Cannabis Edibles – Keys to Safe Consumption

Edibles are a fun alternative for people who’d prefer not to inhale cannabis, but consumers (and the media) need some education around safe consumption.

Edibles are the consumption method of choice for many fans of cannabis. You love them, we love them, and for consumers who’d prefer not to inhale cannabis, edibles are a great alternative.

Still, there are specific guidelines for the safe consumption of cannabis edibles that need to be discussed. We’ve noticed an uptick in stories, from both local and national media outlets, citing studies that show an increase in Emergency Room visits related to the consumption of edibles.

Before we move on, let’s set the record straight

Lightshade supports the SAFE consumption of cannabis edibles—but we DO NOT support their misuse, abuse, or the consumption of edibles by people who are not yet educated on safe consumption guidelines (or minors).

Now that we’ve cleared the air it’s time to dive into the problem and the solution.

A study published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined roughly 10,000 patients at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital for four years—from 2012 to 2016. The study, as is typical of studies and media coverage related to cannabis (yes, even in Colorado where cannabis is legal), is designed to portray cannabis and cannabis consumers, in a less-than-favorable light.

The media is quick to point out the dangers of edibles as a growing concern but fails to highlight the inadequate and skewed data set from which this study draws its conclusions.

What is not reported by this study, is the fact that the data set used represents less than one percent (.57 percent) of the total ER visits. The .57 figure used was informed by coding in a patient’s chart indicating partial attribution to cannabis.

A statement issued by the Marijuana Industry Group explains, “Of the ER visits partially attributed to cannabis, 62.7 percent were discharged, none were admitted to the intensive care unit, and none died. Consistent with other examinations on the issue, the majority of cases presented nominal health issues and patients went home.”

The study used data gathered during a period in which Colorado was transitioning from a strictly medical cannabis system to a system where both medical and recreational cannabis is legal. The intake data used in this study doesn’t segment between regulated and unregulated sources of product, and those differences in the product are significant. Because of the limited data set—and the skewed perspective from which the study was conducted—the findings are suspect. Regardless, we’d rather focus on education and changing the narrative around cannabis in the media, and less on studies and coverage that only serve to perpetuate a longstanding stigma.

What you need to know about edibles

We’ve said this before, and we will repeat it: start low and go slow.

Edibles are different than other consumption methods, primarily in their time to onset. When you consume an edible, it has to pass through your digestive tract before it has an opportunity to produce its effects. Where consumers get into trouble is when they eat an edible, assume it isn’t the appropriate dosage, and consume again in rapid succession (and perhaps again after that).

It’s that simple.

When you’re starting out, you should consult with our budtenders on safe consumption guidelines. We’d typically suggest that you select an edible with a low dosage of THC, and DO NOT re-dose until at least four hours later. We don’t want to see anyone wind up in the ER for something as easily preventable as an edible-induced freakout.  

If you have over-indulged in edibles, don’t panic. Research suggests that CBD can counteract some of the anxiety-inducing side-effects of THC.

AS EARLY AS 1982, THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT THE PSYCHOSIS AND ANXIETY-INDUCING EFFECTS OF THC CAN BE SUPPRESSED BY CBD. SEVERAL OTHER STUDIES HAVE FOUND SUPPORT FOR THE ANTIPSYCHOTIC EFFECTS OF CBD.

– US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

In addition, Dr. Dustin Sulack from healer.com, a leader in cannabis medicine, has a few ideas for you:

IF YOU FIND YOU’VE INHALED OR INGESTED TOO MUCH CANNABIS AND DON’T WANT TO FEEL HIGH, DON’T DESPAIR. THERE ARE A FEW SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE THE FEELING OF INTOXICATION GO AWAY FASTER. DR. SULACK SUGGESTS YOU TRY LEMON ZEST. SIMPLY GRIND A LEMON PEEL AND SPRINKLE IT ON SOME FOOD – OR HAVE A CUP OF CHAMOMILE TEA TO HELP YOU RELAX AND RELIEVE THE PSYCHOACTIVE EFFECTS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THC IS NON-TOXIC AND WON’T HARM YOU, EVEN IN HIGH DOSES, SO JUST HYDRATE, TRY ONE OF THESE EFFECTIVE ANTIDOTES AND WAIT IT OUT. YOU’LL SOON BE BACK TO NORMAL.

