New to Cannabis? Start Your Journey Here!

Welcome! If you are new to cannabis, overwhelmed with all the options, and just want to know where to start, rest assured you’re in the right place. Here I will cover everything you need to know to start your cannabis journey with confidence and ease. 

Article Features

• Everything you need to know about application and dosing
• Recommendations for how to use cannabis for the first time
• Want to make it easy? Shop my best-selling cannabis products so you can start your journey today!

You can read more about the details of the ECS here, but the most important thing to know is this:

1. Everybody’s ECS is different, so your cannabis experience will be unique to YOU. 
2. What works for your friend or me is not guaranteed to work for you, and that’s OK.
3. On your cannabis journey, you must be patient and willing to experiment to find what works best for you and your unique ECS. 

Know Your Cannabinoids

You may already know the most popular cannabinoids, THC and CBD.

It’s important to know that there are over 100 cannabinoids found within cannabis plants, and each one affects us differently.

These cannabinoids interact with our ECS to produce a variety of effects. This means that THC will affect you differently than CBD or CBG.

To know which cannabinoid is right for you, you will want to experiment with each one to see how it affects you.

In a very generalized description, this is what each cannabinoid may help with:

• CBD – wellness, inflammation, anxiety
• THC* – pain, relaxation, bliss, sleep
• CBG – focus, energy, clarity
• CBN – sleep, sedation 
• CBDA – nausea, vomiting, pain, inflammation
• THCA – nausea, pain, inflammation

*THC is the only cannabinoid listed above that produces a ‘high’ or intoxicating feeling. For this reason, new users may want to start with another option, like CBD products. 

As you advance along your journey, you will learn that different cannabinoids work together to produce an entourage effect. 

You will also discover that terpenes matter to the effects of cannabis, maybe just as much as the cannabinoids consumed.

Choose an Application Method

Now that you know that you need to select a cannabinoid that will interact with your ECS, it’s time to decide how to use it.

How you use cannabis, or the application process, will affect how it makes you feel and how long it takes to work.

The most common and popular consumption methods include:

• Sublingual – a product, like a tincture, held under the tongue for quick absorption
• Topicals – products that are applied directly to the skin
• Edibles – products that are eaten and processed by the digestive system 
• Inhalation – products that are inhaled into the lungs, whether it be smoking, vaping, or dry herb vaping
• Suppository – products that are inserted directly into the body, rectally or vaginally

Each of these different ways will affect you differently and have different onset and duration times, so be sure to do your research before getting started.

It is best to select an application method you feel comfortable with; not all methods are right for everyone, and that’s OK.

Also, know that you can use a variety of forms and methods if you want; you are not limited to choosing just one.

Dose Appropriately 

Now you know what cannabinoid you want to use and how you want to use it, it’s time to decide how much to use.

When it comes to cannabis, there are no standard dosing recommendations because we all react differently.

Therefore, the best option is to follow the golden rule: start low and go slow.

This means you start with a relatively low dose, assess your reaction, and slowly increase the dose as needed until you feel the desired outcome.

Of course, a low dose is subjective, but it’s important to be especially conservative with THC because it can make you feel intoxicated.

If you accidentally consume too much THC, you may feel unwell. A low dose for starting THC would be between 0-5mg.

You can increase the dose as needed depending on your reaction and tolerance.

A low dose for starting CBD, CBN, or CBG could be higher because they will not make you feel intoxicated or unwell.

Most people start with a dose between 5-25mg.

Again, there is no standard dosing recommendation, and it is up to you to experiment with different doses to find what works best for you.

You can learn more about dosing in my dosing guide here.

Stay the Course 

The truth is, cannabis is not a magic cure for everything, and it might not work the way you want it to the first time. 

Finding the best product for you may take several attempts with different strains, cannabinoid ratios, application methods, and dosages. 

And to get the most out of your experience, you will likely need to use the product for several weeks to allow your body time to adjust and assess your progress.

Record Your Progress 

Sometimes even the biggest changes are hard to notice within our bodies.

And in many cases, like with CBD, it’s not always about what you feel but what you don’t feel.

Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to notice the changes happening to you.

The best way to measure your progress is to record it in a cannabis journal.

Like a food diary, this journal will help you track your journey, assess your progress, and make educated decisions if you need to change.

Having this data recorded will help you look back and make connections about your symptoms, dosages, and experiences.

One of the easiest ways to record your progress is with this patient journal.

More than just a blank journal, this cannabis journal knows what you need during this special time.

Conclusion

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations!

You’re well on your way to starting your journey with safety, confidence, and success in mind.

I hope this guide has given you the tools you need to get started, but if you’re looking for more information, enroll in my Cannabis Compass Online Course, which covers all of these topics in depth.

Everything you wish someone taught you…

The Cannabis Compass Online Course will show you how to use, apply, and dose cannabis safely and effectively so that you can begin to manage your anxiety, pain, and inflammation the natural way from the comfort of your own home. Learn more below.

Learn more and enroll today →