cannabis e trip

Best Cannabis Vacations: 7 Unique Adventures for Cannabis Enthusiasts

CANNABIS TOURISM: 420-FRIENDLY VACATION IDEAS

According to Forbes , 29 percent of all active leisure travelers (and 18 percent of all Americans) are interested in cannabis-related activities while on vacation. 

It should come at no surprise that cannabis tourism continues to be on the rise due to more states legalizing adult use or recreational cannabis . 

In adult-use states like Massachusetts, entrepreneurs have stepped up to offer elevated experiences like cannabis infused fine dining, bud and breakfasts, and cannabis friendly bus tours that take you behind the scenes and give you a closer look at the industry. 

Whether you want a 420 friendly hotel, a culinary experience, or a cannabis-friendly activity to add to your calendar, we’ve collected six options that cater to cannabis enthusiasts of all interests.  

1. ALL INCLUSIVE 420 VACATIONS

Sometimes planning a vacation can feel like a full-time job. Leave the details to the experts in Denver at My 420 Tours to lock down your accommodations and activities for you. Creating a stress-free cannabis-focused trip with little effort and high reward.

From staying in a 420-friendly hotel downtown and being greeted with a gift bag to round-trip airport transportation and a cannabis-infused massage – it’ll be hard to not extend your trip. 

Those who book an all inclusive package with My 420 Tours will also get to choose from a selection of experiences, including Sushi & Joint Rolling Classes, Greenhouse Grow Tours, Chronic & Cocktails Experiences, and more to elevate their stay. 

2. BUD AND BREAKFAST

Whether you’re looking for a place to post up on your next international vacation or planning a staycation around your favorite herbal refreshment, Bud and Breakfast is the ultimate source for finding flower friendly accommodations in the most weed friendly cities in the world.

From boutique hotels and inns to home rentals and actual bed and breakfasts, there are locations spanning the globe that all promise a more elevated experience. Going beyond the usual hostel or campground to offer 420-friendly stays that are both comfortable and memorable. 

Whether you’re looking for a treehouse in Colorado Springs or even a stunning villa in Jamaica – Bud and Breakfast has you covered with the best cannabis friendly hotels.  

3. FIRST-EVER CANNABIS FRIENDLY ART CLASSES

Looking to experience something a little different while exploring a new city? Let the instructors at Puff, Pass, & Paint guide your vacation crew through a 420-friendly painting class where you are encouraged to light up and lean into your artistic instincts. 

All attendees are provided with 1.5 hours of instruction, an 11” x 14” canvas, painting supplies, and tablecloths to keep your space tidy while you create your masterpiece. Just be sure to BYOB (Bring Your Own Bud).

Classes are available in multiple destinations, including Orlando, FL and Brooklyn, NY, and private parties can be amplified with add-ons like karaoke, party bus transportation, and cannabis-infused catering. 

4. PRIVATE PARTIES WITH CHEF NICK E. AND THE KITHCEN

From private parties and events to “Hot Box” meal kits and cooking clinics, The Kithcen is here to approach cannabis gastronomy from the perspective of plant medicine and sustainability. 

Led by Boston, MA local, Chef Nick E., The Kithcen sources ingredients for their programming regionally and focuses on seasonality to ensure your experience is unforgettable. 

Whether you’re planning a birthday party, upscale 420 celebration, or intimate anniversary dinner — a personalized family style or multi-course meal from the Kithcen will surely delight everyone in attendance. 

5. CANNABIS INFUSED FINE DINING 

If you’re heading to New England this year, consider booking a private cannabis-infused dinner with Eat Sacrilicious . The dinner series offers private fine dining experiences with five to eight courses, each featuring ingredients like cannabis oils and butters that enhance the effect of the meal. Meals are served in intimate settings around the Boston-area and may feature guest chefs, such as Top Chef finalist Joe Sasto.

Each dish is themed to complement the flavor structure of the cultivar, making each bite mouthwateringly delicious. And throughout the meal, the hosts share information on what is being consumed at your culinary cannabis experience. 

6. ULTIMATE CANNABIS GROW FACILITY TOUR

This 5-hour luxury cannabis tour in the San Diego area takes visitors to a cultivation facility, a manufacturing laboratory, and local dispensaries. Visitors can enjoy their own cannabis on the bus, as well as, free water and snacks throughout the day. These cannabis tours also include trivia and games with a chance to win prizes.

Throughout the tour, attendees will get to learn about the life cycle of the cannabis plant, from seed to sale, getting up-close-and-personal with more than 20,000 cannabis plants. Smoking and cannabis consumption is allowed on the bus, which is considered a private location, so all local laws are followed.

7. CULTIVAR AND DRINK PAIRINGS

Puff Puff Pour is a 2-hour event in Oregon where attendees get to sample either three unique cultivars or single cultivars from three farms, along with beverage pairings. 

Sample cannabis along with microbrew beers, wines and ciders, small batch spirits, cold brew coffee, drinking vinegars, kombuchas, and fruit or vegetable beverages. Guests are guided through the tasting by a trained budtender and are able to follow along with a printed guide.

Each event is free to attendees 21 and older and is held in a licensed venue. Free transportation home is provided to anyone who requests it. 

BOOK A 420-FRIENDLY VACATION

With cannabis tourism booming, you can now build an itinerary around activities that you enjoy. Keep in mind that laws vary from state to state, so be sure to familiarize yourself with local regulations prior to traveling, especially if you choose to travel with cannabis . 

Our Happy Valley Hosts can suggest cannabis-friendly things to do in the Boston area , and they are willing to answer any questions that you have about cannabis in general. Additionally, if you’re traveling to Boston, be sure to visit our East Boston dispensary , located one mile north of the Boston Logan International Airport.

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Can You Trip on Weed?

Written by Fraser Horton

Medically Reviewed by Jason Crawford

Article Last Updated on December 25, 2022

While there haven’t been cases of cannabis overdoses, a lot of people have ended up in an emergency room as a result of increased cannabis use or combining weed with other drugs. Consuming higher doses of weed may also produce side effects such as the munchies, dry mouth, dry eyes, increased heart rate, effects on your mental health (triggering paranoia or schizophrenia in people who have a predisposition for it), and increased blood pressure – which is why first time users should take lower amounts.

This is why some users, besides having questions like how many hits does it take to get high and how to get the most out of your weed , also wonder whether smoking weed can get you tripping – which is the focus of this particular article.

So let’s get down to answering the question of how cannabis use can affect you, and whether it can make you trip.

The 411 on Bad Trips

As we’ve previously stated, consuming cannabis can cause a wide array of effects because of the presence of cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It can cause users to feel ecstatic and euphoric, but also relaxed and calm. However, smoking weed combined with other substances, going overboard with the edibles, or consuming more than you can tolerate can make you uncomfortable, anxious, and paranoid. But can it give you the effects of an acid trip?

Tripping is connected to the effects people get from consuming hallucinogens. They’re psychoactive drugs which change our perception and affect our senses. The most common ones include magic mushrooms, LSD, ecstasy, and other hallucinogens. 

When users come down from consuming psychedelics, they can experience a lot of different effects on their mental and spiritual well-being, especially when mixing weed with mushrooms, LSD, or MDMA.

Weed on its own can have hallucinogenic effects when consumed in high doses. However, pairing it with a psychedelic experience like an acid trip may affect your brain chemistry up to a point where you wouldn’t like the after-effects, so let’s figure out why people do this.

The Effects of Psychedelics

Tripping can be a positive or a negative experience, depending on the user. Some people have an insightful and relaxed experience while consuming psychedelics, while others can feel stressed out or anxious. It all depends on:

• The level of preparation;
• Your previous experience with hallucinogens;
• Your current mood and environment;
• Your mental and physical condition.

This is all true for people who have consumed psychedelics, but can you trip as a result of smoking weed?

Can You Trip on Cannabis?

Cannabis can amplify all our internal feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Therefore, people who are in a bad mental place can feel even worse after consuming weed. You can easily end up feeling anxious, paranoid, or nervous, especially if you’ve been feeling stressed out prior to smoking weed.

Does Cannabis Affect Us Similar to Psychedelics?

Even though a lot of people assume that weed acts as a psychedelic, the truth is that it acts in a different way compared to psychedelics such as DMT, LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. 

Psychedelics induce intense and long-lasting visions as well as distorted perceptions by interfering with the serotonin in the brain. 

Smoking weed, on the other hand, produces a high by affecting the endocannabinoid system. THC and CBD bind to the CB1 and CB2 endocannabinoid receptors in the brain and mainly THC produces its psychoactive effects which are different from the effects that you get from consuming mushrooms. However, some people believe that consuming edibles is similar to having a psychedelic experience, but weed doesn’t act in the same way as true psychedelics.

Can You Have a Bad Trip on Cannabis?

There are a lot of factors that can result in you having a bad trip or a bad reaction to cannabis, and we’ll go over the most common ones below:

• High potency strains in high doses (too much THC in your system is the fastest road to a bad trip, so if you’ve bought a strain with high THC levels from your local dispensary, make sure you start with a low dose).
• Consuming edibles as a first-time user (edibles can be an overwhelming experience even for seasoned cannabis users, but especially for beginners, so if you’re a beginner, maybe start with smoking or vaping).
• Dabbing (similar to consuming edibles, dabbing gives your body highly concentrated levels of THC, so make sure you don’t overdo it).
• Your current state of mind (weed works by intensifying all our feelings and emotions, so if you’re feeling down, cannabis may worsen those feelings).

What Can You Expect From a Bad Cannabis Trip?

While there aren’t any records on cannabis overdoses, users have experienced some of the following symptoms while having a bad trip:

• Hallucinations;
• Anxiety or paranoia;
• Physical sensations, including sweating, increased heart rate, stomach discomfort, numbness, and others.

On the other hand, some users who have a predisposition for mental health conditions such as psychosis or schizophrenia can trigger these conditions as a result of marijuana use.

Finally, whatever effects you may be feeling, you need to remember that they aren’t permanent. If you’ve been smoking weed, you can expect the effects to wear off after 1-2 hours, while metabolizing cannabis and ending the high from edibles can take between 6-8 hours. 

How To Prevent a Bad Cannabis Trip?

The most common reasons why people experience bad trips from weed are often a result of a bad mental state or consuming too much weed. To prevent this you can:

• Only smoke weed when you’re in a good state of mind which will reduce the chances of having a bad experience.
• Choose your surroundings well by smoking where you feel relaxed in order to promote good vibes when you get high.
• Always start with a low dose and slowly increase over time if you haven’t felt any effects after a while.

Final Thoughts and Stopping a Bad Cannabis Trip

While experienced users know more about their tolerance levels compared to beginners, they too can end up on a bad cannabis trip. If you’ve consumed too much weed either as a newbie or as a seasoned marijuana user and you’re having a bad trip, you can:

• Reassure yourself that the effects will end soon, so you have nothing to worry about;
• Try doing some breathing techniques to calm yourself down;
• Go out for a walk and breathe some fresh air which will clear your head and speed up the metabolization of THC;
• Consume some CBD to take the edge off the high;
• Drink herbal tea like rosemary or lemon balm to calm your body.

And remember, you have nothing to fear since a bad trip is just a lesson on how you should smoke (and how much weed as you can tolerate) next time.

A passionate advocate for the benefits of cannabis. Fraser Horton, who has a background in botany and a strong love of nature, has spent years researching how cannabis affects the body and mind. He established Leaf Nation in 2020, where he has devoted himself to educating people about the legalisation of marijuana and its safe and responsible use. Fraser is committed to highlighting cannabis’ potential for improving wellness and working to dispel the stigma associated with its use.

The information presented on this page is provided as a public service to aid in education and is derived from sources believed to be reliable. Readers are responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed here. In no event shall Leaf Nation be held reliable for any injury, loss or damage that could happen if using or abusing drugs.

