Maximum Yield Cannabis USA April/May 2018 | Page 32

heal
DEALING WITH A
HANGOVER
WEED
by Karen Lloyd | Most people suffer nasty alcohol-induced
hangovers once or twice in their life. Similarly, some cannabis
smokers develop weed hangovers, which can leave them with
headaches or feeling lethargic and sometimes nauseous.
M
ost people aren’t aware weed hangovers even exist, let alone feel they’ve
suffered any consequences after a relaxing evening with Mary Jane.
“I’ve never heard of this in my life,” says Margaret Hannan, a regular pot
smoker from Toronto, Canada.
For a small group of smokers, however, morning-after headaches, heavy
eyelids, as well as mental and physical lethargy are the real deal. Often
referred to as a weedover or a bongover, some chronic cannabis users
have reported symptoms of nausea the next day.
“My cure for any weedover is (cannabidiol),” says cannabis activist
Dinah Mitchell.
EDIBLES CAN LEAD TO WEEDOVERS
According to Mitchell, weed hangovers are a far more common
complaint from individuals who consumed too many edibles (which
is often the case with newbies) than from individuals who smoked
too much pot.
“People get very impatient,” she says.
While an immediate high is experienced after one puff of a joint,
the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from edibles such as cannabis
cookies and other baked goods typically takes more than two hours
to kick in because it goes through the digestion process. By then,
consumers, possibly doubting the quality of the product they
just swallowed, may have popped a couple more weed-infus ed
gummy bears or indulged in one more special brownie, doubling
or tripling the amount of THC their body needs to metabolize.
Since THC from marijuana edibles is more potent than smoked
flower, it stays in the system much longer, resulting in a linger-
ing low-level high.
WEEDOVERS DON’T LAST LONG
Fortunately, a weedover is nothing at all like a boozy hang-
over, which for some can last up to three days.
“The difference with a weedover is you snap out of it within
an hour of moving around and drinking water,” says Mitchell.
Although there is no evidence to link cannabis hangovers
and dehydration, many of the symptoms of a cannabis
hangover are improved by drinking more water.
Another possible factor behind a weedover is the
extraction method used to separate and refine molecules
and contaminants. Fortunately, distillate is more
commonly used these days to produce many of the
chocolates, candies, and granola bars behind the
counter at your local cannabis dispensary. Distillates
use an extraction process to create a clean, clear,
extremely pure top-shelf concentrate.
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