, release cannabis’s active ingredients (THC and CBD) as an aerosol. Inhaling smoke can expose you to harmful toxins and cancer causing substances. While vaporizers do mitigate this, harms from its use still exist.

Indica is a strain of the marijuana plant. It is known for being more relaxing and physically sedating than the other parent strains; sativa and hybrid. Scientists do not know exactly what causes the difference between their effects. Indica and sativa strands have a different structure and different resin production. Indica is shorter and bushier than sativa. Indica also tends to affect the entire body, as opposed to just the brain.

Weed usually takes two to three hours to wear off when it is smoked. If you eat an edible, the effects will last much longer, typically from four to six hours. THC stays in a person’s system for several days or weeks after the user stops feeling the effects — that means that people can test positively for marijuana use even if they don’t feel high.

Marijuana has been used to treat depression since the 17th century where it first began in England and India. While THC has been shown to improve mood in low doses on a short-term basis, long-term consumption of higher doses can cause depression. This is particularly true among teens who are at far higher risk of suffering marijuana related depression than their adult counterparts. Symptoms can follow them into adulthood even long after they’ve stopped using the drug.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana. A task force has been assembled and new legislation is expected to be unveiled in 2017. Prime Minister Trudeau believes that the current, prohibitive system does not stop people from using the drug—it does, however, weigh down the criminal justice system, give Canadians criminal records for minor, non-violent offences, and fund organised crime.

Weed should feel at least a little bit sticky when you try to break it up. The stickiness comes from cannabis resin, an adhesive substance produced by glands on the cannabis plant. Resin contains many cannabinoids, medicinal chemicals that can interact with the nervous system, which means that the amount of resin (or how sticky the herb is) is a good indicator of how potent the weed will be.

Ocular redness subsequent to marijuana usage, whether through inhalation or ingestion, is a common occurrence for most infrequent and frequent individuals with exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The severity of ‘red eye,’ as it is colloquially referred, is invariably dependent upon not only the quantity of cannabis absorbed but also the quality/potency – the more elevated the THC content within the strain, the more likely the user is to exhibit redness.

At present, research reveals that there is no link between smoking weed and lung cancer. While pot is usually compared to tobacco smoke, or considered even more harmful, studies have revealed that this comparison is a false.

Dabbing refers to the consumption of highly concentrated doses of cannabis called dabs. Dabs are sticky oils made from extracting THC and other chemicals from cannabis using solvents like carbon dioxide or butane. Dabs can also be called butane hash oil, budder, wax, or shatter. Dabbing is considered the fastest way to achieve a very potent high, but it has been the centre of controversy because of dangerous production methods.