Top 10 Rookie Patient Mistakes to Avoid
Top 10 Rookie Patient Mistakes to Avoid
1) Going to a dispensary without your card.
Whether it’s because you forgot your card at home, or because you haven’t yet registered or received your card or renewal in the mail, there is no way a dispensary in a registry –based state will allow you to purchase marijuana. Save yourself the trip and double check you have your card on hand before hitting the dispensary.
2) Not knowing what you’re smoking.
Not all cannabis is created equal and if you’re using marijuana to alleviate certain symptoms or side effects, it’s important to associate the strain, or at least the variety, with its effectiveness in relieving symptoms. Be sure to find out if it’s a sativa, hybrid, or indica and note how it did or did not help. It stinks to use a strain with the intent to help sleep only to find out it helped keep you up all night.
3) Accidentally Purchasing CBD-Only products.
Sometimes dispensaries offer CBD only products or high CBD strains intended for specific people looking to avoid THC and psycho-active effects. However, many people’s symptoms are actually relieved by THC or the THC compliments the other aspects of the cannabis, so hearing high CBD or CBD only does not make the product extra great, it’s actually almost a completely different product in itself.
4) Not grinding up the weed.
If you plan on smoking or vaporizing, it’s important to grind up the marijuana. Smoking an entire bud makes it more difficult and causes you to waste more of the marijuana. 5) Eating too much edible
It’s an easy mistake to make, even for the marijuana expert, but eating too much of a marijuana edible can turn a good idea bad pretty quickly. Most dispensary staff and packaging warn the consumer to eat small portions and wait 30 to 45 minutes. Overlooking this advice can result in dizziness, nausea, and an overall bad experience.
6) Not using a torch light to dab.
Dabbing is growing more and more popular, but even the most experienced cannabis users aren’t always familiar with the process. A rookie mistake often made is to use a normal lighter on the wax resulting in burnt fingers and a really difficult process. The solution is simple though, just purchase a torch lighter and that will do the trick.
7) Using an alcohol tincture directly under the tongue.
This is a rookie mistake for two reasons. First alcohol tinctures need to be heated to activate the THC and secondly, alcohol tinctures burn like hell if dropped directly under the tongue. The solution is to mix the tincture in a heated beverage like tea or coffee.
8) Using the wrong devices.
Nowadays there are more than just bongs, bowls, and joints. There are wax pens, oil pens, rigs, and vaporizers as well. Throwing the wrong material into the wrong device is an easy way to ruin that device. Most wax pens are only meant for wax, shatter, and crumble and putting oil in there could ruin it. While putting wax in an oil pen could also destroy that too. Be sure to double-check your device and what it is used for so you don’t waste your money.
9) Smoking in public or in a car.
Having a medical marijuana card is a great privilege, BUT that privilege does not give patients the right to smoke or use marijuana in public. Most state programs specifically limit usage to personal homes, so don’t think your card will get you out of trouble if you choose to smoke in public.
10) Waiting to the last minute to renew your card.
Most states require patients to renew their cards by getting re-certified by a doctor. If you wait to the last minute to renew your card, you may have a lapse in coverage and be unable to purchase from the dispensaries. Most recommend renewing about 30 days before the expiration process.
All in all, the best thing a new patient can do when they are not sure about something is to ask. Remember, we all were newbies to cannabis at one point in our life, so veteran cannabis users are usually happy to help out a beginner.
