A Beginners guide to smoking hemp flower
By Psychreg
Smoking hemp is an ancient practice that is still enjoyed by many. At the same time, Hemp is nowhere near as popular as its psychoactive cousin (marijuana). As such, there are many people who are smoking hemp for the first time.
The benefits of CBD are becoming more widely known, and this has also contributed to a rise in hemp smokers. Let’s go over a few things that the beginner needs to know.
What are hemp flower buds?
As you would probably guess, this is just the flowering part of the plant. Marijuana smokers usually refer to these as ‘buds’, which makes some sense because they do not look like most other flowers. When harvested, trimmed, and dried, they resemble dense little nuggets of plant material. These can easily be broken up and placed in a paper, a pipe, or even a blunt if you are so inclined.
Dosing tips when you're smoking hemp flower
Dosing is not really much of a problem when it comes to smoking hemp. CBD content will vary from plant to plant, and that makes it hard to predict how much you need for medicinal purposes. On the bright side, you really don’t need to worry about overdosing here, so the smart thing is to smoke a little bit more than you actually require. One study indicates that high dosages of CBD are actually beneficial.
There is only one thing you really need to know here: the effects of CBD are unlikely to last more than 4–6 hours. Thus, if you want to get the full effect, you should smoke 2–3 times a day. As for dosage per session, we would recommend that you use an amount roughly equal to the amount of tobacco in a cigarette. If this proves to be insufficient, you can always add a little more, but do this in increments. Even if you can’t overdose, there is no sense in being wasteful.
Reasons why you should smoke hemp?
Because hemp is basically marijuana without the THC high, some people might ask: “Why smoke it at all?”.
Those people would be overlooking some very real and well-proven benefits. For starters, it has a pleasant taste and smell. Many people find it to be far less harsh and noxious than tobacco, making it a viable substitute for those who want to quit smoking. Because CBD has been shown to be helpful in this department, the effect is two-fold.
Hemp smoking is also a good way to control anxiety and minor pain. It has a relaxing effect that is similar to marijuana but without the intense high that some people find undesirable. More to the point, you don’t have to worry about being thrown in jail for this stuff. Clinical trials have shown that CBD can be very useful in the treatment of anxiety problems.
You might have heard about CBD being used as a treatment for cancer. Although there is some truth in this common belief, it isn’t quite that simple. The drugs that are used in chemotherapy (the most common treatment for cancer) tend to cause a lot of nausea and vomiting. This makes it very hard for the patient to eat. In this situation, CBD is the perfect remedy because it alleviates nausea while stimulating the appetite. Even if you don’t have cancer, hemp can be a great way to deal with any nausea issues that you might have.
Some misconceptions about smoking hemp flower
There are many misconceptions regarding the differences between hemp and marijuana. This confusion is understandable because they are technically the same plant. It’s just that some strains have been cultivated for their psychoactive effects while others have been cultivated for fibres. The latter, which is usually called ‘industrial hemp’, would not be very good to smoke. It would be harsh, difficult to burn, and would probably give you a headache.
Smokable hemp is selectively cultivated for its CBD content. By law, it cannot contain more than *0.3% THC, or else it is legally classified as marijuana. These strains are similar to those developed for recreational marijuana, but most of the psychoactive ingredient has been removed. Thus, it doesn’t get you high but is still pleasant to smoke. Make sure that you're smoking hemp that does not contain any little bits of the leaf. Even marijuana will give you a headache if you smoke too much of the leaf…you only want the flowers!
Conclusion
You don’t have to worry about overdosing, it won’t affect your ability to drive, and it won’t offend those around you with a noxious, choking smell like tobacco often does. You just break it up, roll it up, light it up, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits. And if your friends are curious about it, you can share it with them as well without having to worry about them getting addicted to this stuff. Because CBD has been known to not be addictive. Nicotine on the other hand, is an addiction beast. Most people can’t even go a day without smoking a cigarette.
*Note from KushKush: This article was published in the US so the limits described above are relevant to that market. In South Africa notice R586 of the Medicines Act clearly casts hemp as cannabis with a THC concentration ceiling of 0.2%. However, for consumption purposes the limit is 0.001%.
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