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The information presented on this site is provided as a public service to aid in education and is derived from sources believed to be reliable. Readers are responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed here. In no event shall Leaf Nation be held reliable for any injury, loss or damage that could happen if using or abusing drugs.

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Flyin’ High: 2023 Cannabis Travel Guide

Sustainable travel expert, adventure seeker

Vermont, USA

Weed, marijuana, cannabis, pot, grass, ganja, dope, mary jane, hash: whatever you call it, we’re talking about that good stuff . Cannabis been used medicinally for thousands of years, but politics in the 20th century led to the criminalization of weed around the world. Lucky for us, in 2023, that legal status is quickly changing.

As countries move toward legalization, the cannabis industry is blowing up. Weed dispensaries , weed festivals , weed clubs , weed trips, weed hotels— the options for getting lit when you travel are pretty much endless. 

While more and more folks are getting their hands on the good green, the rules, regulations and laws remain super hazy. Can you travel with weed? Across state lines? On a plane? How do you purchase it legally? What are the best places for weed vacations? Are there weed…parties???

To help answer all of your questions (and more), here’s our complete guide to cannabis travel around the globe in 2023.

2023 Guide to Cannabis Travel

Where is weed legal.

In 2018, Canada made headlines when they became the second country in the world after Uruguay to fully legalize and regulate marijuana nationwide. 

Wondering if weed is legal in your country or state? Here’s the scoop on the legalization of cannabis around the world (updated December 2021):

Weed Legalization Map By State

Legalized:  Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Medical & Decriminalized: Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Ohio

Medical:  Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia (CBD oil only), Indiana (CBD oil only), Iowa (CBD oil only), Kentucky (CBD oil only), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee (CBD oil only), Texas (CBD oil only), Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin (CBD oil only).

Decriminalized: Nebraska, North Carolina

Illegal: Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Wyoming

For up-to-date info, view this map of weed legalization by state . 

Weed Legalization Map By Country

Legalized:  Uruguay, Georgia, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Malta, and Thailand.

Illegal (but often unenforced):  Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Finland, India, Iran, Laos, Lesotho, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Poland

Medical & Decriminalized:  Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bermuda, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland

Medical:  Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, South Korea, Lithuania, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

Decriminalized:  Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis,

Illegal:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic Chad, People’s Republic of China, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nambia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinadad and Tobago, Tunisia Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia

For up-to-date info, view this  map of weed legalization by country . 

Can You Fly With Weed?

Now that we’ve figured out the the world’s best weed-friendly countries and states (and where to buy it safely), one question remains: can you fly with weed? The answer is…it’s complicated.

Even if you’re in a state or country where cannabis is legal, the moment you walk into an airport, you are officially in federal jurisdiction territory. For example, if you purchase cannabis and are flying out of a 420-friendly state , like Colorado, you’re technically still breaking the law because cannabis is illegal on a federal level and strictly prohibited on all federal property in the United States.

Still confused? Here are a few questions (and answers!) on what you should expect before flying with weed.

Can You Bring a Vape Pen on a Plane?

Yes, you can bring a vape pen on a plane, but only in your carry-on. The Transportation Security Administration states that “The FAA prohibits these devices in checked bags. Battery-powered E-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers, and electronic nicotine delivery systems may only be carried in the aircraft cabin (in carry-on baggage or on your person). Check with your airline for additional restrictions. Remove all electronic cigarette and vaping devices from carry-on bags if checked at the gate or planeside.”

While there’s no specification on the TSA website about whether marijuana vape pens fall under this policy, vape pens and marijuana vape pens are indistinguishable. When traveling with any type of cannabis product, use common sense and keep your products concealed for the duration of your trip. The use of vape pens and marijuana or otherwise is obviously forbidden on the plane and will result in passenger arrest.

Can You Fly with Medical Marijuana?

Yes, generally, you can fly with medical marijuana in both your carry-on and checked bags in the US— with some restrictions. Marijuana and some cannabis-infused products (CBD oil), are still illegal under federal law unless the products contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. If caught with more, TSA is well within its rights to report violations to local, state or federal authorities. 

To ensure you do not run into any trouble, travel with your medical marijuana card, pack your weed in airtight containers to contain the odor, and only fly with small amounts of weed that won’t attract attention.

Is It Legal To Fly With Recreational Weed?

Is it possible? Yes! Is it legal? Nope. However, many recreational marijuana users feel comfortable flying with small amounts of weed. They, of course, follow a few simple steps to ensure to avoid any trouble.

As previously mentioned, when traveling with weed and weed products, always place them in your carry-on, not your checked baggage. Checked bags are regularly searched at random, so your best bet at avoiding unwanted attention is to pack your weed in your carry-on in a nondescript, airtight container. Pill bottles are great for joints and small amounts of cannabis.

If you plan on flying with weed, keep in mind that you are breaking the law. If you’re flying with a large amount of weed and you are caught, you will likely be charged with the intent to distribute, which is a serious offense, so only fly with small amounts.

Should You Fly With Edibles?

While still illegal if purchased for recreational use, if you want to get on a plane with weed, flying with edibles may be the easiest way to go. Store all edibles in your carry-on and remove all of the original packaging for the best chance of making it through TSA safely.

Can you fly with delta-8 and other federally legal cannabinoids?

The popularity of legal cannabinoids has experienced significant growth in the US in recent years. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp products were federally legalized in the US, including Delta-8 THC which provides some of the same psychoactive and medicinal benefits . It is totally legal to fly with these products as long as they contain less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. Keep them in their original packaging and you should be good to go.

What Happens If You Get Caught With Weed at the Airport?

According to TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein when speaking to the Wall Street Journal , “If a TSA officer comes across [pot] while they’re conducting a bag check, they are obligated to report it to the police, and then it’s up to the police how they want to handle it.” The severity of your punishment will depend on three factors: the amount of weed you’re traveling with, your location, and the officer’s mood. Farbstein goes on to say, “It’s up to the officers to make those sorts of decisions.” If you’re flying with small amounts of weed in a legal state, you’ll likely be waived through, asked to put your weed in an amnesty box , or simply have your weed confiscated and thrown out.

Remember, it is still a risk and getting arrested is always a possible outcome. Flying with any amount of marijuana over what is considered “a small amount” is asking for trouble, even in 420-friendly states.  

How Do You Bring Weed On a Plane?

Okay, so you understand the risks. Now what? Use common sense and only travel with a small amount. When packing, remember to only pack marijuana products in your carry-on bag. It’s vital to use an airtight container to hold your weed, edibles, and pre-rolled joints. If your container is not airtight, the easily identifiable smell will not be contained and you’ll probably get caught. Ziplock bags, pill bottles, and marijuana-specific stash devices are ideal containers for flying with marijuana.

Can you Travel with Weed Across State Lines?

Generally speaking, traveling with weed across state lines is not a good idea. So, leaving Colorado after a mountain vacation with weed in tow could have severe consequences. Unlike TSA agents, cops do prioritize finding weed. Additionally, cops tend to pull over travelers as they cross state lines. If a cop claims they smell marijuana, they probably have cause to search your vehicle. If you do plan on crossing state lines with marijuana, keep your weed in an airtight container and store it in your locked glove compartment where a cop would need a warrant to search.

Should You Travel With Cannabis When Visiting Different Countries?

Marijuana tourism isn’t just an American phenomenon. Weed legalization has spread rapidly across the globe. While stoners have been traveling to Amsterdam to sample the Dutch café culture for decades, countries like Canada and Argentina have recently legalized recreational marijuana. Still, countries with legalized recreational marijuana forbid crossing borders with the drug. So, not only can you not pack your favorite space cakes and pre-rolls in your suitcase after your trip, but you can’t bring any weed into the country either.

Everything You Need to Know About Dispensaries

In 1970’s Amsterdam, you could walk into a “ coffeeshop ,” lay down a few guilders , and walk away with legal cannabis and paraphernalia without a worry. It took the rest of the world a few years to catch up, but today, dispensaries — or weed shops—are popping up like crazy around the world.

Medical Dispensaries 

Medical dispensaries provide patients with a secure location purchase medically prescribed cannabis to sooth and treat ailments. They’re usually regulated and taxed differently than recreational cannabis dispensaries, so prices may very between the two.  Before visiting a medical dispensary, you’ll need:

• A prescription from your doctor, medical cannabis certification, or whatever else is required by your state.
•  A valid, unexpired ID or passport (in most cases, you must be 18 or older to obtain medical cannabis in the US) 

Recreational Dispensaries

Unlike medical dispensaries, recreational dispensaries are available for people without a prescription from a doctor. Adult-use/recreational shops require fewer prerequisites than a medical dispensary, but there are still plenty of things you need to know before visiting. Before visiting a recreational dispensary, you’ll need:

• A valid, unexpired ID or passport (you must be 21 or older to purchase recreational cannabis in the US.

420-Friendly Hotels

Weed and a good night’s sleep is pretty much synonymous. It may be illegal to smoke inside most public spaces around the world, but hotels, hostels and resorts have found plenty of ways to skirt the law in favor of a good time. From mini-bars filled with edibles at The Standard in LA to weed welcome kits at the Jupiter in Portland and wake-n-bake samplers every morning at Adagio in Denver, 420 resorts and hotels are popping up all over the place. 

Cannabis-centric websites like Bud and Breakfast and USA Weed offer databases of listings for 420-friendly accommodations around the world. These sites allow travelers to search for hotels, hostels, and resorts that offer cannabis-friendly amenities and ensure that their stay is a comfortable and enjoyable one.

In addition to offering cannabis-friendly amenities, many 420-friendly hotels also provide information on local dispensaries, cannabis tours, and other cannabis-related activities in the area. Some hotels even offer cannabis-infused spa treatments or other wellness experiences.

When it comes down to it, 420-friendly hotels provide a unique and comfortable option for cannabis enthusiasts looking for a place to stay that accommodates their lifestyle. With the growing acceptance of cannabis around the world, it is likely that we will see more of these hotels popping up, offering an increasingly diverse range of cannabis-friendly amenities and experiences.

Cannabis Cafes & Clubs

If you’ve been to Europe, you’ve definitely heard of weed cafes . But what about cannabis clubs?

The first cannabis club popped up in Barcelona in 2001 as a way to legally obtain and consume weed in the city. While recreational weed is still illegal in Spain, clubs are able to exist on a technicality: Consumption and cultivation by adults in a private space is totally legal. This legal loophole has allowed cannabis clubs to exist and thrive in Spain for the last two decades.

Cannabis clubs are membership-based establishments that operate much like a dispensary. Members pay a fee to access the club, and then they’re able to purchase and consume cannabis on the premises. These clubs are typically designed to provide a safe and comfortable space for cannabis users to consume their preferred strains of cannabis without fear of legal repercussions.

Cannabis clubs typically require members to be at least 18 years old and to provide identification when joining. Members are also expected to abide by certain rules, such as not sharing cannabis with non-members and not selling cannabis to others. Most clubs also have a maximum amount of cannabis that members can purchase and consume in a single visit.

In addition to providing a safe and legal space for cannabis consumption, cannabis clubs can also offer a social aspect for members. Many clubs organize events and activities for members, such as live music performances, educational workshops, and cannabis tastings.

While cannabis clubs are not legal in all parts of the world, they have become increasingly popular in many European countries, and are beginning to gain traction in North America as well. As more and more countries legalize cannabis, it is likely that cannabis clubs will become more widespread, providing cannabis users with a safe and legal way to enjoy their preferred strains in a social setting.

Cannabis & CBD Spas

We get it, you love weed. But do you love it enough to let a stranger rub it all over your body?

Cannabis spas are another emerging trend in the cannabis industry, offering a unique way for cannabis enthusiasts to relax and unwind. These spas typically offer a range of cannabis-infused treatments and therapies, including massages, facials, and body wraps.