– healer.com

The education pages on our site are packed with information around various methods of consumption and include tips for the safe use of edibles. As part of our commitment to combatting the misinformation presented by mass media and the resulting stigma, Lightshade WILL ALWAYS be available to answer questions surrounding all areas of cannabis, from consumption guidelines, and various methods of consumption, to information around the latest products and exciting industry news.

At the end of the day, we want you to have a safe and pleasant cannabis experience. Please reach out if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Additional reading: PotGuide.com recently published an article packed with great information around what you can expect to feel if you’ve gone overboard with an edible, and what you can do to mitigate the side-effects. Click here to read the article.

420 in Colorado

Make the most of this green holiday with tips and activities hand-selected by Lightshade.

Sure, St. Patty’s Day is green, but the greenest day of the year is 420. The roots of 420 are vague (and change depending on who you ask). Here’s what people say:

• 420 is the number of active chemical compounds found in cannabis.
• 420 somehow relates back to teatime in Holland.
• 420 was born from Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”, the song in which Dylan famously sings, “Everybody must get stoned”—because, 12 multiplied by 35 equals 420.
• 420 is a code used by law enforcement for “marijuana smoking in progress.”
• 420 is the birthdate of a particular figure in history who we’d rather not mention by name (it is, in fact, his birthday).

So, what’s the real story? As with many stories related to cannabis, the tale of 420 involves music—and it’s hazy.

Let’s roll back the tape (or papers) to Marin County, California, 1971. Five local high school students decide to meet at 4:20 pm near a statue of the legendary chemist Louis Pasteur for a toke. The group, known as the “Waldos” (they met next to a hidden wall near the statue), used 420 as code for cannabis when making plans for their next session.

Later, one of the Waldos found work with the Grateful Dead as a roadie. He brought more than just his skills at handling bassist Phil Lesh’s gear—he brought the notion of 420 too.

On December 28, 1990, a collection of Deadheads who were familiar with the then-underground code, organized a gathering of people to smoke “420” at 4:20 pm. We can thank those Deadheads for envisioning a day each year where people gather to enjoy cannabis at the same time. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast-forward to 2019 and 420 in Colorado has become a yearly ritual for local cannabis consumers and canna-friendly tourists. And we love it.

Tips to help you make the most of the cannabis holiday.

Denver is ground-zero for our favorite cannabis-themed holiday. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of it.

A few of our favorite 420 events this year in Colorado.

Not sure what to do this weekend? We’ve got you covered. The Lightshade team has hand-selected a few events to help you build out a roadmap to 420. Of course, we’d suggest that you start your weekend with a visit to one of our eight Colorado dispensaries. We have some amazing specials in store for local and visitor, alike.

Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube at Red Rocks

This isn’t technically on 4/20, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to kick-off the holiday than seeing Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube live at Red Rocks. The two take the stage together on Thursday, April 18th, at 7pm. Just remember, it’s not legal to consume in public (as we said above)—plan accordingly.

The Mile High 4.20K

Celebrate the official start of 4/20 with an elevated run surrounded by hundreds of like-minded fans of cannabis and fitness. The Mile High 4.20K starts at 8 am at Sloan’s Lake Park. The event is designed to raise awareness of how cannabis consumption can be an integral part of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Mile High 420 Festival

We’d be remiss not to mention the classic Denver 420 event: The Mile High 420 Festival. Held each year at Civic Center Park, the Mile High 420 Festival draws cannabis-consumers and advocates from across the globe. This year the event organizers aim to reimagine what the holiday represents, to fight the longstanding stigma that surrounds cannabis while celebrating our healthy (and growing) local cannabis industry. Celebrate our favorite plant with over 50,000 like-minded revelers.

