Thoughts on how to start

[Max99]

Hi to everyone on this much-cooler-than-me forum,

 

I used to smoke the odd baccy/resin rollup in my twenties/thirties and always enjoyed the experience - also used to smoke it neat sucking on a pin-pricked coke tin which I preferred. I smoked regular baccy back then, too, but gave it up in my early thirties. Now in my fifties I'm having a shitty time with my health and am looking to find an occasional pick-me-up when life is busy serving me turdburgers. I get that life is probably pissing everyone off right now, but it's more my health issues that are fucking with my head. Three years ago I had a stent fitted and I currently take the usual meds to counter high cholesterol/bunged up arteries etc... In the last two years my digestive system started playing up and I wake up in the middle of the night with chest pains associated with silent reflux/hiatus hernia. I take PPIs for this, plus anti-acids, plus ginger root, plus probiotics, plus ... you name it.

So enough of the whining, everyones got problems, right? 

The upshot of my health issues means that alcohol and/or good food has become a vengeful indulgence. A couple of drinks or a tub of Ben & Jerry's, and I can forget about getting more than 2 hours restless sleep - and boy, the payback after! What I'm looking for is something to take the edge off before I go to bed but is also somewhat pleasurable. A replacement for alcohol and nice food that also helps me chill before bedtime.

I thought about a high CBD/Low THC cannabis solution and immediately found this forum and read all the heart-related threads. Great stuff and some useful opinions! It seems that smoking neat/edibles or vaping is best for someone with heart concerns. That's as far as I got. I'm so out of touch with the world of cannabis - you can probably tell by all my uncool references - that I don't know where to start, or even if I should. What I need your thoughts on - please - is:

What should I try - and in what form - for a relaxing/not too high, high? - don't want anything giving me heebie-jeebies or sending my heart palpitating into shutdown. 

Best way to ingest it given my health issues?

Do I grow it myself/use a website or what? Thirty years ago, it seemed so much easier - like everything does when you're young!

Any advice will be received with mountains of gratitude. I've got to get some peace back into my life and - even after a whole morning of online searching on Saturday - I'm still close to clueless.

 

[purepotstill]

Hi,

not a specialist, but vaping/edibles seems safer than smoking, even neat weed. Vaping will be easier to dose than edibles. Choosing the right vaporizer will help you microdosing so you won't get too high if you don't want to.

 

Maybe trying pure CBD first too, as it's legal (at least I think, I'm not a UK resident), and if it suits you, you won't have to grow it (though vaping your own is a great reward by itself), just buying it online. Hope you'll find a way to calm your pain mate. I'm pretty sure some way more experienced guys than me will come here to give you more valuable advices.

 

[Max99]

6 minutes ago, purepotstill said:

Hi,

not a specialist, but vaping/edibles seems safer than smoking, even neat weed. Vaping will be easier to dose than edibles. Choosing the right vaporizer will help you microdosing so you won't get too high if you don't want to.

 

Maybe trying pure CBD first too, as it's legal (at least I think, I'm not a UK resident), and if it suits you, you won't have to grow it (though vaping your own is a great reward by itself), just buying it online. Hope you'll find a way to calm your pain mate. I'm pretty sure some way more experienced guys than me will come here to give you more valuable advices.

 

Thanks for the quick response, Vegging Nicely, yeah, living in the dark ages here in the UK. My gut instinct is vaping as I want to build to the perfect level of relaxation and that could take a while or go horribly wrong with edibles. I think growing my own would be good but first need to try some to know type which is best for me. I did think about pure CBD but there seems mixed reviews as to its relaxation qualities. Thanks again.  

[Bayleaf]

If you are looking to replace alcohol then maybe go with THC over CBD for a nice high and stone. I would suggest indica for relaxation and sleep.

 

List of things to do in sequence:
Find a growing place indoors or a greenhouse for a summer outdoor crop.

Have a separate vegging area.

Choose Lights - talk to our man on this forum.

Fans - Intake and outtake fans

Medium - I think soil is easiest but what do i know

Photoperiod or autoflower? - It's easy to get going with autoflower (IMO) because you dont have to worry about light leaks. If you have a good tent then go photo.

Choose some seeds.

 

Go for it!

Learn from your mistakes

You may recoup your costs on your first grow!

 

Other advice is available - we are all stoned though, so talk slowly

 

 

[Bayleaf]

I still think you can't go wrong making a neat spliff or my preference is a neat bong. I have a very poorly liver and I cannot drink at all. Weed gives me no ill effects apart from the munchies. I've put on 1.5 stone during lockdown.

 

In my experience growing your own is easy and well worthwhile. I do autoflowers in soil in a small cupboard in my house. They veg for 21 days in a larder with no fans or anything just an airbrick, they don't care. Then they move into the flower cupboard. I start a plant every month and now I harvest an average of 3oz every month. It also means I am only ever growing three plants - one in veg and 2 in flower. I grow just indica.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Bayleaf

[Bayleaf]

I suppose you've tried Lansoprazole for the reflux,

[ratdog]

you really need to grow your own to know what you are getting tbh, i like a weed that doesn't blow my head off any more and something like nordle from cbd crew is a great plant

 

when/if making edibles i would weigh everything carefully so you know how much is in each mouthful, but also a great way, as it a neat grass joint.

