Dear Mother,

I haven't [regularly] smoked for over 12 years. I'm a mom, business owner, and writer, so I need to be present and functioning. Since having my child, I've developed migraines around my cycle and they last for the better part of three weeks. I have had success decreasing symptoms with CBD oil, but want to know all of the available ways of using or ingesting CBD oil or high CBD weed. I have Sour Tsunami from the local dispensary, but I hate smoking and smelling like smoke. Also, it makes me a little weak and spacy feeling. I don't know anything about vaping. Would that be a better avenue? Other strains to try?

— One mother to another

 

Hello fellow mother,

CBD is a great option for many folks, including parents like yourself, who need pain relief while not really wanting any sort of cerebral high. Let's break down all things CBD!

First, let's take a look at what CBD actually is. CBD (a.k.a. Cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis. It has been found to be especially useful when taken for pain, nausea, anxiety, cancer, inflammation, seizures, and many more physical ailments.

Growers are now able to breed strains that are high CBD/low THC (the psychoactive compound), so folks who want all the benefits from CBD but don't want to get "high" can find relief. In addition to high CBD strains, there are also ways to extract pure CBD from marijuana, making an even more potent form of medication.

You mentioned using CBD oil, and for those who want to experience the benefits of CBD, this is an excellent and very user-friendly way to start. If you have oil, you can take it orally—a drop or two under your tongue until you find the person dose that works for you. You can also use the oil in cooking if you'd prefer. But remember, any type of marijuana that is ingested usually takes more time to work. Which means, you can also inhale the oil through vaping.

Vaping sounds like it might be a great solution for you, since you don't like smoking or smelling of smoke. You can vape two different ways: with oil or flower. Neither produces a heavy, lingering stench like smoking does, and neither method is harsh on your lungs.

You can get a vaporizer like the Pax, which will allow you to vape flower like the Sour Tsunami (one of my favorite strains—it's excellent for treating my anxiety!). There are also other really great high CBD strains that you might want to try out in flower form, like Harlox (another personal fav!), Charlotte's Web, and Avidekel.

The thing with smoking flower is that most do still have some THC, so depending on the percentage in a particular strain, you might still get that spacy head feeling. If that's the case, perhaps save your flower for nighttime, when you don't need to be as "on" as a parent and are looking for something to ease the pain and help you sleep better.

Vaping with CBD oil sounds like it might be the best option for you. With this method, you'll get the quicker onset of the oil (versus ingesting it), won't produce the spacy head high you're looking to avoid, and there's no smell! It's a win all around. To see if this works for you, take a hit or two from the pen, wait about 10–15 minutes and if you feel like you still need more of an impact take another hit or two.

I hope this helped and I hope you're able to find a method that becomes your new favorite soon!

— Mother