A person’s cannabis tolerance makes or breaks the overall marijuana experience. With the right amount of THC and CBD, a strain will make for a pleasant smoke with agreeable effects such as euphoria, relaxation, and soothing properties. Should a person not know their tolerance to cannabis, it could make for an unlikeable experience with unwanted side effects like dizziness and nausea. It all boils down to tolerance and finding the strain that fits your comfort zone. In this blog, we’ll explore how a person builds up cannabis tolerance and how a person loses one after a long period of not partaking.
How Quickly Do You Build Up a Cannabis Tolerance?
As with anything, the increase intolerance depends on how often you use it. If you drink beer every day, you’ll build up a tolerance faster than someone who only drinks on Friday or Saturday nights. The same goes for cannabis. We’re willing to guess that since you’re reading a cannabis blog right now, you’re probably a regular smoker. In that case, your tolerance can build up within a week—and you can lose it just as quickly. You may notice some changes in your behavior or thinking the first time you come back from taking a long cannabis break.
How Does Tolerance Impact My Behavior?
Cannabis is far less addictive than cigarettes (with the lack of nicotine), but that doesn’t mean you can’t form a habit, especially if you rely on it as your daily medicine. The absence of cannabis in a “cold turkey” fashion may make you feel…
- Irritable
- Anxious
- Stressed
- Sluggish
- Unmotivated
This is all relatively common, especially if you’re used to smoking every day and marijuana has become a staple in your morning or evening routine. We all know how relaxing it can be to kick up your feet at the end of a long day with a fat blunt. But alas, thanks to your busy schedule, maybe that wasn’t possible. Maybe your parents don’t allow marijuana in their house. Maybe you couldn’t travel with it. Maybe you visited a state where cannabis remains illegal.
What’s It Like to Smoke After a Long Break?
As every experience will vary slightly, I’ll share mine to put things into perspective. After three long weeks without cannabis, I found myself coughing every time I picked up the pipe. Maybe the weed inside was bad and dried out? Or maybe my lungs were just confused as hell. Three weeks is enough time to change any progress or tolerance that you’ve built up. Think about your fitness routine for one second.
Three weeks without running on a treadmill would definitely impact tolerance for cardio—you’d feel your heart beating out of your chest in minutes. Smoking cannabis is no different. Your lungs suddenly get the burst of smoke and don’t know what to do. Since your tolerance is down, you may get high on less cannabis than before. It may only take one or two inhales to get the desired experience. You can see how this could be a good thing. Now your cannabis stash will last longer and you won’t need a refill anytime soon.
Strains for a Low Cannabis Tolerance
Even with a lowered tolerance, there are still hundreds of strains you can choose from to get high without an overwhelming experience. You’ll want to pick a strain that’s relatively low on the THC scale. To build up your tolerance again, go with something easy, smooth, and relaxing. You’d also do well with a high-CBD strain, which we have plenty of on our site!
What If I “Green Out?”
A lower tolerance means you’re more susceptible to a cannabis “green out.” This is a slang term for smoking too much at once and then feeling some negative effects. During a “green out,” you may panic a little bit and feel anxious. Your palms may sweat, your eyes may become bloodshot, and you’ll be dying for a glass of water. This is all normal. The best thing to do to conquer the “green out” is to tap into your relaxation techniques. For some, this could be a hot bath, a walk outside with the dog, a favorite TV show, a cup of tea, and so on.
To sum up, it’s easy to both build and loses cannabis tolerance. Some say it’s actually better to have a lower tolerance because then your stash will last longer. But then again, you’re also more likely to experience a “green out” when you start consuming again after a long break. Re-build your cannabis tolerance at a slow and steady pace with the help of low-THC, high-CBD strains.