Secret Stash Yoga: Sunday Gentle Flow

Start 420 Sunday (ok, technically it’s 4/21) on your mat with Secret Stash Yoga: Sunday Gentle Flow. Secret Stash Yoga wants to enhance your yoga experience in an environment that encourages relaxation, spiritual awareness, bliss and inner self-reflection—a perfect entry into the final day of the 420 holiday.

420 is a time for us to join together as a community and celebrate the past, present, and future of our favorite plant (and the industry). Be safe, be smart, and most importantly—let’s show the rest of the nation that Colorado cannabis consumers (and tourists) are happy, healthy, and working to tear down the misconceptions that have far too long, plagued this beautiful plant.

Beat the lines at Lightshade locations this week by placing your pre-order online for faster pickup!

We need to take a hard look at what our industry is doing to the planet and make a change—today.

With Earth Day approaching (Monday, April 22nd) and the global conversation around climate change heating up (no pun intended, seriously), we need to talk about the impact our industry has on the planet—and more essential—how we can change it.

The growing cannabis community is diverse. Most, if not all of us, are woke, earth-loving people, but we’ve got a challenge that must be addressed. The cannabis industry is facing a sustainability issue that threatens to tarnish the already tenuous reputation of our favorite plant. Introducing the benefits of cannabis to the planet is difficult if we are simultaneously doing harm to it.

“UNLESS ACTIONS ARE TAKEN SOON, THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY’S SKY-HIGH ENERGY USAGE AND WASTEFUL PACKAGING WILL UNDERMINE ITS GREEN SPIRIT AND BEST INTENTIONS.”—SPENCER J. WARD, ROOSTER

In a report released last year, New Frontier Data found that energy consumption by the cannabis industry is predicted to increase as much as 162% by 2020. At the time the report was published, also according to New Frontier, our industry consumed a staggering 1.1 million megawatt hours of electricity annually. To put things into perspective, that is enough energy to power over 92,000 homes for a year.

Despite cannabis being an industry based around agriculture, there are no clear guidelines for how to make it sustainable. Due in large part to the history of cannabis prohibition and resulting stigma, we have limited data to help inform industry-wide best practices specific to sustainability. And, in contrast to nearly every other industry, there has been scant publicly-funded research to define how we can produce and package cannabis in an effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying.

Some points you should consider:

• The Denver area is home to 300 grows that account for four percent of the city’s total electricity demand.
• As of today, Colorado gets most of its energy from coal-fired plants, making cannabis grown in our state the most carbon-intensive in the U.S.
• We won’t know how best to approach the issue of sustainability in cannabis until we have sufficient research and data.

What Lightshade is doing about engrained environmental issues in the cannabis industry

We’re not perfect. Despite our sustainable practices, Lightshade has been called out more than once on social media. We aren’t afraid to put ourselves under the microscope. Lightshade is committed to reducing our carbon footprint to ensure a better, more sustainable future, and still adhere to local regulations.

Here’s how:

• We recently completed construction of a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art greenhouse. This new cultivation facility uses natural sunlight for the entire year, with artificial light added to supplement the process for 6 months out of each year. The greenhouse is cooled through water evaporation, cutting our power usage in half. Additionally, every drop of water in our new greenhouse is recycled, which enables us to decrease our nutrient and water consumption by 50 percent.
• Our existing cultivation facilities have always and will always use organic pest control methods.
• At each Lightshade retail location, we use LED lighting and high-efficiency climate control systems. And, our retail locations make use of single-stream recycling containers to house every piece of waste produced.
• This year, we are switching our packaging to bags that use 85% less plastic than the drams in use today. Until we make this switch, Lightshade has partnered with Green4Green to drop recycling bins at each location, allowing customers to return their spent drams to be cleaned and reused.

This is a call to action. The time is now.

As an industry and a community, we are green for green (pun intended). We are leading the charge in developing programs and habits to support the planet and show the commitment of the cannabis industry to be a positive force for change.

Lightshade is devoted to identifying sustainability issues and taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint. Will you join us in the fight to save our planet?

Get in touch if you’d like to know more about the sustainable practices of Lightshade.

At Lightshade, giving back to the community is important. For this reason, we want to recognize five local organizations who are making a difference every day.

