XPost: alt.support.marijuana, alt.law-enforcement   
   From: a425couple@hotmail.com   
      
   Weed 101: How to Choose Marijuana   
    From cannabinoids to terpenes, a pot novice's journey to finding the   
   right strain   
      
   With so many choices, how's a new smoker to choose?   
   Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/Getty   
   By Jamie Peck   
      
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   I've never been great at smoking weed. While some lucky smokers can come   
   home, spark up a fatty and enjoy the benefits of ancient plant medicine,   
   there's always a chance I'll end up lying awake all night, heart   
   pounding, too out of it to even follow an episode of Bob's Burgers. When   
   someone offers me a joint at a party, I ask, "Is it strong?" then take   
   the smallest hit possible to gauge its effects. Even then, sometimes I   
   have to leave, because who knows what I've even been saying? My brain is   
   on a seven-second delay from my mouth, and I'm so thirsty and confused.   
      
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   Are there dispensaries on every block – or could smoking a joint land   
   you in jail?   
      
   While most people would've given up by now, I've had enough good times   
   to want to keep trying; the right kind of leaf renders me so chill you   
   could make ice in me. Plus, there are concrete benefits: Cannabis has   
   been shown to help with everything from insomnia to menstrual cramps to   
   the ambient, free-floating anxiety that afflicts everyone to some   
   degree. Unlike alcohol and pharmaceuticals, its downsides are slim, and   
   the people who like it really seem to get a lot out of it. And so, armed   
   with a renewed sense of purpose, I spoke with some experts about the   
   basic things to look out for when shopping for dank buds.   
      
   Most cannabis on the market, legal or otherwise, is indica, sativa, or   
   some hybrid of the two species. "Indica" is described colloquially as   
   "in da couch," as it's generally relaxing and soporific, while sativa   
   can be stimulating, creative and social. Hybrids combine qualities of   
   both in various ratios. "If you have trouble sleeping, you probably want   
   to smoke indica before you go to bed," says a New York marijuana   
   delivery guy we'll call Joe. "It's like when you feel high in your body   
   and want to lie down. Sativa is like an upper." On the numerous   
   varieties beyond that (Purple Haze, Green Crack, etc.), he posits, "I   
   think it's the same phenomenon of people who are into like, microbrew,   
   or IPA, or something. I don't care too much about what kind of weed I   
   smoke. But for someone with more specific needs, maybe it's good." When   
   pressed on his favorite strain of the moment, he offers a hybrid called   
   "Black Cherry Soda": "Sleepy, but not too sleepy…tastes good, gets you   
   high." About as detailed a promise as one can hope for in a state where   
   weed is mostly illegal.   
      
   Of course, in states where cannabis is less restricted, you can visit a   
   naturopath and registered master herbalist like Dr. Lakisha Jenkins, who   
   splits her time between Pleasanton, California and Kingston, Jamaica,   
   and get a blend tailored to your precise needs. She says the different   
   "strain" names aren't majorly helpful because they're not specific   
   enough. "So many things can alter the chemical composition or the   
   phenotype of plants," she says. "What I like to focus on more is the   
   cannabinoid and terpene profile."   
      
   At least 113 different chemical compounds called cannabinoids have been   
   isolated from the cannabis plant, the most well known being THC, the   
   main chemical that gets you high, and CBD, which is not considered   
   psychoactive but is becoming increasingly popular. It's the amount of   
   each, along with the ratio of the two, that determines how high you're   
   going to get. Using something called a cannabinoid wheel, specialists   
   find the optimal cannabinoid profile to get your endocannabinoid system   
   into balance. A good doctor will take into account your mental and   
   physical health in a comprehensive way. For instance, if you have ADHD,   
   sativa and indica's effects are switched. (This would've been nice to know.)   
      
   But wait, what are "terpenes"? They're basically the essential oils of   
   the plant, and are mostly found in the tiny, mushroom-like crystals you   
   see in those sexy close-ups. According to Jenkins, these have medicinal   
   properties akin to aromatherapy, so it's smart to smell your weed before   
   you buy it. "You're inhaling it, almost like a vapor," she instructs,   
   "and when you do that, your body is signaling to you based on the   
   terpene profile that it would be a strain you would want, based on the   
   deficiency you're dealing with." In short: Follow your nose.   
      
   Dr. Wendy Zaharko MD, a medical marijuana specialist in Aspen, Colorado,   
   agrees on the importance of using the whole plant for maximum   
   effectiveness. "It's like the symphony," she says. "You need the   
   bassoon, the violin, the cello…they all fit together to create this   
   beautiful symphony that puts people to sleep, makes them happy,   
   etcetera." When Big Pharma isolates just one chemical into a pill, she   
   says, it throws off this balance. "If you put just THC into the body, it   
   has adverse side effects," she warns. "If you don't have these other   
   ingredients, you can you can get way too high, it doesn't do what it's   
   supposed to do, it just makes people nervous." You need the terpenes,   
   the CBD and the other cannabinoids to round out the effects of the THC.   
      
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   Speaking of getting too high, what's the best way to avoid pulling a   
   Maureen Dowd? "Start low and go slow," advises Dr. Zaharko. "For women,   
   5 mg is usually enough. You can vaporize, smoke, use tinctures, drops,   
   or edibles...it's hit and miss because we're all different. Once you've   
   found what works, stick with those strains." She recommends you "always   
   have a strain of CBD around" in case you need to "turn down" the THC   
   you've ingested. The chemicals in lemonade can also help. "It's kind of   
   an adventure in a way, and the beauty of the adventure is if you   
   overdose you will not die," she says. "All you need is a good friend to   
   say 'drink your lemonade.'" If you straight up don't like the feeling of   
   being high, CBD and terpenes can both be bought separately.   
      
      
   Unlike the other folks I spoke with, Zaharko thinks the various strains   
   are a decent guide to go by for more general types of use. For   
   relaxation and sleep, she recommends Hindu Kush (or any Kush, really)   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)