Cannabis spas have their roots in ancient cultures, where cannabis was used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. Today, cannabis spas have been modernized, incorporating the latest technologies and techniques to provide a luxurious and immersive experience for guests.

At a cannabis spa, guests can expect to be greeted by a peaceful and relaxing environment, with soothing music, comfortable seating, and aromatherapy scents. Before any treatments begin, guests are usually required to fill out a medical questionnaire and provide identification to confirm their age.

The treatments at a cannabis spa are typically infused with cannabis or CBD, which are known to have calming and anti-inflammatory properties. These treatments can range from a simple foot massage to a full-body wrap, with cannabis-infused products like oils, lotions, and balms.

One of the most popular treatments at cannabis spas is the cannabis-infused massage, which involves the use of cannabis-infused oils to soothe sore muscles and promote relaxation. Cannabis facials are also gaining popularity, as they can help to reduce inflammation and improve skin health.

While cannabis spas are still relatively new, they have quickly become a popular destination for cannabis enthusiasts and those looking for a unique spa experience. As cannabis continues to become more widely accepted, it is likely that we will see more cannabis spas opening up around the world, providing a new way for people to enjoy the benefits of this versatile plant.

420 Tours and Weed Vacations

As cannabis legalization continues to spread across the globe, a new type of seeker is emerging: cannabis travelers, or people who look for cannabis-friendly destinations for some much-needed R&R (without giving up the green).

420 tours and weed vacations are in high-demand among cannabis enthusiasts who want to explore the world of cannabis and its culture. These tours and vacations provide a unique and immersive experience for travelers who want to learn more about the plant and its uses, while also enjoying the local sights and activities.

420 tours are typically guided tours that take visitors to different cannabis-related destinations, like dispensaries, grow facilities, and cannabis cafes. These tours can be found in many places around the world where cannabis is legal, including Amsterdam, Colorado, and California.

On a 420 tour, visitors can expect to learn about the history of cannabis, its various strains, and the different methods of consumption. They can also see first-hand how cannabis is grown and processed, and even try some samples themselves. Many 420 tours also include visits to local attractions and cultural landmarks, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the local culture.

Weed vacations, on the other hand, are more like traditional vacations, but with a cannabis twist. These vacations are designed to provide cannabis enthusiasts with a relaxing and enjoyable experience, while also offering the opportunity to learn more about the plant and its culture.

Weed vacations can take many forms, from beachside retreats to mountain getaways, and can include activities such as cannabis cooking classes, cannabis yoga, and cannabis-infused spa treatments. These vacations can also provide opportunities to explore local attractions and activities, such as hiking, skiing, and sightseeing.

Both 420 tours and weed vacations offer a unique and immersive experience for cannabis enthusiasts who want to learn more about the plant and its culture. As cannabis becomes more widely accepted around the world, it is likely that we will see more of these tours and vacations popping up, providing travelers with a new and exciting way to explore the world of cannabis.

420 Festivals

420 events and festivals are generally a good time, but believe it or not, they also help break stigmas and pave the way for legalization around the world. Festival organizers pull off throwing events in states and countries where cannabis is still illegal via the Temporary Autonomous Zone principle—creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control.

Today, 420 festivals can take many forms, from outdoor concerts to cannabis expos, and are typically held on or around April 20th, which is considered a holiday among cannabis enthusiasts.

420 festivals provide a unique opportunity for cannabis enthusiasts to come together and celebrate their love for the plant. These events often feature live music, food and drink vendors, cannabis dispensaries, and educational seminars and workshops.

One of the most famous 420 festivals is the annual “ Sweetwater 420 Fest ” held in Atlanta, Georgia. This festival features three days of live music, art exhibits, and cannabis-related vendors and attractions.

Other popular 420 festivals and events include the High Times Cannabis Cup , which is held in various locations around the world and features a competition for the best cannabis strains and products, as well as the Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has been held annually since 1972 and is one of the longest-running cannabis events in the world.

420 festivals and events also provide an opportunity for cannabis advocates to come together and push for the legalization of cannabis. Many events feature speakers and activists who share their knowledge and experiences with the crowd, and use the event as a platform to raise awareness and advocate for cannabis reform.

Overall, 420 festivals and events are a fun and exciting way for cannabis enthusiasts to come together and celebrate their love for the plant. As cannabis continues to become more widely accepted around the world, it is likely that we will see more of these events popping up, providing a platform for cannabis culture to thrive and grow.

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Avoid Getting Busted With Our Guide To Traveling with Cannabis

Safely transport your stash with these guidelines.

Rob Hoffman

Cannabis may be legal in states like California and Colorado. But that doesn’t mean that all cannabis is legal, all the time . Just like smoking cigarettes indoors, or driving with open alcohol, there are limits to what you can do with your legally purchased cannabis.

This is especially true if you’re looking to travel with cannabis.

Maybe this means in your car, if you’re on the way home from a dispensary. It might mean on a train, if you’re traveling across your state and looking to take your cannabis with you. It might even mean on an airplane, if you’re trying to travel between two states with legal cannabis laws.

But traveling with cannabis isn’t always legal, and largely depends on your mode of transportation, how you store your cannabis, where you live, the transportation company’s policies, among other factors.

If you’re confused, you should be: legally traveling with cannabis is confusing. That’s why we’re here to make sure you take the appropriate precautions.

Here are the most important things to know if you plan on bringing cannabis on your next trip.

Traveling with Cannabis On A Plane

Even though 30 states have already legalized some form of cannabis, flying from one legal state to the next with cannabis often exists in a sort of legal grey zone.  

This year, the LAX Airport in Los Angeles made an unprecedented decision to allow travelers to bring cannabis on domestic flights. But the laws around this are still somewhat confusing, as even though cannabis is legal in the state of California, it’s still illegal on a federal level.

This means you still have to be cautious with the TSA. (You probably know them better as the serious looking agents in blue uniforms that X-ray your luggage and make you nervous.) While the TSA could technically try to take law enforcement action against you if you’re caught with cannabis, the truth is that they’re much more concerned with weapons disguised as household items—like small shampoo bottles .

If you are caught with cannabis by a TSA agent, their typical policy is to contact local law enforcement officials for the airport, as a TSA spokeswoman tells USA Today . But if this happens to you in certain legal-cannabis states like California, you won’t suffer any repercussions, since cannabis is not illegal there. Instead, you’ll likely be given options to either throw it out, store it, or hand it off to a friend who isn’t flying.

But in other legal states, like Nevada, airport-wide bans on cannabis may be in place. This is one reason why some cities like Denver and Las Vegas have installed “amnesty boxes” where travelers can safely dispose of their cannabis without fear of persecution, rather than frantically flushing it down the airport toilets or cramming it into garbage cans at the last minute.

Bottom line is: if you’re in a legal cannabis state, and if you by chance get caught with cannabis at the airport, your chances of facing legal repercussions are slim to none (so long as you’re not breaking local laws, such as carrying more than the maximum amount of cannabis.)

Driving with Weed

Laws for driving with cannabis in legal cannabis states are evolving, and—you guessed it—complicated. They also vary state-by-state.  

In California, the nation’s largest legal cannabis state, it’s still illegal to travel with cannabis if it’s not stored properly. Just like alcohol, driving with cannabis that is not in a container, or is in a container that has been opened, is illegal. The fine for this is less than $100 .

But if it’s properly stored in a sealed container, you can drive with cannabis in California.

The same sort of law exists in Colorado , which can easily be found on the state’s website. But other legal states like Washington, however, do not clearly list their laws for traveling by car with cannabis . Therefore, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to always know your rights and keep your cannabis out-of-site in a sealed container.

If you are ever stopped by the police and asked about cannabis, it’s important to know that you have the right not to respond. Just make sure to cooperate with the necessary processes of a traffic stop, such as presenting your license and registration.

You also have the right not to consent to a search. If an officer tries to search you or asks to search you, stay respectful and state clearly “I do not consent to any searches.” Try to remain polite—the more reasonable you are, the more reasonable the police officer is likely to be. Depending on the officer and the state, the officer could always try to claim they have “probable cause”—like the smell of cannabis—to search your car.

In some states like Arizona, court rulings have made it so the “smell” of cannabis does not constitute probable cause for a search . But this isn’t true in all legal cannabis states . So your best bet is to keep your cannabis sealed in a smell proof container, so that even if the police officer does find it, you’re carrying it legally.

Traveling with Cannabis by Train

There’s a number of different train companies operating in the United States, but the biggest and most commonly used is Amtrak. Unlike many other railway companies, like the BNSF Railway, Amtrak states their policy towards cannabis directly on their website.

“The use or transportation of marijuana for any purpose is prohibited, even in states where recreational use is legal or permitted medically,” reads the Amtrak website .

So bringing cannabis on this train would be against the company’s policy. And it is important to know that you are putting yourself at risk if the police board and search the train, or if police dogs are used at the stations.

As for your likelihood of being searched on an Amtrak train if your cannabis is sealed in a smell-proof container? If you’re not acting in any way that could lead to a police search, then slim to none. Some sources claim that even police dogs cannot identify cannabis if it’s kept in an air-tight, smell-proof container or bag.

Buying a Smell-proof Bag or Container

At this point, you may have (rightly) come to the conclusion that it’s a good idea to purchase a smell-proof bag for your cannabis. There are a number of companies that sell these types of bags. One company, Skunk Bags , offers smell-proof bags that range from a duffle bag, to a knapsack, to a small pouch the size of a pencil case. What separates all of these from other smell-proof packaging is Skunk Bags’s activated carbon technology and silver antibacterial lining.

This technology works to neutralize odors and trap harmful chemicals, gases, and bacteria . Make sure you’re prepared the next time you want to travel with cannabis, no matter the size of the package you’re bringing along.

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Can You Trip On Weed? Signs, Symptoms, & Causes

If you want to know if you can “trip” on weed, or in other terms, hallucinate when you smoke or consume THC, this is the article for you. Many people are unsure of what they’re getting into before smoking or eating a THC-infused edible. Once you finish this brief article, you’ll know if you can trip on weed, the difference between a bad trip and a usual high, and more.

Some reports indicate that large doses of marijuana can induce acute psychosis, characterized by hallucinations, derealization, and delusions, similar to a “trip” produced by hallucinogens. 

What is “Tripping?”

When someone says they are “tripping,” it means they are feeling the effects of hallucinogens. Hallucinogens are drugs that can change how we perceive things and make us experience things that are not part of reality. Some common hallucinogens include magic mushrooms, LSD, ecstasy, and high doses of cannabis.

When taking hallucinogens, our conscious mind becomes more aware of things it wouldn’t normally notice. This can cause our senses to be distorted or create intense experiences where we might believe in visions or altered perceptions that feel real, even though the drug causes them. Hallucinations can range from mild changes in our senses to more intense experiences where we may lose awareness of what’s causing these effects.

Can You Trip On Weed?

Rather than feeling relaxed and euphoric, some individuals may experience anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic when using marijuana. These effects are more likely to occur when a person consumes too much marijuana, uses a strain with unexpectedly high potency, or lacks experience with its effects.

In some cases, individuals who have taken large doses of marijuana may go through  acute psychosis , which involves hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of their sense of self. It’s important to note that these unpleasant reactions are temporary and different from persistent psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

Because cannabis affects your perception, it has the potential to amplify your thoughts and emotions, especially when you are in a bad mental state or facing a risky situation. You might become trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts, experiencing shortened breaths, widened eyes, and an increasing grip of anxiety. Unlike “tripping” on hallucinogens, anxious feelings after using marijuana are considered a “bad trip.”

Psychedelic Vs. Psychoactive

“Psychedelic” and “psychoactive” are often used interchangeably, but subtle differences exist between them.

