Psychedelics or Cannabis?

Oftentimes, we are left to choose between one or the other. Either psychedelics, or cannabis, depending on the high that you get. Getting high is definitely pertaining to both, and many people associate cannabis with deviant activities, but the restrictions have since changed, with many people using both of these to help with different concerns that are there. 

From Gateway Drug to Medication Therapy for the future 

This is becoming more and more of a therapy, and those who use psychedelics are doing it less to get high, but also to help with the treatment of various mood disorders. Some people see either cannabis, psychedelics, or sometimes to manage their moods. Our brains do use the psychoactive substances, which interrupts the function of these neurotransmitters. These pathways help with communicating, processing, and regulating the signals used to improve the brain and bodily function. 

Cannabis does have different cannabinoids which are used to treat the receptors in the body and brain, activating, modulating, or stimulating this. While the addiction center does get altered b both weed and psychedelics, they are stimulated much more by more specific types of addictive substances, and this can alter and change the functions within your body. 

That is why too long of use of any of these substances can actually create major issues with the body, while also creating more susceptibility to the compulsion and addiction of this. 

Cannabis on neuroplasticity 

Right now, there are very few studies that show this, but it does have an effect that’s neurogenesis, which means more new brain cells, and it’s short-lasting in most cases. Some people do confuse the cannabis you have for a psychedelic, but it is a bit misclassified, since it can help with the dark moods, those thoughts that are depressing, and other mood issues. Marijuana could be a good way to help with mental health concerns, especially PTSD, as the symptoms of this do get improved with the proper treatment of THC and CBD compounds, especially when compared to smaller amounts as well. 

What about psychedelics 

Psychedelics can actually help with mood disorders too, as they can improve the neuroplasticity, improve cognitive functions, and alleviate anxiety and depression. The moderation of this does play a role in this. 

Psychiatrics have a good, restorative benefit to the brain, offering new, enhanced pathways to regulate the processing and the communication. Because of the effects of this, currently, there is some people wo are looking to use this. It can possibly be a way to help offer a promising potential. 

From Addiction to Pleasure 

Both psychedelics and cannabis do disrupt your pleasure and reward systems, as they can make you feel good. The higher the dopamine amounts are, the stronger the addiction can be. Dopamine being the main neurotransmitter is something that can actually help with recollection, memory, and enhance the behavioral issues. 

However, larger influences of the dopamine can rewire your brain, and you may look for the chemical instead of perceiving the life that you have. That’s why it’s important that, if you do decide to utilize this to help with the substance addiction, you create simple, coping skills with this. There is a risk of addiction, but it’s important to make sure that you don’t use this just to alter your moods. 

There is a chance that it can help with this, but for the best results, and getting the results that you want with this, you should consult a medical professional before you do this, as psychedelics can be quickly addictive if you’re not careful, and that does lead to trouble for some users down the line.

Does Using Marijuana Prohibit you from Donating Blood

One of the biggest things that occur when using cannabis, is that it can affect certain things. One of those things is blood donation. When you donate blood, you may wonder if you can donate it.  While we don’t really know if the blood is different, currently, you’re allowed to donate blood so long as you’re not high when donating.

Cannabis when Donating Blood 

Right now, the US needs platelets or blood once every couple of seconds, and 117 million need blood all over the world every single year.  Donating blood is integral to saving lives, which is why if you smoke marijuana, you can still donate blood. 

Currently, the red cross will not test blood donations for any presence involving THC. Right now, they also do not believe cannabis consumption will cause an issue with blood donation, so long as you’re able to comprehend and don’t have a memory that's impaired. Even those who use a lot of THC and concentrates can still dive out blood, so long as they’re not actually high during the process. This also applies to people who use synthetic weed.

There is also no data that says how long a person needs to wait between donations. This is because cannabis is fast, and it usually peaks around 15 minutes after consumption for most people. After a few hours, the compound will leave the bloodstream, which is why they never stop you from donating blood even if you do use a toke. 

What about plasma 

Another thing that people wonder is blood plasma, which makes up over half of the volume of blood, and is vital for blood volume, blood pressure, and the pH of blood. 

One thing that can happen is that if you don’t have the plasma proteins, then you’ll have issues with immunity. This is valuable to various health treatments, especially trauma, cancer, and if you have disorders involving the liver or clotting, and the donations are super important. 

They need around 10,000 plasma units on the daily, and transfusions tend to be lifesaving. Those who use both CBD and cannabis are allowed to donate the plasma that’s there, and it offers the same freedom that blood normally does, and the only rule is you should not show up high.

What disqualifies you then? 

What disqualifies you from this?  Well, you should minimally be about 110 pounds, and if you’re an adult, you must weigh over 130 pounds, or sometimes more. The donors also must not have viruses that are spread via the blood, so as long as you don’t have HIV or AIDS, you’re good to go.

Some cancers and sometimes a history of those may also stop you from donating blood. You also cannot donate blood if you’ve had a transfusion within a few months. You also cannot donate blood if you’re nursing or are currently pregnant. Finally, you also must not have iron that’s low, ill, or are on antibiotics. 

There might be other qualifications that may need to also be in place. The best way to figure it out is to go in, talk to the people there and figure it out. But the good thing about this, is that while cannabis is something that may disqualify you from other things, donating blood is certainly not one of them. So go ahead, if you've been interested in donating blood but like to use the herb, go on ahead. They may ask you, but if you’re honest, and so long as you’re not high, you’ll be good to go, and be able to donate blood.

