I’ve found using the cannabis flower to be the most effective approach for treating my challenges with cancer, chemotherapy side effects, and ulcerative colitis.
I use a dry herb vaporizer that provides the most immediate response. The dry herb vape is very smooth and doesn’t fill the house with reeking smoke. Cannabis flower provides the benefits of all of the cannabinoids and all of the terpenes naturally present in the hemp plant. It’s full-spectrum at its best.
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Buying Cannabis Flower as a Medical Marijuana Patient
Most people seeking relief from their health challenges who use flower or other forms of cannabis tend to find a strain or concentration that works for them and will stay with that particular product. In my state of Montana, I can only choose one medical dispensary or pay a fee to change and it’s difficult to obtain consistent product from month to month.
With better regulation, hopefully dispensary options will improve. Until then, I have been working with Evan at Plain Jane and the single medical marijuana dispensary I am tethered to. Together, we have been experimenting with a variety of CBD flower strains to find a reproducible blend that I can use to reliably treat my symptoms.
If you have not found a cannabis strain that works for you either because your initial experience was not helpful or the THC psychoactive effects were too intense. Before giving up on the possibility of improved quality of life, I would recommend trying a custom blend.
Cannabinoids of Cannabis Flower
I have tried different combinations of CBD alone, with CBG, with THC, and a blend of all three. I’ve found that a blend of CBD, CBG, and THC flower strains works the best for me.
CBG may have its own medicinal properties. It is said to enhance and extend the activity of CBD. Also, there are studies that indicate CBD and THC work better together than separately so a combination of these may encourage what is called the “entourage effect.”
There are excellent organizations and websites that provide information on different strains, research, and how-to advice. Check out Project CBD, Leafly, as well as Plain Jane for reliable information.
Custom Blended CBD Hemp and Cannabis Flower
I’ve found that a strain that is high CBD and low THC works best for managing my symptoms. So, I have been experimenting with mixing different strains of CBD hemp flower from Plain Jane with THC strains from my local dispensary.
Many people will find that CBD flower alone will provide symptom relief. If you have a THC marijuana strain that is too potent, CBD hemp flower may be mixed with it. The CBD from the hemp flower reduces the psychoactive effects of marijuana. Using this technique also allows you to receive the medical benefits of both cannabinoids.
How to Make a Custom Therapeutic Cannabis Blend
To adjust the potency of your blend look at the lab results that should be available from each licensed supplier. For example, one of my favorite strains, Sour Space Candy tests at 21% CBD and .85% THC (when including THC-A) or 210 mg/g and 8.5 mg/g. Jack Frost CBG tests at 13.1% CBG or 131 mg/g. The dispensary strain I use is Critical Mass that tests at 11.9% CBD and 7.78% THC or 119 mg/g and 77.8 mg/g.
So we know what concentrations are present in these particular strains. We get can as accurate as we wish to create our blend by percentages and mg/g and do the necessary math or we can simply weigh our different flower buds and create our mix ratios.
In this case, I weighed a gram of each flower, ground them and hand-blended them creating a 1:1:1 ratio and put it in a labeled container. I ground additional buds of each flower to be able to fine-tune my blend and bottled and labeled them.
Materials for Custom Cannabis Blending
Creating a custom blend of cannabis flower is not difficult and the tools to do so are not expensive. The toolbox I assembled includes:
- 1 gram digital scale
- Herb grinder
- Insulated lunch bag
- Labels
- Storage jars
- Pill bottles
- And a nickel
A nickel? Yes! A nickel weighs five grams and is an easy way to check your scale for accuracy. The insulated lunch bag is a good choice as the insulation tends to provide a better airtight and smell-tight environment and keeps sunlight away from your flower.
Glass jars are best for storing cannabis flowers. The Plain Jane jars are a good choice as they filter light. Plastic containers aren’t ideal because they can generate a static charge that can attract trichomes away from the flower but I use the pill bottles for smaller quantities of the ground flower because that’s what I have available. Materials can all be purchased for about $20.00.
Medical Marijuana and Hemp Flower Dosage
The cannabis and hemp blend can be smoked or vaporized. With either method, always start with a very small dose. If that is tolerated, gradually increase the dosage until the desired effects are reached. This is your therapeutic dose.
Often increasing your dosage beyond this amount does not increase the medicinal value. For me, the therapeutic dose of this blend was 1/2 of the chamber of my vaporizer. At that dosage my symptoms were relieved. However, the THC level felt too high and I felt too sedated. It is a good blend for evening use but not what I wanted throughout the day. A new blend of CBD, CBG, and THC at 2:2:1 (half the THC) proved to be a good custom blend for me. I can still modify this when needed when I have more difficulty during my chemo treatment cycle.
Final Personal Thoughts
I’ve tested other CBD strains in this way and had mixed results. Modifying the dosage to find a therapeutic level was key. Don’t be afraid to experiment and keep good notes! Notes and journals allow you to reproduce your successes. You’ll find the best reproducible blends for different situations by keeping notes.
Your needs and custom blends are most likely different than what works for me. We’re using a very complex plant in our very complex bodies. As more studies are done, hopefully, we’ll learn about the influences of other cannabinoids on our endocannabinoid system. We all deserve to feel better.
Editorial Disclaimers
This article was written by an individual and should be interpreted as their personal views. We value the personal perspectives of individuals. However, we must make the legal distinction that these are the views of an individual.
Claims associated with these views may not comply with legal, medical, or regulatory standards. Under FDA advisement: CBD products have not been evaluated for safety or efficacy. CBD products have not been approved by the FDA.
CBD products and the content of the Plain Jane Blog are not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease or condition. Always consult a doctor before using CBD as it may have side effects and drug interactions.
Written by Joe Dalton Edited by Sabine Downer