Psychedelic substances are a specific subset of psychoactive substances. Psychedelics are known for their ability to induce altered states of consciousness, resulting in intense sensory experiences, perceptual distortions, and profound changes in thoughts, emotions, and self-awareness. Examples of classical psychedelics include LSD, psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), DMT, and mescaline.

On the other hand, the term “psychoactive” refers to any substance that affects the brain’s functioning and alters consciousness, cognition, mood, perception, or behavior. It is a broader category that includes not only psychedelics but also other substances like stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, caffeine, and alcohol. Psychoactive substances can affect the mind and body, from mood enhancement and relaxation to stimulation or sedation.

Read more: How To Get High Without Drugs: Releasing Natural Chemicals

Is Weed Psychedelic?

When it comes to cannabis, there is often confusion about its classification as a psychedelic and its potential for inducing a “trip.” While cannabis can lead to intense experiences, it functions differently than traditional psychedelics like DMT, LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline.

Classical psychedelics are known for their ability to produce profound and prolonged visions, emotional shifts, and distorted perceptions. They achieve this by temporarily affecting serotonin signaling in the brain.

In contrast, cannabis interacts with the endocannabinoid system to produce psychoactive effects. The active compound THC (9-tetrahydrocannabinol) binds to CB1 receptors in the brain, resulting in the desired high. Additionally, various terpenes present in cannabis contribute to energizing or relaxing effects.

However, the nature of the cannabis experience can change when consumed orally. THC undergoes conversion to a more potent and longer-lasting compound called 11-hydroxy-THC. While some users describe edible cannabis as a psychedelic experience, hallucinations are rare, and it does not function in the same way as most “true” psychedelics.

Signs Of A Bad Cannabis Trip

A bad cannabis trip can include various symptoms.

• Hallucinations:  Hallucinations from weed are rare but possible. Smoking too much weed usually doesn’t cause hallucinations, but edibles can be different. Even a small dose can make experienced users anxious, and higher doses can lead to hallucinations, mind-altering delusions, and a racing heart.
• Intense paranoia/anxiety:  Smoking or consuming weed can make users paranoid, overthink, and feel nervous about their surroundings. A bad trip may make users think strangers are looking at them or aware they’re high.
• Fear:  Consuming edibles or using potent cannabis concentrates can induce intense fear and anxiety in individuals who are not prepared. These feelings may arise from concerns about life responsibilities or existential questions about the nature of existence. The onset of fear can be sudden and overwhelming for some individuals.
• Physical Sensations:  During a bad trip, individuals may also experience various physical symptoms. These can include sweating, an elevated heart rate, stomach discomfort, numbness, and shaking.

Read more: How Long Does the High from Marijuana Last?

What Causes A Bad Trip On Weed?

Several factors can contribute to a negative experience or a bad reaction to weed. These factors can range from your mental state before using cannabis to consuming excessively large amounts.

• High-Potency Strains:  Experiencing a negative reaction to weed is often caused by consuming too much THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis. As cannabis strains have become stronger over the years, with average THC levels reaching as high as 30%, it has become easier for beginners to unintentionally consume excessive amounts.
• Edibles:  Consuming edibles can have a significantly different effect than smoking cannabis. Even if you have been a regular cannabis smoker for years, edibles can easily lead to an overwhelming experience. The potency, duration, and somewhat psychedelic nature of the trip are quite distinct from the effects of marijuana smoke
• Dabbing:  Dabbing delivers high levels of THC directly to the body and mind. Concentrated forms of cannabis can significantly enhance the effects of THC, especially for those unfamiliar with them. One “dab” can provide the same amount of THC as smoking a large joint. The difference lies in the method of consumption, as you inhale all of those cannabinoids in a single hit during dabbing.
• State of Mind:  Cannabis has a way of amplifying your existing concerns. If you have unresolved stress, financial worries, or suppressed emotions, weed can bring them to the forefront of your mind. The effects of marijuana act as a catalyst, magnifying and intensifying these underlying mental health issues.

Is A Bad Trip A Sign Of Marijuana Addiction?

While a bad trip can be distressing, it does not signify marijuana addiction. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug use, loss of control, and negative consequences in various aspects of life. Experiencing a bad trip will make users question if they’re overconsuming marijuana products and rethink their cannabis use.

Contact Oasis Recovery Center

While marijuana use is more contributed to habit-forming rather than addiction, it can still cause at-risk users to neglect other responsibilities in their life. Contact Oasis Recovery Center in Asheville today if you or someone you know is struggling with marijuana or drug abuse. Our treatment center focuses on the underlying issues behind excessive marijuana use using various healing modalities and therapy methods.

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Cannabis is often associated with the pleasant “high” that it can provide, most often with a feeling of relaxation, good mood or the urge to laugh for nothing. However, there are times when the experience is far from pleasant. So what do you do if things go wrong? To answer that question, we'll explain the different forms of consumption, what symptoms characterize an unpleasant experience, how to prevent it and how to end a 'bad trip' of cannabis. 

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All cannabis lovers have experienced, at least once in their lives, a trip nasty cannabis. The paranoia is at its worst and you want so badly to get out of trip , but it won't stop for the next few hours. You're basically in your worst nightmare and you can't get out of it.   For an inexperienced user, such an event can be traumatizing. And at worst, it can lead to the wrong impression of what the cannabis experience can be like, or even a complete aversion to it.  

But it doesn't have to be that way. the bad ones trips of cannabis are both preventable and treatable. In this article, we intend to equip you with the knowledge to mitigate the situation in the best possible way and deal with it effectively, in case something bad happens to you. trip of cannabis.  

What can cause a bad trip of cannabis?

A negative experience with cannabis can be the result of many factors. To give you an idea of ​​how different types of consumption methods, as well as the environment itself, can affect your cannabis consumption experience, let's go deeper into the subject.  

Use of edibles

Everyone undoubtedly knows the legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, who after Cheech and Chong is possibly the biggest name in cannabis when it comes to famous personalities. Well then, for someone who claims to consume around 81 blunts a day, the famous rapper tries to avoid the consumption of edibles , because according to him “the edibles don't have any off button". If you basically spend most of your day smoking cannabis, this might be something to consider.  

Many cannabis users, both newbies and those with more experience, end up committing, with some frequency, a very basic mistake: ingesting  too much in a short period of time, instead of waiting long enough for the effects of the edible start to make themselves felt. We recommend that we all never be too zealous when it comes to edibles , especially if they are “newbies” in this type of consumption. From our own experience, we have seen too many cases where the consumption of edibles ended up in a less pleasant experience. Thus, we recommend starting small and waiting at least two to three hours before eating more.

So that you have more or less an idea, the amount of THC present in a single dab , that is, simply one inhalation, will be more or less the equivalent of consuming a whole joint, in a shroud like king size , all at once, without any interruption.  

For those who have never tried one dab , or even for those who have already tried it, get ready, because your endocannabinoid system will be heavily flooded with THC, which, in turn, can cause slightly more unpleasant sensations, even for the most experienced smokers. Here, too, the dosage plays a big role.  

Varieties with high levels of THC

Ask any old-school cannabis user about potency and they'll tell you that today's cannabis is much stronger than it used to be, which is completely true. In the 70s, 80s and even in the 90s, THC levels did not exceed 10% to 15%, or, at the highest of the maximums, the 20% already in the 90s. Nowadays, there are varieties that can reach 25% to 30% of THC. These are the ones that can incapacitate a less experienced user in an instant.  

Although, obviously, THC is not the only substance that defines the “high” in cannabis consumption, it turns out to be the most significant; therefore, higher levels of the substance are more likely to cause an unpleasant experience.  

Mental State

Social context

Similar to mental state, social context also plays a role in the outcome of your cannabis experience. If you're with a group of close friends you trust, with good music and good vibes all around, you're likely to have a good experience.   Likewise, being in a chaotic environment, with people you don't know, can trigger uncomfortable emotions. Some people feel much more anxious when this happens, while others lose their grip on reality. And that can be a scary situation.  

What are the symptoms of a bad trip of cannabis?

Although we've already described some of the effects more lightly, let's now look at the various symptoms and sensations that one can experience during a bad trip of cannabis. In addition to the typical dry mouth or some spatial and temporal dissociation, which may even be frequent, other more exacerbated symptoms may appear in some cases and in some people. 

Cannabis use can sometimes make people think too much. The mind and body reach higher levels of anxiety, while trying to understand whether or not the person next to you, in a public place, noticed your altered state. This can lead to the next symptom, panic, which makes the whole experience even more distressing.  

Panic attacks  

Panic attacks are indeed a frightening experience. They can cause irregular breathing, which results in shortness of breath, high anxiety, rapid heartbeat and even fainting. All of this occurs while stressful or intrusive scenarios replay over and over in your head. Cannabis can both increase and cause these symptoms in some people.  

Hallucinations

Although cannabis-related hallucinations are rare and have nothing to do with those experienced with psychedelic substance use, they can occur – especially with edibles . Often, those who try high doses of THC the first few times may experience what they consider to be auditory and/or visual hallucinations. This can be something that less savvy consumers in particular can be quite alarmed about.  

Anyone who has had a bad cannabis trip is familiar with the dizzying spell it initiates. It seems the world around you is spinning faster. Imagine being on a roller coaster nightmare. Many dizzy spells happen to novice smokers, who have already ingested much more than they should. But even in the most experienced consumers, this can also happen as a result of taking a dab or even a bongada bigger than you can handle.

Physical malaise and vomiting

Dizziness is one of a number of potentially distressing physical sensations during a bad weed trip, but you can also sweat profusely, experience stomach discomfort, vomit or have a rapid heart rate. Some people also experience episodes of tremors and numbness.  

How to recover/overcome a bad trip of cannabis?

How long can these bad experiences last? This is something that can vary greatly from person to person. If consumption has been done through the more traditional method, smoking, or even vaping, these sensations can last between 1 and 2 hours, but if it has been through the consumption of edibles , or ingested, these effects may last up to 8 hours or even longer, depending on the dose. That said, these unpleasant symptoms, as a rule, decrease in intensity over time, and may even disappear completely even before the "high" ends.

The good thing about a bad cannabis experience is that it's not exactly life-threatening, at least as far as the possibility of a fatal overdose is concerned. Often, it's about remembering that you're under the influence of a psychotropic substance and simply doing your best to relax and let it go. However, as many people may not yet know, here are some useful tips in case you find yourself in a less pleasant situation when using cannabis.  

Breathe and try to calm down

While this is easier said than done, the key here is to shift your attention to something that is more calming, or at least distracting from the situation you find yourself in. A good way to do this is to change where you are. If possible, take a short walk outside or find a quiet, relaxing place to sit for a while. You'll be surprised what a simple change of location can do for your condition in the event of a bad trip of cannabis.  

Stay hydrated

Not only can drinking water help alleviate the dry mouth feeling that cannabis tends to cause, but it will also make the “high” less catastrophic. Mixing alcohol is also a very bad idea, as it will only aggravate the symptoms. When in doubt, moisturize!  

Breathe calmly and deeply

People who go through episodes of paranoia often forget to breathe properly, which is what often leads them down the dark path of invasive or anxious thoughts, which end up turning into a panic attack.  

If you feel that cannabis is making you panic, immediately try to regulate your breathing. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly until you feel calmer. It may take some practice and persistence to develop this habit, but once you do, you'll be able to cut through the cannabis-induced panic before it takes over your entire body in earnest.  

Listen to music you like  

A good song can do a lot for your current mood. And listening to music you don't like can bring out the worst feelings. If you think you're about to get into trouble trip , try to put on some of your favorite songs that make you more comfortable, in a good mood and calm. Watching a movie or a comic series is also an excellent option. 

