Even for the most seasoned cannabis user, there is always something to be learned about the cannabis plant as she continues to reveal her complexities to us through science and discovery.
For the new cannabis user, however, cannabis may be intimidating if it’s never been used before, and deciding to start using cannabis can bring on nervousness for the first-time user.
At We’:), we strive to be a resource for the canna-curious and canna-connoisseur alike through thorough cannabis education, believing that all cannabis consumers have the best cannabis experience when they have been educated on the plant and its effects.
If you’re new to cannabis, or perhaps looking to gain a better understanding of cannabis, these three core educational principles will bring you up to speed.
The Endocannabinoid System is the root to understanding how cannabis interacts with the body. The Endocannabinoid System, or ECS, exists in all mammals and is the key regulator to maintaining the health of all bodily systems.
The Endocannabinoid System is one of the most misunderstood, or even looked over bodily systems in medical science, yet provides to be the key to the lock for health, balance, and homeostasis.
The ECS contains cannabinoid receptors that act as “master conductors” of both the endocannabinoids that already exist in our body, and the phytocannabinoids that are introduced to our bodies via cannabis.
CB1 receptors are found in the brain and nervous system, and CB2 receptors are found throughout the immune system and related organs. When you add cannabis to your body, the ECS delivers cannabis to the parts of the body that need it most, as cannabis is an intuitive plant.
While at We’:), we cannot talk about the medicinal benefits of cannabis, the Endocannabinoid System is crucial in understanding why cannabis makes you feel a certain way, while being the system that is engaged when using cannabis for medical purposes. Even if one is consuming cannabis recreationally, the ECS is still functioning!
The Entourage Effect helps explain why cannabis is much more than just THC and CBD and the “high” that is produced by the former cannabinoid.
Discovered in the late-1990s, the Entourage Effect explains how parts of the cannabis working together in harmony are more effective than working on their own. It’s like teamwork for cannabis, where everyone raises each other up to get the best possible outcome.
The Entourage Effect is the synergistic interaction between cannabinoids, terpenes, fatty acids, and flavonoids to produce greater results than if they were working in isolation. This is why you’ll often see terpenes included on your cannabis label describing what the consumer can expect when combining certain terpenes with THC and CBD.
At We’:), we offer both isolates and full-spectrum products. When full-spectrum products are used, ALL plant content is preserved within the product, allowing the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and fatty acids to work together to produce their unique effects.
When Health Canada regulated cannabis, it was expected that products would be labeled by product type, such as sativa, sativa-dominant, hybrid, indica-dominant and indicas.
In cannabis culture, indica and sativa have been general labels placed on cannabis strains to describe their effects. It’s generally believed that indicas produce sedative, calming effects, while sativas are more uplifting and euphoric. Hybrids describe a general mix between the two. Indicas are usually great for night-time, while sativas are considered daytime options.
What if we told you that this labeling of cannabis is somewhat outdated, and doesn’t really do cannabis justice when describing its potential effects? It’s true. Generally classifying cannabis as indica, sativa, or hybrid is a bit old school.
Rather, getting to understand terpenes, The Endocannabinoid System, and The Entourage Effect will reveal more about what you can expect from consuming cannabis.
Terpenes give cannabis (and all plants) its taste, aroma, and effects. They are in the essential oils of all plants including cannabis. Think of the refreshing energizing feeling you get when you smell a citrus fruit; that’s limonene, a very common terpene in cannabis. If you’ve used lavender, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the calming effects of the terpene linalool.
Be sure to browse our website to learn more about terpenes and how they may affect the cannabis consumption experience.
Cannabis education is a critical part of the cannabis experience, and as We’:) sees it, a duty of retailers of cannabis to provide consumers.
While the term in itself is pretty self-explanatory, cannabis education is actually a complex body of knowledge and a formal practice that has been undertaken by professionals within the cannabis industry. Cannabis education takes on various forms, and is usually a mix between clinical knowledge (i.e. research studies), and empirical knowledge (i.e. people's stories and accounts).
Cannabis education involves the acknowledgement that people take in different information in different ways through different learning styles, which is why cannabis education programs will often use a mix of visual, aural, oral, tactile, and kinesthetic ways of communicating information. Cannabis education never takes for granted that people have a basic literacy of cannabis, often going “back to basics” to help explain important concepts around the plant and its applications.
At We’:) we understand education and we understand cannabis, which is why we are dedicated to keeping our website and store up-to-date with the latest resources on cannabis. Be sure to browse our website to get more in-depth information about the three principles we have covered here, so that you can have the best cannabis experience while being an informed consumer.
