There is a special wonderment and pleasure that comes with good cannabis and consuming it should be relaxing and fun. But not knowing how to consume and enjoy cannabis might make you worry about “getting it right,” and no one wants that! So to help, we have a few things we’d like you to know and to help you have some fun!

Is Marijuana Flower Really More Potent?

Cannabis is indeed more potent than it was in the past. Good genetics and careful cultivation have made better-looking, smelling, tasting and more powerful plants. The upside is with lab testing, you will know the potency of anything you purchase from New Standard.

Most cannabis flower runs between 14 and 30 percent THC. If you’re new to consumption, look for something in the moderate 16-20 percent range. Cannabis isn’t just about THC; the naturally occurring terpenes in it also have noted health benefits.

New Standard stocks cannabis flower from growers across Michigan in various weights, potencies, and strains. We also carry a large selection of pre-rolls and vape carts too.

Your Cannabis Options

A pre-roll is a joint that’s already packed, rolled and ready to smoke. Pre-rolls come in ½ gram and 1 gram weight and are super easy to enjoy. Pre-rolls are packed in a tube so they don’t get crushed and can be easily stashed for finishing later.

Vape carts are made from concentrated cannabis oil and require a battery to heat the cart’s contents. They’re discreet, less pungent than cannabis flower and usually more powerful in the high.

How Much Cannabis Should I Smoke?

With either a vape cart or a joint, you’ll take one or two hits and just wait a few minutes before you do another. It can be a bit overwhelming to the newcomer, so take it easy. You’ll feel something quickly with either the joint or the vape and then decide more consumption. You’ll stay high for at least two hours, depending on how much you smoked.

If you’re vaping cannabis, it’s not like tobacco vapes, and there won’t be a giant plume of smoke when you exhale and much less smoke than a joint, too. But that doesn’t mean you’re not getting any effect—trust us!

Cannabis Edibles Dosing Tips

If you are not a smoker and are considering edibles, take a close look at the package and THC—which is presented in milligrams. If you’re enjoying edible cannabis for the first time, go easy and look for a product that’s about 5 mg per serving or cut a 10 mg edible into two parts.

Edibles have a reputation for sneaking up on people. We’re not used to eating one tiny square of a chocolate bar or only part of gummy candy when it comes to food. But with cannabis-infused food, you need to take care. If you’ve never had an edible, use the mantra “start low and go slow.” That means 5mg of anything, so that’s ½ of Michigan’s recommended dose of 10mg. If you’re anxious about getting too high, cut it to 2.5 mg. And here’s where it gets tricky—because edibles are absorbed via the stomach, which is a slower absorption process than smoking or vaping. So it’s best to consume on an empty stomach, so before a meal is ideal.

It Takes an Hour or More to Feel the Effect of an Edible

It’s a common mistake to eat a bite of a cannabis edible, think that you’re not feeling anything, and have another bite or two and suddenly you’re unpleasantly stoned. Resist the urge to consume more until you feel the effect of the first dose. We recommend doing something active like taking a walk or a hike after you consume, you’ll then notice the high more gradually.

The high will last about 3-4 hours, depending on the THC level and your body composition. After that, the high will just gradually fade away, the same way it came on.

Whatever you do—don’t drive while consuming or after consuming marijuana. It’s against the law and dangerous.

If you over-consume and feel extraordinarily high, there are a few things you can do.

• Drink a few glasses of water.
• Nibble on a couple of black peppercorns.
• If you have CBD in the house, take a dose of that.
• Lock into the couch and watch a mindless TV series or cartoons and pet your dog or cat.
• Throw on your headphones and enjoy your music.
• Don’t worry. You’re not going to die—no one has and you’re not going to be the first.
• Phone a friend who has experience with cannabis. You know who that person is, and they’ll tell you everything will be alright.
• Take a walk; the fresh air will do you good.
• Take a hot shower; for some reason, hot water helps bring you down.
• Go to bed and sleep it off, and BTW, don’t expect wild dreams—cannabis is a dream suppressor.

As always, feel free to ask a New Standard budtender at our dispensaries about any of our cannabis products. We got you.