Eat something sweet

Eating something sweet, be it cakes, sweets or fruit, will raise blood sugar and divert your senses, especially if it is one of your favorite delicacies and delicacies, it is possible to turn an unpleasant situation around and feel good again. There are also those who say that chocolate or lemon help to reduce the 'high'. 

How to avoid a bad trip of cannabis?

As they say, prevention is better than cure, and with that in mind, here are some ways to avoid a bad cannabis experience.  

Consume small doses

One of the first pieces of advice you'll hear when trying cannabis, or even any other type of drug, for the first time, and regardless of the method of consumption chosen, is the old “start low and go slow”. O i.e. start slow and take it easy. Because just like eating a meal, we must eat slowly and not eat too much or too quickly, or you will quickly feel full.  

If you want to avoid a bad experience in cannabis consumption, you should follow the same ideology and send one breath at a time, in case consumption is done in the more traditional methods of smoking and/or vaping. With regard to edible, for example, start with smaller portions and wait at least two to three hours before repeating the dose, as the effects are only felt after digestion has taken place.  

Avoid using cannabis if you feel low

As we mentioned before, your pre-consumption mental and emotional state will affect the outcome of your experience. As such, avoid consuming if you are feeling low, irritable, or just not well in general. Don't waste your stock on a bad experience. After all, cannabis consumption is mostly about generating good experiences and moments and not the other way around. Therefore, consuming to run the risk of feeling worse is not advisable.  

Put yourself in a good environment  

When we talk about a good environment, we mean a comfortable place, with friends you trust, good music and a vibe fun and relaxing. Avoid places that prevent you from truly relaxing and making the most of the whole experience.  

Surround yourself with people you trust and enjoy being with.

With reference to the previous point, it pays to be among people you trust and with whom you feel comfortable. Whether it's your family or friends, make sure you have the right people with you.  

When you lack sleep, you feel more grumpy and unable to function properly. And if you also smoke while in this state, you may have a less pleasant experience. So make sure you've had your good dose of rest, especially before a cannabis session with friends.  

In the end, everything will be fine...

Whatever the reason and reason that led you to have a bad experience with cannabis, you can rest assured: in the end everything will return to normal! It is necessary to take into account that living a bad trip of cannabis does not mean that it will become something recurrent every time cannabis is consumed, not least because, as we explained in this article, there are several factors inherent to which this can happen. Even the most savvy consumers are bound to have a less than positive experience.  

However, if you want to minimize the risk of having a bad trip with cannabis, you can always consider these suggestions as ways to prevent this from happening. And, of course, for you to maintain a good, healthy and positive relationship with this plant.  

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What Is a Bad Cannabis Trip (And How to Prevent It)

33 million people across the United States use weed on a regular basis to relax, chill out, and have a great time. Others reap the benefits of its medicinal purposes while some prefer to use it to enhance a new experience. Whatever you use it for, marijuana has been a crowd-pleaser for years – in fact, it dates all the way back to 500 BC !

But every now and then a user will experience a dreaded bad weed trip. This experience is far from relaxing and it certainly won’t chill you out. Whether you’re trying weed for the first time or have been using it for years, you aren’t immune to this experience.

Want to know more about how to recognize the signs of a bad weed trip and find out how to avoid one? Then you’re in the right place! Read on to find out everything you need to know about keeping your high a positive one.

What Happens When You Have a Bad Weed Trip? 

Having a bad marijuana trip can be an extremely stressful experience. It goes against the chilled out effects that most people associate with this drug. And this can really take you by surprise.

There are several different ways that a bad trip can affect someone.

Often it manifests itself in feelings of increased anxiety or paranoia. You may find yourself confused by your surroundings and suspicious of the people around you.

For example, if you’re in public you might start worrying that everyone around you  knows  that you’re high. In reality, even if they do, they probably won’t care. But while on a bad trip, you’ll struggle to shake this feeling.

A bad high can also manifest itself physically. You may experience numbness in your face and arms. Or you may find yourself sweating more than normal, short of breath, and pale in the face.

These kinds of symptoms can be very alarming but they don’t mean anything bad is happening inside you. It’s just another way that your anxiety shows itself.

So why can a perfectly normal weed session turn from fun and games to anything but?

What Causes a Bad Weed Trip?

A bad trip can happen to anyone and happens when you have a bad reaction to weed. But there are several factors that may increase your chances of suffering from one.

Feeling nervous or anxious before you take weed plays a big role. You don’t just have to feel anxious about taking weed, it could be about anything in your life. This means you’re already vulnerable to feelings of anxiety or paranoia.

But your physical health can play a part as well. If you’re dehydrated or sleep-deprived your body is not at its strongest. This means you may be more likely to experience a bad trip.

Where you take your weed can also have an effect. It can be really fun trying weed, say at your friend’s house, but if you do it somewhere you don’t feel comfortable this can leave you susceptible to having a bad trip.

If your environment is overstimulating this can also bombard your weed-brain and lead to a downward spiral.

Finally, the type of cannabis you use can have a big impact on the type of trip you have. You can experience a bad trip on any type of marijuana strain, but things like edibles can create a more potent high. And this also means they may create a more potent bad high.

What Can You Do to Avoid a Bad High?

Bad highs often feel like they come from nowhere, but there are a few things you can do to prep yourself that might help you avoid them. 

One of the most important things to do, whenever you take in weed, is to ensure that you feel comfortable. This means only enjoying your weed in places that you feel comfortable and being around people that make you feel comfortable. It might even be wise to arrange a safe space to go to if your high goes south.

You should also make sure that you eat properly and stay hydrated when you’re high. This might not seem like the most important thing, but it will keep your blood sugar up and ensure you have a great time throughout your high.

Knowing your limits is also absolutely key when consuming weed. If you’re trying something for the first time don’t go overboard. There’s nothing worse than feeling too high to function and this can send people spiraling fast.

What Should You Do During a Bad High?

As we’ve already mentioned, sometimes it’s hard to control when a bad high can happen, but there are things that you can do during one to help yourself ride it out.

Firstly, remove yourself from a situation. Take yourself to a quiet place where you feel comfortable and remove any unnecessary stimulation. It might be tempting to watch TV or listen to music, but in some cases, this can actually make a bad high worse. Taking it slow and resting is your best bet.

Get yourself something sugary to bring your blood sugar level up. Soda, candy bars, or some cookies will all do the trick here.

Water, drink lots of water!

As your high starts to pass, try taking yourself outside for some air to help clear your head. You may want to take a friend with you to make sure you feel secure on your wander.

It’s important to try and remember that a bad high will pass. Keep repeating this to yourself and you’ll get through just fine.

Don’t Let a Bad High Put You Off a Good Time!

Experiencing a bad weed trip can be a daunting experience but it can happen to the best of us so don’t let it put you off from enjoying your weed. For more help making the most of your cannabis experience in Las Vegas , check out our tips for new ReLeaf visitors . Here’s all the info you need to enjoy recreational weed in Las Vegas, stress-free.

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Home » Blog » Weed Tripping 101

Weed Tripping 101

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Cannabis contains psychoactive compounds that react differently from one person to another. Most of the time, it delivers a euphoric high and many other sensations that cater to the pleasure centers of the brain. This can often lead to the urge to consume more thus weed tripping begins to happen. 

A cannabis high can last from 2 hours to as much as 10 and it depends on many factors. These factors include the amount you consume, the THC content, the specific strain, your tolerance, and your metabolism. All of these factors play a role in how cannabis affects you. All in all, THC is one of the many cannabinoids found in marijuana that severely affect the perception and cognitive response of the human mind. In short, they are psychoactive.

How Long Does Marijuana Take To Kick In?

The timeline of marijuana’s effects on the mind and body depends on its route of consumption. Smoking or vaping marijuana would usually take effect within 2 to 10 minutes. It quickly kicks in since the cannabinoids are introduced into the bloodstream through the lungs. Eating edibles containing cannabinoid concentrates usually take a lot more time to take effect. The typical effects usually last around 3 hours and sometimes, they linger for more than 8 hours.

Edibles kick in at around 30 to 60 minutes. There are other times that it would even kick in 2 hours after it is ingested. The effects usually peak at around the second hour after ingestion and last for more than a day.

Dabbing is another form of marijuana consumption that is smoked through a special type of pipe. Since dabs have high levels of THC, users immediately feel the effects as soon as they consume it. The effects of dabbing typically last around 2 hours but there are times that the effects can last for an entire day.

How Marijuana Changes Your Mental State

When someone smokes weed, the psychoactive components of marijuana begins to take effect starting within the brain. The experience affects the perception and cognitive function of the human mind. It changes the mindset of the person and could very well range from euphoric, energetic, to sedative. It all depends on the type of strain that is used. Situations that are normally neutral begin to feel lighthearted and very amusing. Sometimes, they can also be very intimidating and anxiety-inducing.

While some marijuana users tend to relax when smoking weed, others have improved creativity. The production of creative ideas is tied to the different strains of marijuana that are being consumed. These sudden changes in the mental state heavily affect the amount being consumed by a user.

Bad Cannabis Trip

While most users smoke weed due to its enjoyable effects, some times consuming too much weed becomes a problem. This results in a bad cannabis trip. As specified before, the factors that affect humans under the influence of marijuana differ from one person to another but the usual culprits are the ones mentioned above.

One can detect an incoming bad trip through different signs and symptoms. The most common sign that you are about to have a bad cannabis trip is when you feel afraid or anxious especially when the effects are taking place. This is a great indication that you may have consumed too much weed in the first place. Other signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating, and paranoia. Some might also feel stomach discomfort and become pale.

How To Prevent Bad Cannabis Trip

These uncomfortable situations can be prevented. At the first sign of bad weed tripping, you should go and find a place where you can stop feeling uncomfortable. Always surround yourself with people you are comfortable with getting high. It will lessen the impact of anxiety brought by too much weed tripping.

Ask for a sugary drink. This will increase your blood sugar level and keep your trip manageable. Avoid drinking coffee if you are not fond of drinks that contain caffeine. It might exacerbate your anxiety and paranoia. Try to relax by breathing deeply and get a nap. Napping calms down your nerves and keeps you from getting agitated.

Turn off your radio or TV. Do away with things that will stimulate your mind as it will further cause more stimulus to your anxiety. Try some black pepper as it is known to increase the sedative properties of THC allowing you to relax. You can also try some CBD which counteracts the effects of THC thus effectively eliminating a bad cannabis trip.

How To Extend Your Weed Trip

Now that you learned how to control your weed tripping sessions, it is time for you to learn how to extend the duration of the good effects of weed. It can be a big help to extend your weed trip especially if you are smoking cannabis for its medical properties. This also helps extend the health benefits of weed in your body. The best way to extend your weed trip is to consume edibles instead of smoking or vaping weed. Since edibles take a while for the effects to take place, the effects also extend its duration allowing for more hours of fun with cannabis.

If you are already a seasoned user, you can also increase your dose or try a strain that has a higher amount of THC than your previous strain. While many would suggest using these techniques in conjunction with drinking alcohol, it might not be the best idea. Drinking alcohol before using cannabis lessens the effects of alcohol. This means that you could get drunk a lot faster. Additionally, consuming alcohol and cannabis together will only increase your dependence on one or the other and sometimes even both. Consuming edibles or using a strain with higher THC content is enough to extend your weed trip.

Weed tripping can be fun to do together with people you are comfortable with. Knowing the signs of a bad cannabis trip will help you prevent it from happening. Understanding the facts behind weed tripping will help you determine what causes a bad trip and how you can extend its duration for a more enjoyable and safe weed experience.

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Want to Relax With a Cup of Weed Tea? Here’s How to Make It

Smoking weed can make you feel calm, but let’s face it — few things are as relaxing as a warm cup of tea on a rainy day or at sunset.

