As we age, certain things we did when we were younger we can no longer do (or should no longer do). However, it’s not easy giving up something you love. Take cannabis, for example. Many stoners love it and as they get older, they want to continue using it. But the question comes around: “how will this long-term use of cannabis affect me down the road?” Another one is “is it good for my health to continue using cannabis?” In some ways, yes; and in others, no. Is cannabis forever?
For most of us, using cannabis forever , or for the rest of our lives, can actually be quite beneficial to our health. After all, it is an all natural plant that has been used for thousands of years by humans and has never directly killed anyone. Also, for thousands of years cannabis has been used as a medicine for many treatments. Certain cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, are naturally found in the plant and offer many benefits to our health.
Related: THC vs. CBD (The Difference Explained)
On the other side of this, not all methods of using cannabis are good for one’s health. They be more exciting, but not the best for our bodies. This post will clear up whether you should use cannabis forever or not, and how you should use it if so.
Why You Should
As mentioned above, there are many reasons to why you would want to use cannabis until you pass away. For some, reasons are different from others. It can be for medical reasons (like most), it can be for recreational reasons (like many), or it can be for both!
Let’s start with THC, the main cannabinoid naturally found in cannabis that is responsible for getting the user high. While THC does offer psychoactive effects, it can even offer medical benefits. This does vary from strain to strain, however, and you should learn more about a strain before using it for awhile. Different levels of THC can be found from strain to strain: different effects, benefits, and so on.
Click Here To Learn More About Strains!
Anyways, your purpose for using THC can be for its medical benefits, or simply because it makes you feel good (a.k.a. gets you high). After all, you only live once, so if you like to get high then you like to get high. Enjoy it while you can!
On the flip side, THC can get you high and medicated. For example, it serves as a great pain reliever. From chronic pain to joint pain to headaches, THC helps fight it all. THC also works as a stress reliever by getting you high and relaxing your body. Forget the issue, just enjoy the moment!
Next, we have CBD. CBD is an excellent option for continued use. It also offers many health benefits, possibly much more than THC. Think of CBD for medical, and THC more for recreational. CBD is another major cannabinoid naturally found in cannabis, and can replace many pills and other medications as a safer alternative (but not all).
One great thing about CBD is the way it is consumed. The most common method is by dropping CBD oil under the tongue. CBD capsules, gummies, and even topicals are also available. CBD is typically not smoked, which is good due to the health risks of smoking. Many medical patients turn to CBD as a safe and healthy alternative to other medications.
Even with the upsides of using cannabis long-term, there are a few downsides. The main concern is how the cannabis is used. Not all methods are safe for our bodies, as we will discuss below.
Why You Should Not
Cannabis may have benefits for us and all, but a few ways in which stoners choose to use are not the best for one’s body. More specifically, certain methods of using cannabis are not good for the lungs (you may notice where this is going).
Smoking weed is not the healthiest way to use cannabis. Raw cannabis smoke contains many harmful chemical compounds, including ash, tar, and possibly traces of butane (if smoking a cannabis concentrate). Filtering the smoke through water before inhaling (typically through a bong) does remove most of these harmful compounds, but not 100% of them. Long-term use of cannabis via smoking can impose certain health risks to your lungs.
To Learn More About Smoke And Water Filtration, Click Here.
Vaping cannabis is very similar to smoking it. Vaping is different in the sense that you are not inhaling smoke, you are inhaling vapor. Vapor does not contain most of the harmful chemical compounds found in smoke. Even with this, vaping cannabis on a daily basis still may not be the best for your lungs. If you love smoking or vaping weed, however, ever once and awhile is fine (after all, you only live once anyway).
Long-term use of cannabis may also have some effects on the brain, as some scientific studies have shown. Especially for those who are younger, cannabis may affect creativity, cognitive functions, memory loss, and even appetite. In addition, recent studies have shown that cannabis does not kill brain cells (as a popular myth claims). Instead, cannabis may help regrow brain cells, an interesting point that needs more research.
Each of our bodies has an endocannabinoid system. In this system, cannabinoids are naturally produced at a very small scale. Whenever you become excited, certain cannabinoids have been released in your brain to give you a sense of good feelings. These same cannabinoids are naturally found in cannabis. So, our bodies already produce many of what cannabis produces naturally.
What this proves is that cannabis cannot be completely harmful to our bodies. Of course, other indicators point to this as well. For example, there has never been one recorded death from cannabis in all of human history. This is due to the fact that cannabinoids were made to enter and be consumed in our bodies. Sure, you do not want to overdo it, but with the right dosage you can use cannabis to improve your health.
Related: How To Microdose With Cannabis
Just like most things in life, cannabis has its goods and bads. If you wish to use cannabis forever, I suggest staying away from smoking it. Realize that there are better options, and that cannabis can still greatly benefit you.
Ways To Use Forever
Cannabis can be fitted into a daily routine and used forever. Don’t want to use daily? Create a weekly routine. If you only want to get high on the weekends, then do so. Some prefer to handle responsibilities sober, then get high on down time. For CBD, you can use that stuff everyday and it will benefit you greatly. In addition, it won’t get you high, so you can still get your sh*t done.
Click Here To Learn More About CBD In A Health Routine.
The best way to use cannabis long-term is by consuming it. Smoking or vaping can be done from time to time if desired, but on a daily basis may cause harm to your lungs. Stick to consuming cannabis, which alone allows for multiple options. You can consume cannabis capsules and take them as you would a vitamin in the morning (or night). You can use cannabis topicals such as balms and lotions, which can also help with moisturizing skin. Also, there is oil that can be dropped under the tongue. Then, of course, there’s edibles.
When it comes to edibles, the answer varies. Is eating edibles for the rest of your life considered healthy? Well, that depends. It all comes down to what type of edible you are eating. Is eating a Big Mac from Mcdonalds every day for the rest of your life considered healthy? Not at all, so don’t make a Big Mac edible. Make a healthy edible. You can make healthy smoothies, treats, jams, drinks, butters, and much more. The possibilities are endless. As long as you infuse the food or drink with cannabis, it’s an edible.
New to making edibles? Reefer Post has an entire collection of edible recipes, tricks, and how to get started. Check out some of our healthy edible recipes below:
- Cannabis-Infused Tea Recipe
- Cannabis Sugar-Free Lollipop Recipe
- Healthy Cannabis Smoothie Recipe
- Cannabis Avocado Shake Recipe
Many more recipes can be found by heading to the menu at the top of the page, then choosing Edibles under the Blog tab. Find some that you like, that way you can save them for later and make some tasty edibles!
Eating healthy edibles is a great way to use cannabis forever. A good thing about edibles is that you can make them out of pretty much any food or drink, allowing you to switch things up from time and time and not get bored with using cannabis (as you may with capsules). Of course, you may want to whip up a super unhealthy but super delicious brownie edible from time to time. It’s understandable, and perfectly acceptable. After all, we only live once, so let’s at least enjoy the time that’s left.
That’s all for this post. Hopefully you found something useful or interesting from it. If you still have any questions, or something is not clear, feel free to leave a comment below, contact me on the Contact Page, or simply search for what you are wondering about in the search bar. Thanks for reading! And remember, cannabis forever.
