Half of Americans (50%) say they have tried marijuana at some time, a new high point for this behavior that has been inching up over the past quarter century.
Story Highlights
50% of U.S. adults say they have experimented with marijuana
About one in six Americans (17%) are current users
Three in four Americans are concerned about effects on young/teen users
If you're not in a legal state, look into delta-8 products. They're derived from hemp instead of cannabis, so they're legal in most places (in the US, at least), and they contain THC delta-8, which is a very slightly different molecule from the THC found in cannabis. Different enough that it's legal enough to be sold in gas stations and smoke shops.
I find that they tend to have a lot of the pain relief and relaxation effects of normal cannabis, but without nearly as much of the psychoactive components. You can still get high on delta-8 products if you really want to, but it requires a lot more product than regular cannabis to get to that point, so it's not a financially sound way to get high.
You can get delta-8 in a lot of different types of products, from edibles to vape liquids to hemp flower that you basically smoke like regular weed. Personally, I'd recommend the vape products, as they tend to go into effect quickly and it's pretty easy to control your dosage with them.
In my experience it doesn't help with pain nearly as much as people act like it does. But it helps with relaxation and mood. Still better than not having it.
That's fair. Everyone has their own experience. Personally for me if I'm in pain and take some edibles, I am aware there is pain, but my brain doesn't care about it. Certainly an interesting experience IMO
Oh, funny, I just replied to the person above you about this. That's exactly it. It's a 'pain modifier' as my neurologist calls it.
Being in pain and caring less about it is not as good as not being in pain, but it's better than being in pain and it being at the forefront constantly.
Marijuana doesn't help with pain specifically, but some of its other elements like CBD can reduce inflammation by allowing more bloodflow since it relaxes your veins through dilation.