Step 1: Pick Your Ingredients

Step 2: decarboxylate the weed, step 3: making simple weed tea, step 4: experiment , weed tea vs. smoking, weed tea vs. edibles, 1. tinctures, 1. can weed tea make me high, 2. is weed tea healthier than smoking or edibles, 3. is weed tea legal.

Weed tea is an infusion of water and cannabis, much like regular tea but with weed.

It’s made by adding ground-up weed into boiling water or milk and adding tea later — a process not too different from making loose-leaf tea.

Weed tea is not that common today, especially when compared to smoking, vaping, or edibles. But tea was much more popular in the past, and it was, in fact, one of the earliest forms of consuming cannabis [ 1 ].

Making weed tea is a bit of an art in and of itself, as different variations, ingredients, and modes of preparation can serve different purposes. Weed tea also has many unique properties, combining the effects of CBD, THC, and other herbs for unique, relaxing highs with a delicious taste!

Making Weed Tea

Ingredients needed:

• Ground weed (about 2 teaspoons, but this will vary greatly)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Milk (optional)
• Sweetener, like honey or sugar (optional)
• 2-5 teaspoons of herbs or tea (optional)

Directions:

• Round up the ingredients
• Decarboxylate and grind the weed
• Heat water and oil to a simmer and add the weed, ideally in a sieve or reusable tea bag
• Simmer for about 10 minutes
• Add other tea or herbs and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes
• Strain or remove sieve/tea bag(s)
• Add milk and/or sweetener if desired

Although weed tea may sound simple, there are a lot of variables to consider, so I’ll walk through the steps. 

The composition of the tea and the amount of cannabinoids present in it may vary depending on how long the weed steeps, what strain you use, and how long the tea is stored [ 2 ].

Let’s walk through a quick step-by-step guide for the different variations:

Weed tea can be as fancy or as simple as you want it to be, but there are four main components to it you should always keep in mind:

This one is obvious, but we have to include it. Water is the base for pretty much every cup of weed tea. The amount depends on how much tea you’re making — use 8 oz per serving. 

Coconut Oil

Really, any oil will do, but coconut oil works well. It’s lighter and won’t add flavor if you use refined (unrefined has a strong coconut taste). 

Oil is necessary because the cannabinoids will bind to it; they won’t bind to water, and your tea will be a waste. 

Although you can make weed tea without it, adding a bit of milk makes the cannabinoids more efficient. Besides the oil, they will bind to the milk’s fat, making your high stronger. 

If you’re lactose intolerant, vegan, or don’t have any dairy at home, don’t fret — you can replace milk with a dairy alternative. Just remember, many are low- or no-fat and won’t offer anything other than flavor.

The amount, again, depends on how much tea you want to make, your personal taste, and your tolerance. As a general measure, use 1-2 grams for every 4 cups of milk or water (about 2 teaspoons per cup, but this is approximate); the total amount used is less than what you’d put in a joint.

Many parts of the cannabis plant can be used to make tea, and some growers prefer using the stems as well as the flowers so no part of their crop goes to waste. However, stems are less potent, so you’ll need more if you want a strong cup of tea.

Tea & Herbs

It’s not necessary, but adding other herbs or teas grants extra benefits. The options are limitless, so make sure you experiment. Here are a few popular options and why:

• Chamomile — promotes relaxation; anti-stress
• Ginger — boosts immune system, calms stomach upset
• Cinnamon — high in antioxidants; anti-inflammatory
• Rose — anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, boosts collagen
• Peppermint — invigorating, soothes stomach issues, helps headaches

Extra Ingredients

Some people don’t like the taste of weed, but they enjoy the benefits or may need to drink it for therapeutic reasons. Or maybe you have a sweet tooth. 

Either way, these are some common sweeteners and spices for weed tea:

Before brewing anything, you’ll have to decarboxylate your weed. 

Decarboxylation is the process of cooking marijuana so its cannabinoids activate — the same process that happens when you light a joint.

If you don’t decarboxylate, you’ll be making tea out of raw cannabis, which isn’t too potent. By decarboxylating your weed, you will turn its raw cannabinoids (THCA and CBDA) into THC and CBD [ 3 ], giving the tea the psychoactive effects you’re looking for.

To do this, you must:

• Preheat your oven to between 93-118°C (200-245°F)
• Grind up the weed and spread it across a lined baking sheet (be sure to spread it in a single layer so it heats evenly)
• Cook the weed for 30-40 minutes, stirring it often
• Once the weed goes from green to a golden-brown tone, pull it out of the oven

And that’s it! You successfully decarboxylated your weed.

Once the weed is decarboxylated, you can start the process of making tea:

• Heat 4 cups (950 mL) of water until it boils. Alternatively, you can use whole milk instead of water.
• Add milk, butter, cannabutter, cream, or coconut oil into the boiling water. You can skip this step if you’re only using milk.
• Once the butter has dissolved, lower the flame and add the weed. A tea sieve or reusable tea bag is the best way to do this since you won’t have to strain it later.
• If you’re using other tea, add it now.
• Allow the mixture to steep for 10-15 minutes. This allows THC and CBD to bind to the butter, milk, or oil.
• Once it has simmered, carefully strain your tea if necessary.
• Add any sweeteners or spices you want.

Congratulations! You have now made weed tea. Sit back, grab a book, and enjoy.

Don’t be afraid to come up with your own concoctions. Be creative or “steal” ideas from coffee shops or tea smiths. 

For example, one of the most popular is weed chai — here’s a quick recipe for it:

• Ground decarboxylated weed together with clove, ginger, and cardamom.
• Place the ground-up spices on a cheesecloth or tea infuser and tie it up.
• Heat 1 cup (240 mL) of whole milk until it barely simmers.
• Dip the spice bag into the milk and let it barely simmer for ten minutes, stirring often. You can add 1-2 drops of vanilla for flavor.
• Remove and discard the spice bag once the tea has a nice brown color.
• Serve the chai, sweeten it with sugar and honey, and enjoy!

But, of course, weed chai isn’t the only alternative recipe out there. There are hundreds of options on the Internet, and weed tea is perfect for experimenting with.

What Are the Effects of Weed Tea?

The effects of weed tea vary depending on how you made the tea, whether the weed was decarboxylated, the strain of weed you used, and your metabolism. Generally, the effects appear between 30 and 90 minutes after drinking it and last 7 to 8 hours.

The high itself isn’t too different from smoked weed or edibles, but the combination of theine (found in tea) and any other herbs with THC and CBD can give you a range of effects. Increased relaxation, sedation, stimulation, and euphoria can come out of weed tea.

When you smoke weed, the process of decarboxylation happens as soon as you light the joint, so you are inhaling the cannabinoids directly. You’ll feel the effects of a joint, blunt, or vape much sooner than with tea since you’re not digesting the material, and the cannabinoids go straight to your lungs, then your brain.

However, once the effects hit, you’ll notice the high from weed tea is more intense than from smoking it, as is the case with edibles. Still, this mainly depends on how you brew your weed tea.

If you make your tea with only water or raw weed, the high will be very slight, less so than smoking.

With tea and edibles, you need to digest what you’ve eaten or drunk before the cannabinoids start affecting your brain. As such, the time it takes for both edibles and tea to make you high is similar: 30-90 minutes.

The main difference between weed tea and edibles is that weed tea doesn’t have to have anywhere near as many calories as edibles, depending on the sweeteners you add. Weed tea also often contains theine and other herbs, which add unique effects.

Usually, a weed tea high is between that of smoking and edibles in terms of strength. Orally ingested cannabinoids are more intense than inhaled cannabinoids, but weed tea may lose potency if you simmer the weed too long. 

Weed tea can serve as a good “intermediate” high, but there are many variables to consider.

How to Make Weed Tea More Potent

If you’re looking for a stronger high, there are a few good ways to intensify your weed tea. The following ingredients can help you achieve that:

Tinctures are an oil or alcohol infused with cannabinoids. These are concentrated, so be careful — just 1 or 2 drops should do the trick.

If you wish to use a CBD tincture to treat ailments such as swelling, pain, or insomnia, make sure to consult a medical professional beforehand.

Also known as marijuana pollen, kief is that sticky brown, yellow, or green dust in the bottom of the bag or grinder.

Kief isn’t regular pollen; it contains cannabinoids and terpenes unique to its weed strain — concentrated and much more potent. Adding a pinch of kief to your ground bud before you steep the tea can increase its potency.

Keep in mind that kief can be very potent, so don’t add too much.

FAQs About Weed Tea

Still curious about weed tea? Here are the answers to some questions you might be asking. 

Yes, but only if you make it correctly. First, you need to decarboxylate it — heat it in an oven until it turns golden brown. Then, when making the tea, add milk, butter, or another fatty substance so the cannabinoids have something to bind to. Otherwise, your high won’t be strong at all.

In general, yes. Weed tea has been used as a medicinal drink for centuries and gives the added benefits from whatever else you add to it. Plus, you don’t have to smoke the weed or eat the sugar often added to edibles.

Weed tea will be just as legal — or illegal — as everything else, whether it’s flower, edibles, or tinctures. 

In places where medical cannabis is legal, weed tea is often legal as well. For example, in the US state of Colorado, weed tea is considered to be a “Medical Marijuana-Infused Product.” This means that it’s legal and not considered either food or a drug — as long as it’s manufactured or sold by a licensed dispensary or medical marijuana center [ 4 ].

• Kabelik, J., Krejci, Z. & Santavy, F. (1960)  Cannabis as a medicament (p. 5-23) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1960-01-01_3_page003.html
• Hazekamp, A., Bastola, K., Rashidi, H., Bender, J. & Verpoorte, R. (2007) Cannabis tea revisited: A systematic evaluation of the cannabinoid composition of cannabis tea. ScienceDirect .
• Wang, M. et al. (2016) Decarboxylation Study of Acidic Cannabinoids: A Novel Approach Using Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography/Photodiode Array-Mass Spectrometry. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research .
• Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division (2015) Medical Marijuana Code . Colorado Department of Revenue.

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Can Weed Improve a Workout?

Some exercisers say cannabis eases their pain and anxiety — and makes fitness more fun.

By Hilary Achauer

The first time Samantha O’Brien took a boxing class at her building’s gym, she was overwhelmed with anxiety. The instructor was loud and intimidating and ran the class like a boot camp. If someone fell behind, everyone had to work harder.

Ms. O’Brien, 36, left the class thinking she’d never return. A few days later, her partner came home with some cannabis gummies he said might offer her a burst of energy. She thought of the boxing class, and how she wanted to show the instructor he hadn’t scared her off. So she ate half a gummy, got into her workout clothes and went to the class.

The shouting didn’t bother her anymore. “I was brighter, lighter,” Ms. O’Brien said, adding that the small dose kept her going through the session. Now she frequently mixes cannabis and exercise, regularly attending the boxing class along with Pilates and boot camp workouts after taking weed products.

Scientists have refuted the idea that marijuana is a performance enhancer for competitive athletes. But some amateurs are turning to it before exercise because it eases their chronic pain and anxiety — or just because it makes working out more fun.

Alex Friedrichs, 30, a manager of a chiropractic clinic in Vancouver, Canada, said that cannabis puts her in the moment during exercise. “I appreciate what my body is capable of, what my body is doing and the things I’m seeing around me,” she explained, “like running in a beautiful area or a pretty day.”

Addressing Chronic Pain

In a small 2019 study , the top reasons people used cannabis before exercise were to increase enjoyment and focus. But close behind was pain relief. Research has shown that marijuana can help some patients alleviate chronic pain , which affects some one in five people around the world. When the pain is treated, people become more functional, said Dr. Alan Bell, a physician and assistant professor at the University of Toronto who was the lead author on a set of clinical practice guidelines for using cannabis to treat chronic pain.