[Max99]

3 minutes ago, Bayleaf said:

I suppose you've tried Lansoprazole for the reflux,

Thanks Bayleaf, sounds like good advice. I was on Lanzoprazole, also been on Omeprazole and currently on Pantoprazole but none make a difference. Swigging Gaviscon is the most effective. Home growing might be getting a bit ahead of myself at this point. Also, I live in a flat and so no garden and limited cupboard space. Got to say man, 1.5 st would not do my guts or heart any favours! Thanks again.

[Max99]

15 minutes ago, ratdog said:

you really need to grow your own to know what you are getting tbh, i like a weed that doesn't blow my head off any more and something like nordle from cbd crew is a great plant

 

when/if making edibles i would weigh everything carefully so you know how much is in each mouthful, but also a great way, as it a neat grass joint.

Hi ratdog, I agree. I'm after something chilling but nothing that will glue me to the couch. Figure I'll need to try a few before I get exactly what suits but have no idea how to do that. If I have to grow, I will. Wife says she'd prefer it if I used edibles so I don't stink the place out but I'm nervous about getting that dose right. Thanks for your help.

[ratdog]

Just now, Max99 said:

Hi ratdog, I agree. I'm after something chilling but nothing that will glue me to the couch. Figure I'll need to try a few before I get exactly what suits but have no idea how to do that. If I have to grow, I will. Wife says she'd prefer it if I used edibles so I don't stink the place out but I'm nervous about getting that dose right. Thanks for your help.

 

 

i seriously doubt you will get a dealer selling low thc stuff and being honest about it, unless you know someone well?

 

i have been growing nordle for several years now and it's perfect for me. as for dosing, a couple of grammes in a large bar of chocolate and just eat small pieces over time until you are happy with it.

 

if you are just going to eat it i would go for a regular strain as your tolerance will climb and a low thc one will run out quicker.

[Max99]

Just now, ratdog said:

 

 

i seriously doubt you will get a dealer selling low thc stuff and being honest about it, unless you know someone well?

 

i have been growing nordle for several years now and it's perfect for me. as for dosing, a couple of grammes in a large bar of chocolate and just eat small pieces over time until you are happy with it.

 

if you are just going to eat it i would go for a regular strain as your tolerance will climb and a low thc one will run out quicker.

Thanks ratdog, I'll put nordle down as 'one to try'. I don't suppose you notice how it affects your heartbeat? This might sound dumb too but do you just melt it and mix it then break into small pieces? How long until you feel the effect? I'm thinking given my guts I'll need to put it into something healthier like a sugar-free biscuit or some such obscenity? Thanks for the good info.

[ratdog]

1 hour ago, Max99 said:

Thanks ratdog, I'll put nordle down as 'one to try'. I don't suppose you notice how it affects your heartbeat? This might sound dumb too but do you just melt it and mix it then break into small pieces? How long until you feel the effect? I'm thinking given my guts I'll need to put it into something healthier like a sugar-free biscuit or some such obscenity? Thanks for the good info.

 

 

it probably deos affect the heart but i don't notice it if it does.

 

it's not dumb at all mate, i used to grind up the dried buds and melt some choccy and mix in while keeping it warm for 10-20 mins in a bowl in a pan or hot water and this should decarb it nicely. if you are going to make biscuits you could use some coconut fat/oil and make biscuits with that.

[Simple Jack]

Tinctures are worth having a look at.

 

I find edibles tend to be "all or nothing". They can take ages to kick in, and the effects last much longer than other methods. Also, the digestion process transforms some of the THC into 11-OH-THC, a substance about which little is known but is generally regarded as being "stronger" than THC.

 

Tinctures act a lot faster because much of the THC goes straight into the bloodstream. They are easier to titrate, and allow for a more controlled range of intensity. I find the high produced by tincture is very similar to the high produced by smoking (unlike vaping or edibles).

[Max99]

24 minutes ago, ratdog said:

 

 

it probably deos affect the heart but i don't notice it if it does.

 

it's not dumb at all mate, i used to grind up the dried buds and melt some choccy and mix in while keeping it warm for 10-20 mins in a bowl in a pan or hot water and this should decarb it nicely. if you are going to make biscuits you could use some coconut fat/oil and make biscuits with that.

Thanks ratdog, just got to find out which and where to get those buds. Quite the learning experience but looking forward to making progress.

[Max99]

24 minutes ago, Simple Jack said:

Tinctures are worth having a look at.

 

I find edibles tend to be "all or nothing". They can take ages to kick in, and the effects last much longer than other methods. Also, the digestion process transforms some of the THC into 11-OH-THC, a substance about which little is known but is generally regarded as being "stronger" than THC.

 

Tinctures act a lot faster because much of the THC goes straight into the bloodstream. They are easier to titrate, and allow for a more controlled range of intensity. I find the high produced by tincture is very similar to the high produced by smoking (unlike vaping or edibles).

Thanks Simple Jack, I just had to look up tincture. sound like a good way to manage dosage and speed of delivery. Might well give that a go. Just have to sort out getting hold of some suitable variety of bud to try it with. All ideas welcome. Thanks again.