Can you Dip Weed

Dipping is something you do with tobacco, but does it work for weed? Yep, it does. This is actually something that people are using as a different way to utilize these chews. They’re usually made with plant fibers though such as coco coir and the like. While there are commercial products, don’t chew flour that’s not decarbed, since it’s not going to taste that good. 

Dipping Weed 

This is something that’s become more and more prevalent, as commercial types of cannabis is something that’s becoming popular, but dipping is not the most common way to use it. Some people like to dip weed though because it’s great for reducing the cravings for tobacco. 

This works the same way that chewing tobacco does, where it sits between where the cheek and the gums are. Depending on your needs, you can hold it and chew it for up to an hour most of the time. However, if you’re just going to randomly grab a bud and chew on it, it’s not going to actually work. There are a few reasons for this, which include: 

• Those dips that are available usually have coco coir or another substrate, and they isolate the THC and CBD. They don't have just plant material in this. 

• It also is going to be decarbed commercially.  If you want to feel the effects with dipped weed, you must heat it up, in order to change the acids to the compounds that you normally have.

• It’s also not that effective. You’re not getting a ton of CBD and THC. This usually has a lot of THC to make it effective, so it’s going to cost a bit more than say if you vaped or smoked the flower 

Raw cannabis isn’t effective when you dip it, but more than that, it also contains some bacteria such as E.coli, which can kill you.  During the heating process,. This is killed, but if you ingest this as a raw flower, it’s going to be a bit harmful for you. This is something that's a major safety concern for those that like to use products that aren't supposed to be dipped.

Some of the companies that are building this utilize manufacturing to create complex forms of extractions in order to get the desired results from this. 

Can you get high 

It depends on the type of dip that you’re deciding to use.

There is a CBD dip, but that won't get you high.

Usually, the THC ones are basically going to get you high because that’s the purpose of them.

THC dips are like edibles, as this will basically do into your saliva, hit the bloodstream and liver and then create the other compounds. It might create a much bigger, more delayed type of reaction compared to those that like to vape or smoke weed. 

How to use this 

This is something that’s usually found in some pouches, where you let it sit in your mouth, and the cannabinoids slowly get  released. There are others that are actually chewed like chewing forms of tobacco. It’s not recommended that you make your own ever due to the harm from this.This is a great alternative for those who want a smokeless type of cannabis product, and some like the way that it sits. For those who are trying to quit tobacco, they’ve found relief, as it’s a good alternative.

It’s not the ideal way to consume cannabis and shouldn’t be used unless you decide to use it, but definitely look at the possibilities of using this as well.

Three Major Cannabis Misconceptions

Cannabis usage has actually been quite a longstanding sort of negative activity, but it’s not totally deserved. There is a lot of misinformation, and prior campaigns which are responsible for making cannabis seem like the bad guy. However, in the last couple of decades, we’ve made a lot of strides in cannabis legalization, with CBD and marijuana both being more and more legalized in places. Here are the most common myths that cannabis still deals with today, and what you can do to prevent any problems with the usage of this. 

You can Overdose on cannabis 

You can’t. There is a chance that you may get too high, and you may feel anxious, paranoid, confused, or totally sedated. You also may deal with nausea too if you’ve got a stomach upset, but these usually PSs within a day or so., This is rare too, and unless you’ve been taking drugs that elevate heart rate and blood pressure, you won’t’ have to worry about that. 

However, you should always make sure that you get the right products that offer the correct dosage. This is especially true for edibles, as it takes longer to metabolize, and there is a chance you can take far too much. 

You can Get Addicted 

This is a bit hard, because technically, you can have a disordered usage of cannabis, and this is officially in the DSM-5 as cannabis use disorder. This is definitely different from addiction though. It’s basically a problematic set of behaviors that happen for about 12 months at a time. 

It involves usually the following: 

• You’re taking larger and larger numbers of this 

• You’re not cutting down, nor do you wnat to cut down on the usage of cannabis 

• You spend most of your time getting and using cannabis, and then spending most of the time recovering from this 

• You crave the usage of this. 

• You continually use this, and it results in many times, failing to do actual stuff 

• You continually use it despite the problems that’s been created through the usage of cannabis. 

• You’re using it in a way tha’ts hazardous. 

• You’re continually using it because of the psychological issues you have 

• You’ve created a high tolerance 

• You experience withdrawal symptoms 

This is something that can develop, but it is only in extreme usage, and it is something that won’t happen if you use it in a moderate, healthy manner. If used correctly, it will improve the healing that you have within your life. 

It’s a Gateway Drug 

This is another popular one, where people think if you’re going to use cannabis, you’re gin to reach for heroin and cocaine next. The answer to that is no, you probably won’t. Most people who use cannabis usually don’t’ reach for these. 

A good thing to keep in mind is that the correlation of this doesn’t always equal causation. Some people may take up illicit drugs because of other reasons, and they just happen to use cannabis at one time. For example, people can use nicotine and alcohol initially, then move to heroin and cocaine.  This isn’t considered a gateway drug, but instead these are not classified as such, even though this is definitely possible. 

Cannabis is starting to become more and more accepted in modern society. If you’re able to get the most that you can out of your cannabis usage, you’ll definitely benefit from this. These myths are quite common, but with the right education and understanding, you’ll be able to improve your cannabis experience in many regards.