Cannabis “may bring muscle relaxation or a sense of ease, and so it allows people to increase and maintain their physical function,” said Dr. Deondra Asike, an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins University. She added that once people’s fear of movement was gone, some would find they could do things such as yoga or taking a hike.

That said, Dr. Bell does not recommend cannabis as a first-line treatment for pain, and only considers it when milder medications, like NSAIDs , aren’t effective.

Joanna Zeiger, an epidemiologist and former Olympic triathlete, was reluctant to use cannabis even after she flipped over her handlebars at the 2009 Ironman World Championship, breaking her collarbone and badly injuring her rib cage.

But after years of chronic pain resulting from her accident, she tried it. Initially it made her sleepy and dazed. But she eventually found a dosage that eased her pain and allowed her to exercise, an experience that led her to create the Canna Research Foundation. Dr. Zeiger, who was an author on the 2019 study, said that cannabis was not a panacea: “It’s a tool in my tool kit.”

Easing Anxiety

For Morgan English, it wasn’t pain that kept her from exercising, it was anxiety. A history of eating disorders and mental health struggles led her to dislike moving her body and view exercise as punishment, she said. Ms. English, 31, said cannabis helped her get past some of her fears.

“I didn’t have anxiety about what other people at the gym were thinking about me ,” she said about exercising with cannabis. “I was just very much in the zone and I was focused on how good it felt to move my legs.”

In 2019, Ms. English started a company called Stoned and Toned, which offers online workouts that combine cardio and cannabis.

This is not to say that weed can ease anxiety for everyone. While some people find it helps, it can also exacerbate those feelings, said Jill Stoddard, a clinical psychologist who specializes in managing stress and anxiety. And there is a risk that when someone uses cannabis to manage anxiety in one area of their life, Dr. Stoddard said, it can lead to dependence on the drug in every situation that provokes anxiety.

She recommended seeing a mental health practitioner for tools to address underlying anxiety before resorting to cannabis as a solution.

Not to Be Used Lightly

While recreational marijuana usage is now legal in 24 U.S. states, it is still banned in many places. The drug has a powerful effect on the brain and should not be combined with potentially dangerous sports — or with any activity you drive to.

Dr. Zeiger said people should only use cannabis before a workout if they have used it previously and know how they respond. She recommends talking with a physician first, to make sure the drug won’t have an adverse reaction with your other medications, and to choose a low-risk activity such as yoga or a body-weight workout. Also, it’s important to remember that cannabis can be abused, and around one-fifth of people who use it develop cannabis use disorder.

People who combine movement and marijuana repeated a well known piece of advice when it comes to cannabis: Start low, go slow. This is especially true when using edibles, which can take 45 minutes or longer to take effect.

Some said they kept a journal — or used an app like Tetragram, a medical cannabis log — to jot down how much they consumed before exercising and how it made them feel.

Otha Smith, the founder of Tetragram, runs about 30 miles a week. He uses cannabis to manage his joint pain, but said his first experiment was a bust: He tried a 10 milligram edible and never made it out the door. Finally, he settled on a 2.5 milligram gummy with a one-to-one ratio of CBD and THC, which he consumes about an hour before he goes on a run.

“It’s there to enhance your mind-body connection,” Ms. English said about the role of weed in a workout, “not to pull you out of reality.”

Hilary Achauer is a freelance writer covering health and fitness.

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Will Cannabis-Infused Cocktails Spark Buzz in Illinois?

Chicago-based Up Elevated Cocktails and its dank drinks take a different approach to recreational marijuana

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On a Thursday evening in January, an intimate group of people gathered at Zin’s Flower Shop’s event space in Pilsen for a hands-on lesson in crafting two nonalcoholic drinks with Up Elevated Cocktails . Hosted by Carlos Ramos, this was the second iteration of a class dubbed “High and Dry January,” which seeks to educate people in the making of cannabis-infused mocktails.

During the instruction, Ramos, who’s imbued with the gift of gab, explains the properties of various cannabinoids, terpenes, and their effects, while also providing a mini consultation to establish an understanding of each participant’s tolerance level. Up Elevated cocktails are typically dosed between 5 and 7 milligrams for the average customer. Together, the group mixed up the Moment of Zen — a drink made with pineapple juice, matcha powder, aquafaba, coconut milk, and THC-infused Zen Green Tea from California brand Uncle Arnie’s — and a play on a hot buttered rum, featuring butter-based gummies infused with THC.

Whether someone is sober curious, totally dry, or partaking in the “California sober” lifestyle (i.e. abstaining from booze while consuming cannabis), there’s a piqued interest these days in alternatives to alcohol. Consumers want to opt out of drinking without compromising the overall social experience. That’s prompted companies such as Marz Community Brewing in Bridgeport and Hopewell Brewing in Logan Square to churn out ready-to-sip canned CBD or hopped spritzes.

But Up Elevated is taking a different approach.

Founded in 2020 by Ramos, the same year that recreational cannabis consumption became legal in Illinois , Up Elevated’s mobile mixology service takes modern mocktails to new heights by trading alcoholic spirits for cannabis-infused, water-soluble products — such as Cann bubbly tonics or Artet botanical aperitifs and spritzes — that come with an additional dose of education and awareness. Cannabinoid infusions differ based on state law. Illinois prohibits companies from mixing THC with alcohol , but they can use hemp and delta-8 or delta-10.

“We’re not mixing marijuana and alcohol, so it’s an infused mocktail,” Ramos says, though he shares that the company offers regular bar service as well.

Ramos’s classes, which began in 2023, speak to trends in consumption among younger folks. Researchers in studies conducted by Drexel University, the University of Southern California , and the University of Washington found that there was a decrease in alcohol consumption among young adults living in states that legalized recreational cannabis. In August 2023, a Gallup poll found that 52 percent of young adults responded that they worried about the long-term effects of consuming alcohol — a 34 percent increase from five years ago. A large body of research has linked alcohol consumption to a heightened risk of developing certain cancers .

During January’s canna-mocktail class, participants Ariah, 25, and Taliya, 23 (who asked to withhold last names due to privacy concerns), shared that alcohol has rarely been a factor in their social lives — a decision they deem a less harmful option.

“We’ve noticed what alcohol has done, we know the history, and it’s not pretty,” Ariah says. “Being intoxicated is literally hurting your body. There’s a naturalness to cannabis or even shrooms — there’s an evident, natural benefit to it.”

“‘Intentional’ is a big word with our generation,” Taliya adds. “People are talking about it on social media. We don’t see the hype [around alcohol]. We’re very conscious of what we want to put in our bodies, from food to things like this [cannabis cocktail class]. Education goes a long way and having fun, social events where you can also learn is a nice way to go about it.”

Ramos still primarily runs bar services himself but collaborates with a team of talented friends for larger pop-ups and social media content. He takes his mission to destigmatize cannabis and normalize its presence in beverages seriously. While Ramos admits that people get cross-faded (the term for being high and drunk), he’s not encouraging that behavior on Up Elevated’s watch.

“I don’t see a world where mixing alcohol and cannabis in one beverage makes sense,” Ramos says, noting his goal is to normalize cannabis as an alternative to alcohol and set a “standard for responsible service and consumption of these beverages.”

A former beer distributor for companies such as Lagunitas Brewing Company , Ramos was working in sales and marketing as a Chicago area rep for 18th Street Brewery in Hammond and Gary, Indiana, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When he lost his job, he saw it as an opportunity to launch Up Elevated as a mobile mixology service in August 2020 — doing small pop-ups at socially-distanced, outdoor markets and private events as folks slowly restarted in-person activities. He, like many people during that time, had begun more deeply assessing his relationship to his habits, particularly drinking alcohol.

“I try to live an active lifestyle and I realized the days where alcohol consumption was part of my job weren’t really aligning with my lifestyle anymore,” Ramos says. “I was never big on alcohol, but I was socially drinking, and selling beer was my job, being a little drunk a couple nights a week. I didn’t like the feeling, I really didn’t like feeling hungover, and COVID was a deciding factor [in drinking] for a lot of people.”

Developing the concept and menus for Up Elevated steadied his focus while inspiring other avenues of cannabis-friendly social activations, including run club Runners High Chicago , yoga classes, and a chess club — disrupting the “lonely, lazy stoner” stereotype. Finding a new path in the community feels like the bet on himself is paying off. Last year, Up Elevated hosted events in six states, including California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Colorado, and appeared at MJ Biz Con — the nation’s largest marijuana and cannabis conference and expo, held in Las Vegas. It also participated in January’s Chicago’s No I.D. alcohol-free cocktail competition and tasting event at Artifact Events .

“I’d had the idea since 2018 after I’d worked a couple events with the Herbal Notes collective and seeing how chef Manny [Mendoza] brought to life the beautiful culinary experience for cannabis, I wanted to create that mixology equivalent, because I didn’t see that,” Ramos says. “I didn’t see beautiful cannabis cocktails — if anything, there were alcoholic cocktails still being served at weed events. Even still, now, it’s the landscape where it’s a weed event, but it’s at a bar, you have to buy from their bar. I saw the niche for this.”

He adds, “Another theme of Up Elevated is believing that people who don’t consume alcohol should have better choices than juice, water, or soda. A lot of times, when you go to a bar or somewhere and you sit down and say you’re not drinking alcohol, that kind of ends your service experience. We give just as awesome of an experience if you want to drink alcohol, cannabis, or neither.”

Ramos describes his use of cannabis and THC-infused products as similar to using bitters or carbonated mixers as opposed to making them the hero ingredient. It’s what drew one of his newest supporters, the aforementioned Uncle Arnie’s.

Uncle Arnie’s has plans to join the Chicago market later this year. Founder Ave Miller stumbled upon Up Elevated’s Instagram profile in 2023 and connected with the hope that Ramos’s creativity would inspire consumers to reconsider their cannabis experience. Miller says “most people aren’t even educated” about cannabis beverages, placing Up Elevated at the leading edge of an emerging market: “Most edibles are usually way too high-cost or not as effective because most people are fooled by the 500 milligram Laffy Taffy bar,” Miller says. “Liquid beverages are a really great way to introduce high-dose people to recreational markets. Because of the water-soluble technology and increased bioavailability, 100 milligrams really feels like 150 milligrams because of how your body processes it.”

While making sure the community has space to gather, create, and indulge — it’s never solely been about getting high. Working toward complete legalization of cannabis (the plant) and advocating for more equitable access to resources for Black and Brown, small, craft growers and brands — those most impacted by this country’s war on drugs — is of equal importance. Ramos knows this first-hand, having been arrested in 2007 for selling on Purdue University’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, when he was a sophomore. For 12 years, Ramos had felony convictions on his record, which made finding a corporate job nearly impossible. That led him to the craft beer industry, where his honesty about his background wasn’t a detriment.

A member of the newly founded Illinois Cannabis Consumption Association , Ramos and like-minded individuals are also coming together to address and promote efforts around the legality of on-premise cannabis consumption and the minted “cannabis hospitality industry.” While there are legal, onsite consumption lounges in Illinois in towns such as Wheeling and Mundelein, Chicago doesn’t permit consumption outside of private properties or licensed dispensaries, and public consumption remains illegal.

“Chicago is likely gonna make it difficult and costly to do these things,” Ramos explains. “Most of the events that happen around cannabis are technically unsanctioned. For me and my events, we try to keep things as compliant as possible. Some safeguards are 21-and-over, private, ticketed or members only, no direct sales of the plant itself. I’ve cultivated relationships with alderpeople who would like to see day permits for cannabis events, as they realize they are happening and want to mitigate involvement of law enforcement for a plant that’s supposed to be legal in Illinois. It makes no sense that we can buy cannabis, but can’t consume it without being in fear of the law.”

