Tracking Medical Cannabis consumption is a good idea. It is something we routinely recommend to patients after helping them get their Medical Cannabis Cards. As for how many actually take our advice, we don’t know. Every patient would track consumption in a perfect world.
How about you? Do you follow the state’s recommendation to write down the details every time you use Medical cannabis? If not, you really should start. But don’t just take our word on tracking cannabis use. Listen to your peers. And if you don’t know anyone else who uses Medical Cannabis, we can refer you to a post that recently showed up on the Cannigma website.
The post was written by Cannigma regular Jessica Reilly. In her opening remarks, Reilly commented about how she really had no clue what she was doing when she first began her cannabis journey. Like so many others, the early stages of her journey were defined by trial and error. She went on to say that she wished she had “been better about tracking [her] cannabis experiences at the start.”
One of the first things she discovered is that she barely knew the difference between indica and sativa. Anybody who has been on the journey for any length of time knows that indica and sativa are where it all starts. If you don’t know the differences between the two cannabis types then it is pretty hard to make decisions about what you’re going to use.
Another thing Reilly was unfamiliar with are the many different cannabinoids naturally occurring in cannabis plants. In a Medical Cannabis setting, the main cannabinoid everyone is after is THC. Still, some medical conditions are better treated with CBD. Even combining the two cannabinoids is appropriate for some people.
Did you know that there are over 100 naturally occurring cannabinoids? Did you know that some Medical Cannabis products contain more than one? These are all things people new to the Medical Cannabis journey need to learn over time.
Reilly was even surprised to learn about terpenes and how they affect the cannabis experience. Terpenes are those compounds found in plant life that produce the unique odors our noses recognize. Lemon has a specific odor, for example. We identify that odor by the easily recognized terpenes the tree produces.
Terpenes can actually impact how a Medical Cannabis product performs. You may react one way to certain terpenes while someone else reacts just the opposite. Just the difference in one or two terpenes can affect how well a particular medicine works for you.
By now you might be wondering what any of this has to do with tracking consumption. Here’s the deal: the point of tracking is to create a record of every Medical Cannabis product you use and how it makes you feel. Tracking is a lot like budgeting. By keeping a written record, you can easily see what works and what doesn’t. You can start seeing patterns develop. From there, you can make better decisions about how to use Medical Cannabis.
We recommend tracking everything and then sharing the information with your QMP and PMP. Both medical professionals can help you make sense of the data. They can better advise you on everything from delivery method to dosage.
Tracking consumption is essentially a tool to help you get the most out of Medical Cannabis. But don’t take our word for it. Ask friends or family members who have already been on the journey for a while. Chances are they will recommend tracking, too.
