Statistics show that around 12% of Americans smoke pot. Whether for medical or recreational purposes, cannabis consumption remains huge in our country.
With the increasing liberalization of laws and attitudes around the plant has come a greater focus on the unique characteristics of given strains. Different weed is good for different things.
Therefore, it can be difficult to decide what type of pot is right for you, even if you’re an experienced smoker.
Read on as we take a closer look at the different types of weed out there today.
What Are the Active Ingredients in Pot?
There are hundreds of cannabinoids in pot. However, only two have been studied in great detail and proven to offer beneficial effects.
THC
THC is the psychoactive compound in pot. When you smoke and feel a “high,” THC is the compound responsible for this experience.
The higher a THC percentage is, the more profound your high will be.
CBD
CBD is non-psychoactive. However, it is known to offer a host of health benefits.
For this reason, there is now a huge market for CBD-isolate products. Users who wish to access the health benefits of cannabis without getting high take CBD products to achieve this.
What Types of Pot Are There?
Cannabis has traditionally been divided into two broad families; indica and sativa.
Modern genetics has created countless hybrids between the two, so the distinction is not as significant as it once was. However, smokers the world over still refer to these classifications.
Indica
Indica strains are thought to cause a relaxing, body-based high. Some users refer to an indica high as “couch-lock.”
Some well-known indica strains include OG Kush, Northern Lights, and Blue Cheese.
Sativa
Sativa strains are said to cause a more euphoric, uplifting high. Sativas are often used by people who smoke during the day or before a social occasion.
Some classic sativa strains include Amnesia Haze, Maui Wowie, and Blue Dream.
What Type of Pot Should I Pick?
No single type of pot is better than all the others. The most important consideration when picking your weed is the type of effect you want.
If you prefer a more relaxed, body-based high, you want an indica. If you want something to make you feel active or creative, pick a sativa.
If you want weed for a medicinal purpose, the right strain will depend on your condition. Typically, indica strains are good at treating insomnia and lack of appetite, while sativa strains are effective in addressing physical pain and stress.
As noted, however, it’s not always as simple as choosing between indicas and sativas. Different people have different experiences with different strains.
To find the best option for your needs, you’ll need to do some in-depth research. You should also experiment with as many different types of pot as you can to find the one that suits you best.
What’s the Best Way to Consume Pot?
Deciding on your strain is only half the battle. There are several different ways to consume cannabis these days, and the method you choose will have a significant effect on your experience.
Smoking
For many people, the original method of cannabis consumption remains the best. Smoking is still the most common way of consuming weed, although modern alternatives are catching up fast.
You can smoke pot in a variety of different ways.
Some people choose to roll it up into a joint, mixing it with tobacco. Others choose blunts, which are emptied-out cigars filled with weed alone.
Other smoking options include a pipe or a bubbler.
Vaping
Vaping is a means of pot consumption that has become popular in recent years.
A vaporizer is a small, handheld machine into which you put either dry herb or cannabis oil. The vaporizer heats its contents to a very high temperature and emits the resulting vapor. Users then inhale this vapor.
This method has become popular as it is more discreet than smoking. It is also easy to moderate the amount you consume, as you can easily take single hits at different intervals.
Edibles
You may also consume cannabis in edible form. However, it’s not quite as simple as just eating the plant itself.
To feel the effects, you need to make cannabis oil with your weed. You achieve this by cooking the plant in butter or oil, which extracts the THC and CBD.
You then add this cannabis oil to foodstuffs in order to make edibles. Common options are brownies and cookies.
You should note, however, that the effects of edibles are quite different to those from pot that you smoke. They take longer to hit you, they last for far longer once they do hit, and they tend to be far more intense.
For this reason, you shouldn’t try edibles until you have some experience of smoking and vaping.
Dabs
Dabbing is another form of cannabis consumption that has become popular in more recent times.
Also known as shatter or wax, dabs are highly concentrated doses of cannabis that must be consumed through a special pipe known as a dab rig.
Dabs contain a far higher percentage of THC than your average pot plant. What this means is that you can get extremely high from one hit.
Therefore, like edibles, it’s wise to take your time with these until you have experience with smoking or vaping.
Making the Most of Your Pot
The available selection nowadays when it comes to pot is scarcely believable. Breeders are producing new strains all the time, each with different benefits and effects.
Whether you’re looking for a relaxed high, a creative buzz, or a health benefit of some kind, there’s a type of pot out there that will suit you just right.
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