I could use some advice from someone knowledgeable about the different pros and cons associated with smoking marijuana. I have a friend back home in Colorado who’s prone to asthma attacks whenever she drinks alcohol. She’s already fairly introverted, so half of the events she attends make her anxious, especially if other people are drinking around her.
I hate the idea of having her miss out on stuff just because of an unlucky coincidence. But she told me that a few days ago someone suggested she try weed to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, because she has asthma, smoking is obviously out of the question. That’s when he proposed edibles, which she hadn’t considered.
Things are obviously changing, and since cannabis is legal in Colorado), we thought it might be worthwhile researching for her. What should we have in mind?
This is another perfect example of why things are, in fact, changing. There’s a multitude of scenarios apart from the traditional caricature wherein an individual simply wants to achieve a psychoactive high. Fortunately, there’s a growing consensus in the medical community that medicinal cannabis can be used to successfully mitigate several anxiety disorders. Your roommate’s friend might still be skeptical about this because of the connotations associated with marijuana.
While her grievances and concerns are likely to be valid, it’s essential that she clearly understands the difference between THC and CBD. The former is what legalization opponents demonize for its mind-altering effects. The latter has only recently taken center stage for its wide array of medicinal benefits while simultaneously producing no mental impairment. In other words, it’s not like she’ll have to agree to preemptive rips from RooR bongs only to regret it later on.
You might also find it helpful to further explore these 23 other health benefits of medicinal cannabis. The list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s diverse enough to demonstrate a fundamental point: medicinal cannabis should be taken seriously. This should be especially important for your roommate’s friend, because there’s already a proven link between alcohol consumption and increased risk of asthma attacks. As a result, it’s possible she might never be able to drink alcohol safely.
The last thing to consider is an effective delivery method. Should you be able to convince her to try marijuana to address her social anxiety, the next step is ensuring she’s comfortable with how it’s consumed. Direct combustion and inhalation should be vetoed immediately to prevent inadvertently provoking an asthma attack.
The two most realistic alternatives are then vaporization and ingestion. Believe it or not, it’s significantly healthier to inhale vaporized marijuana. That being said, she could still be resistant to inhalation of any sort, which is totally understandable for someone with asthma. Ingesting edible products synthesized from cannabis is probably the most appealing. However, it’s critical to know that the effects are much more potent when eaten. Anyone resorting to edibles should, therefore, exercise great care when dosing.
“Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves.” -- Friedrich Nietzsche