In 2021, he connected via LinkedIn with Steven Philpott Jr., a former Marine and current biology PhD student at North Carolina State University who studies crop and soil sciences with a focus on cannabis, and the two started collaborating and building the education and justice element of Up Elevated Cocktails. With a background in sports medicine and coaching, Philpott became an advocate for cannabis for stress and pain management on a personal level before doing so professionally.

“There’s 120 to 200 kinds of cannabinoids that exist. We only really talk about THC, but all the other ones have health benefits too,” Philpott says. “That’s what me and Carlos do. Cannabis is not just THC.”

Philpott sees an opportunity through Up Elevated to spread awareness about alternatives to alcohol and smoking cannabis. He says it should be viewed as a supplement purchased at a vitamin store. “As I get older, I’m like, ‘I would love to find another way to consume.’ So when I saw Carlos making drinks, I thought he might be onto something.”

Discussing cannabis in its fullest terms also helps the two get around legality concerns when Up Elevated Cocktails pops up in states that have yet to embrace recreational or medical use. Philpott joined Ramos at this year’s South by Southwest music festival for an activation dubbed “Sound Bites” on March 9, which combined music, cannabis, and education in a state that’s long opposed legalization but where hemp-derived products like delta-8 have flourished .

Ramos chose to use “non-THC, minor cannabinoids” during his trip to Texas. “Hemp-derived is legal in all 50 states. We can still give the education, the experience with music and drinks ... [and] be within the parameters of what we need to be in that state.”

Looking ahead, Ramos hopes Up Elevated Cocktails can serve as a bridge between casual consumption and real-world implications of lingering, federal cannabis restrictions for those who still haven’t been able to gain a stronger foothold in the now-corporate, regulated industry; this would help foster a deeper sense of community where success is available to those who’ve paid a higher price for being on the cultural frontlines for decades.

“There’s no shortage of weed parties, but I don’t see a whole lot of well-rounded programming really building community, which is what we’re trying to come into our own and do,” he says.

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Cannabis ETFs Have Been on a Trip

Karishma Vanjani

Funds tracking cannabis-related companies were rising on Tuesday, though daily gains remain volatile on the back of a potential federal legalization.

AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis exchange traded fund, the biggest marijuana related ETF in the market, was up 3.7% on Tuesday after falling 5.5% the day before.

Other similar ETFs were also higher. Amplify Alternative Harvest, for example, gained 5.7%.

Most cannabis ETFs aren’t very liquid, amassing under $250 million in assets, with the exception of AdvisorShares’ version that has close to a billion dollars. That makes cannabis ETFs generally volatile to news updates on its legalization.

The move upward on Tuesday follows a poll by American Bankers Association, which showed nearly 63% of U.S. adults support legislation that allows cannabis businesses to access banking services.

The report was published on March 20 .

Investors are waiting for reform. Cannabis is presently classified as a Schedule I drug; a category that includes substances such as Ecstasy and heroin.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommended the Drug Enforcement Administration move marijuana to a lower-risk category last year.

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Confusing start ends with judge voiding New York cannabis third-party marketing rules

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Canterra is a prospective Buffalo dispensary that was originally planning to build downtown.

Founder Matt Krupp said there were complications with that location though so his group pivoted and recently received approval from both the state and city to open what would be the first licensed shop in the city's busy Elmwood Village.

"Really this Elmwood Village has a great vibe and a great community sense and those were two very important things that we looked for when selecting a space," Krupp said.

He acknowledged there have been some challenges to get to this point. However, Krupp said he was never really worried when a judge earlier this week issued a decision that originally appeared to void most of the Office of Cannabis Management's administrative regulations.

"I knew that it was only going to pertain to the third-party advertising, you know with those kind of DoorDash models where a company wants to market and sell, quote-unquote sell the cannabis and then kind of farm that order out to a dispensary to actually fulfill it," Krupp said.

Not everybody was so confident. Cannabis regulatory and compliance consultant Kate Hruby said she spent a large part of Thursday fielding calls from clients.

"The questions were what do we do. Do we continue to operate? Do we have to close down? (There were) serious concerns, especially for folks that are competing right now with illicit shops," Hruby said.

Ultimately the judge issued a revised decision clarifying the voided regulations were specific to third-party marketing. The ruling raised First Amendment questions as well as issues with the Office of Cannabis Management's administrative record.

Hodgson Russ LLP Cannabis and Hemp Group Leader PJ Hines said while the state could appeal, or take action to try to address the problems, it could also open the door for more lawsuits.

"Certainly, procedurally and substantively, this could serve as a roadmap for anyone else who wants to challenge regulations," Hines said.

For now, the ruling should allow dispensaries to partner more with third-party platforms like Leafly, who brought the lawsuit, and Weedmaps. Both have a similar model as DoorDash for food, and the decision could potentitally even allow them to offer third-party delivery service if the state licenses them.

"I think this will increase competition and allow our legal licensed operators to compete better in the marketplace," Hruby said.

Krupp, who also runs a licensed delivery business, said rather than worry about new competition, he believes the platforms could actually allow dispensaries like he is launching to reach a broader customer base.

"I think that it's important that they continue to address and revise these regulations. That's kind of what makes the whole political systems great is that as you go you can see what works, what doesn't work and kind of make those adjustments," Krupp said.

He hopes to open the brick and mortar location in roughly six months.

• The Buzz on Florida Politics

Read reactions to Florida Supreme Court putting marijuana on the ballot

• Ivy Nyayieka Times staff

Floridians will be able to vote in November on whether to remove criminal and civil penalties for people 21 and older who use marijuana, the state Supreme Court has decided.

At least 60% of Floridians must approve it to become law. (The court separately on Monday also allowed a proposed amendment aimed at protecting abortion access onto the 2024 ballot.)

Florida voters previously legalized medical marijuana through a constitutional amendment with 71% of the vote in 2016.

Here is how Florida’s politicians and others are reacting to the news.

Former state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith

Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat and former state representative, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he introduced bills “year after year” to legalize weed for responsible adult use but the Legislature refused to put the legislation up for a vote.

“This November, Florida voters can finally decide for themselves,” he wrote.

Year after year, I introduced a bipartisan bill to legalize weed for responsible adult use. The legislature refused to put it up for a vote. This November, Florida voters can finally decide for themselves AND elect me to the State Senate to implement the will of the people! 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/2i0fvok37F — Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) April 1, 2024

Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson

Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson said he disagreed with the court’s decision to allow the amendment on the ballot. In a statement, he said the Chamber will “continue fighting to protect our constitution from out of state and special interests trying to buy their way into Florida’s Constitution.”

“Recreational drugs, like pigs, don’t belong in Florida’s constitution,” he wrote.

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost

Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a progressive member of Congress from Orlando and the first Generation Z candidate to win a Florida U.S. House seat, urged followers on social media to go to the polls come November. “Abortion rights and adult use marijuana are going to be on the ballot this November,” Frost wrote. “ There’s so much at stake, we can’t stay home on Nov. 5th.”

There you have it Florida! Abortion rights and adult use marijuana are going to be on the ballot this November. There’s so much at stake, we can’t stay home on Nov. 5th. https://t.co/SXXQCRAOtr — Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) April 1, 2024

Cannabis company Curaleaf

Curaleaf cheered the decision to allow recreational marijuana on the ballot for Florida voters, and said it’s investing in the state, including by opening new stores.

“This has the potential to triple the market size in the state in the coming years,” the company wrote in a post on X.

We are thrilled to see #Florida ’s Supreme Court add adult use #cannabis legislation to the ballot for November’s vote. This has the potential to triple the market size in the state in the coming years, and #Curaleaf is investing ahead of conversion, with 25 new stores set to open… pic.twitter.com/KK0zUEYUOv — Curaleaf (@Curaleaf_Inc) April 1, 2024

Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called on Floridians to “be ready to vote” because both reproductive rights and recreational cannabis will be on the ballot in November.

RECREATIONAL CANNABIS IS GOING ON THE BALLOT IN FLORIDA TOO! That means both reproductive rights and recreational cannabis will be before voters THIS NOVEMBER and will need 60% approval to pass. BE READY TO VOTE: https://t.co/isa2wdnjU5 pic.twitter.com/VTtzWGbHOb — Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) April 1, 2024

House Speaker Paul Renner

Republican House Speaker Paul Renner said in a virtual news conference Monday that the marijuana amendment is “overly broad” and that he did not think there was a “critical need” for recreational marijuana.

“Everything here is up to the voters, but the problem with some of these constitutional amendments is it’s all rainbows and unicorns, as it’s drafted by proponents,” Renner said.

Smart & Safe Florida

Smart and Safe Florida, the initiative’s sponsor, tweeted the hashtag #Yeson3, in reference to the pot proposal being designated as Amendment 3 on the ballot.

In a post on X, Smart and Safe Florida said it had polling showing that its campaign is supported by Republicans, Democrats and no-party voters alike.

The court's decision echoes our commitment to transparent ballot language and the right for voters to decide on vital issues. Here's to progress and paving the path towards safer cannabis consumption for adults! #Yeson3 pic.twitter.com/PWLw4Rnu3e — Smart & Safe Florida (@SmartandSafeFl) April 2, 2024

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody

Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, who had challenged both the marijuana and abortion amendment proposals, said she respects the Supreme Court’s decisions but said, “We have argued from the beginning that these two new constitutional initiatives will mislead voters. We maintain that it will be an uphill battle to educate them.”

We appreciate the court revisiting its precedent on Florida’s right to privacy and returning the meaning of that amendment to the voters' original intention. That decision outlines the difficulties and divisiveness of allowing vague and misleading initiatives on the ballot. We… — AG Ashley Moody (@AGAshleyMoody) April 1, 2024

Ivy Nyayieka is a Data Reporter for the Politics team. You can reach her at [email protected].

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Germany legalizes cannabis for personal use

Adults can legally grow and consume limited amounts and join members’ clubs.

Germans celebrate cannabis legalization with 'smoke-ins' at famous sites

Social sharing.

Marijuana campaigners in Germany lit celebratory joints on Monday as the country liberalized rules on cannabis to allow possession of small amounts.

The German Cannabis Association, which campaigned for the new law, staged a "smoke-in" at Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate when the law took effect at midnight. Other public consumption events were scheduled throughout the country, including one in front of the Cologne cathedral and others in Hamburg, Regensburg and Dortmund.

The new law legalizes possession by adults of up to 25 grams of marijuana for recreational purposes and allows individuals to grow up to three plants on their own. That part of the legislation took effect Monday.

German residents age 18 and older will be allowed to join nonprofit "cannabis clubs" with a maximum 500 members each, starting July 1. Individuals will be allowed to buy up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum 50 grams per month — a figure limited to 30 grams for people under age 21. Membership in multiple clubs won't be allowed.

The clubs' costs will be covered by membership fees, which are to be staggered according to how much marijuana members use.

The legislation also calls for an amnesty under which sentences for cannabis-related offences that will no longer be illegal are to be reviewed and in many cases reversed. Regional authorities worry that the judicial system will be overburdened by thousands of cases.

• More than a bad trip: Experts warn about the risk of cannabis-induced psychosis
• 5 years of legal cannabis: fewer charges, many hospitalizations and more than a few questions

The law was pushed through by the current coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats, which faced opposition from some of Germany's federal states and the centre-right Christian Democrats.

Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz has vowed that his party will reverse the legislation if it wins national elections expected in the fall of 2025.

Leading garden stores surveyed by the dpa news agency indicated they would not be adding cannabis plants to their horticultural offerings, and the German Medical Association opposed the law, saying it could have "grave consequences" for the "developmental and life prospects of young people in our country."

Germany is not the first European country to relax laws on cannabis consumption. The use of small quantities has been decriminalized in countries that include Spain, Malta, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, while more than 20 European countries have some form of legislation allowing the medicinal use of cannabis.

Cannabis has been legal for 5 years, but some employers still test for it

With files from CBC News

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