What To Consider When Dosing Cannabis Part 1

By Author: Sativa Bliss Canabis
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The wide range of medical conditions that can benefit from cannabis and the fact that everyone's physiology is different means that many people have no idea where to begin when it comes to dosing. People want to know how much THC to consume compared to CBD, which strain would be best for them, and whether or not their condition would improve with regular use (s).

The fact that patients are questioning treatment options shows that the concept of chemovariance is starting to sink in. Different cannabis strains (or, more accurately, varietals or cultivars) may contain different amounts of beneficial compounds, or different ratios of compounds, depending on the condition being treated. The entourage effect describes the synergistic relationship between the cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids present in the cannabis plant.

However, there is still a lot to learn about how to optimize the various chemicals in cannabis for certain applications. Age, sex, height, weight, lifestyle factors including diet & exercise, medication use, and the condition(s) being suffered from are just some of the other variables that ...
... must be taken into account. While more studies are needed, there are certain important factors a patient should think about when determining which profiles and strains (varieties) may be helpful to them, and this field is expanding rapidly.

What compels you to smoke pot? Have you been diagnosed with multiple diseases at once?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is just one condition that prompts patients to visit their doctors in search of cannabis-based treatments, and it's not uncommon for them to reveal their struggle with depression by the time the appointment is over. The medical cannabis industry isn't the only one plagued by this issue.

Anxiety and depression are two of the most frequently coexisting conditions. Multiple studies have found that individuals with major depressive disorder also experience anxiety.

From anecdotal evidence, we know that people with depression tend to prefer energizing cannabis strains, while people with anxiety tend to favor sedative ones. Anxious people, however, should probably keep their THC consumption to a minimum, as the substance can actually bring on anxiety in high doses.

Taking all of this into account, the anxious depressive will likely require the THC for mood elevation in order to combat depression, but be aware that too much THC may trigger anxiety. There appears to be a need to "balance" the THC with CBD and other cannabinoids.

Potential help for those who also suffer from depression and anxiety. Tinctures, edibles, or vape pens containing microdoses of THC (around 3 mg) can be used to provide fast relief. Another possibility is to look for Sativa/indica hybrids with the right ratio to treat both conditions.

We can apply the same line of reasoning to other co-occurring conditions, where microdosing a therapeutic level enables users to gradually find the dose where they are most comfortable. Potentially effective initial dosing might be 2.5 mg of cannabinoids combined.

An examination of cannabinoid profiles, strain names, and indica vs. sativa varieties

Here, the question, "What exactly makes a specific strain what it is?" becomes relevant. Remember the following as you attempt to simplify a challenging topic:

It is not helpful to ask, "What strain do I require for this condition?" without first measuring cannabinoid-terpenoid ratios. Similar-sounding strains may have vastly differing proportions, and the findings of laboratory tests are more reliable for predicting efficacy.

To briefly address the indica vs. sativa debate: while the titles of these two types of cannabis plants simply allude to their growing characteristics, we do detect some commonalities across their cannabinoid and terpene profiles. It is often true (though not always the case) that indicas from the Afghani region have higher CBD (and terpenes like myrcene) concentrations than sativas from the Equatorial regions. However, sativas grown in the tropics are typically richer in terpenes like terpinolene, limonene, and beta-caryophyllene than their indica counterparts. Both forms of cannabis include variable concentrations of the terpenes alpha- and beta-pinene. Ruderalis plants have consistently tested to have high concentrations of CBD.

Cannabis has been hybridized for decades, which means that plants of the same genotype can exhibit many phenotypes, each with its own profile of cannabinoids and terpenoids. The cannabinoids found in cannabis plants vary widely, yet some strains may have compounds that have surprising medical benefits. In case you forgot, the cannabis plant contains anywhere from a couple dozen to a couple hundred different cannabinoids and sub-cannabinoids, as well as terpenes and flavonoids.

The ratios expressed in a plant will vary depending on its growing conditions. Taking precise readings of all of them in a plant with a lot of variety is a formidable challenge. Different people will experience different effects from cannabis, thus you can't use its THC or THCA content as a sole indicator of its psychoactivity.

There appears to be little distinction between sativas and indicas, and the names of the strains themselves are often devoid of any real significance. Even the term "strain" is misleading when applied to cannabis because it is normally reserved for microorganisms rather than plants. "Cultivar" refers more accurately to the variations in cannabis that have been developed by various breeders. Each strain of cannabis has its own distinct chemotype, or profile of cannabinoids and terpenes.

Other research, however, has shown that there are discernible patterns among cannabis strains, and that the naming of strains by individual breeders correlates in some way with their terpene profile. CBD content and other cannabinoid profiles may vary among cannabis strains, with landrace strains (cannabis strains that have not been hybridized) possibly containing the most CBD. However, this is not an ironclad rule, and a cannabis plant's cannabinoid-terpene-flavonoid profile may be affected by the conditions under which it was grown (e.g., the amount of sunlight, the type of soil, the altitude, the humidity, etc.).

To restate, the optimal cannabinoid-terpenoid ratio and dosage will vary for each individual based on their specific condition. Some health and physiological similarities may exist between people, but everyone has a one-of-a-kind ECS, and the extent of the variation is unknown. Many factors, including age, height, weight, gender, diet, and level of activity, affect how cannabis makes one feel. The name of a product or variety of cannabis alone will not necessarily give you an indication of the sort of effect it has – only the ratio and combination of cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids will, and even then it will be highly individualized.

Do you also use any other drugs in conjunction with the cannabis?

CBD blocks the liver enzyme cytochrome P450, which is responsible for the metabolism of a wide variety of pharmaceutical medicines. More than half of all medications are processed by cytochrome P450 and related enzyme pathways. There is speculation that THC and CBN, like CBD, can desensitize cytochrome P450. Inhibiting these enzymes increases the potency and stability of these drugs. Evidence suggests that some medicines and treatments interact with medical cannabis more frequently than others:

Tramadol, oxycodone, and other opioids
Common benzodiazepines include alprazolam and carbamazepine.
Blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin
Some antidepressants, especially duloxetine (Cymbalta) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) including amitriptyline and doxepin
medications that block histamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Alcohol

Although cannabis may help people become less reliant on prescription treatments, this caution is warranted when using both together. For example, a person who is suffering from epilepsy may need to taper the quantity of AEDs they need to take, or someone suffering from chronic pain may be able to lessen or replace their prescription opioids.

Read on part 2 of this article to understand better about what to consider when dosing cannabis.