Citizens in Colorado made their voices heard when they voted in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis. Since then, the cannabis industry has matured, and many businesses, including Lightshade, have built Corporate Social Responsibility programs (or Cannabis Social Responsibility, as we prefer to call it), to demonstrate the capacity of cannabis to do good. It is through our ability to give, that we will show the willingness of cannabis industry leaders to support our community in a big way.

As an industry, we are in the position to redefine CSR, building an improved vision of what it means to be good corporate citizens, and creating new standards for the rest of our industry to follow. The stigma surrounding cannabis is a force we battle each day. Media outlets, even in Colorado, where cannabis is legal, too often portray cannabis as a counter-cultural industry working in the shadows of mainstream society.

This is a false narrative. Our industry is about healthy living, healing, positivity, and love.

February, to us, is the month of love; love for ourselves, for our partners, and for the community. It is for this reason, that we’d like to highlight five local organizations (and a handful of honorable mentions) working to make Colorado a more supportive place to live, for each individual in the state.

Five Colorado Organizations Committed to Giving Back

1. The Gathering Place

Founded in 1986, the Gathering place is the only daytime drop-in center in metro Denver that serves women, their children, and transgender individuals who are experiencing poverty, many of whom are also experiencing homelessness. While the Gathering Place refers to those they serve as “members”, no fees are ever charged for programs or services.

TGP believes deeply in the power of the community, and they work tirelessly to make it stronger. Their core values include recognizing individual strengths, building respect and trust, and offering unconditional acceptance.

If you’d like to learn more about The Gathering Place, please contact them at:

(303) 321-4198, or (303) 321-0679

2. Aurora Warms the Nights

Aurora Warms the Night (AWTN), shelters those experiencing homelessness in the winter when the temperatures drop below 20 degrees. Year-round services include meals, warm clothing, personal hygiene products, transportation to shelter, laundry vouchers, bus passes, partner agency referrals, and advocacy. AWTN operates these services in order to ensure families and individuals meet their most basic needs, learn new skills, and access resources to transition out of homelessness. Aurora Warms the Night also provides a mobile shower truck to give those experiencing homelessness a safe and comfortable place to bathe, helping to restore their sense of pride and dignity.

Aurora Warms the Night is helping to break the cycle of homelessness, through their comprehensive services. Their partner provider services are located onsite and include mental health services, health care clinics, and workforce education for clients, including resume composition, interviewing skills, job coaching assistance, food assistance, SSI, and SSDI application assistance, along with veterans’ services.

AWTN provides education to the community regarding homelessness, including presentations to schools, the faith-based community, corporations, and community organizations.

If you’d like to learn more about Aurora Warms the Night, please contact them at:

info@awtnco.org or (303) 361-6905

3. Amazing Grace Church

We are proud to partner with Amazing Grace Church, to provide much-needed support to the Amazing Grace Food Pantry. The food pantry is responsible for supplying over 5,000 pounds of food each week to underprivileged members of the community. Amazing Grace had previously been stocking their food pantry with individual donations, along with unused food from local restaurants. When we learned of Amazing Grace and the support they provide to the community, along with the challenges they face in this endeavor, we knew we needed to get involved.

Amazing Grace serves dinner on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, and Lightshade not only provides financial support, but we also send our budtenders to help out in person. Dubbed “Dinner for a Dollar” the dinner provides a nourishing meal to community members who need it the most.

The food bank also offers needy visitors a choice of products in their shopping area. Additionally, they have an 800 square foot garden that provides produce during the summer growing season and encourages clients to take time to pick fresh vegetables while at the church.

If you’d like to learn more about Amazing Grace Church and the Amazing Grace Food Pantry, please contact them at:

(303) 280-0444 

4. Project Sanctuary

Project Sanctuary supports military families where they are right now.

After years of working with military families, they have become a recognized leader in bringing health and wellness to veterans and their families. By addressing mental health first, they take families from battle ready to family ready.

Since 2007, Project Sanctuary has been helping military families thrive with six-day therapeutic retreats and an additional two years of family support services. Their evidence-based program is the only of its kind, treating the entire family, and helping veterans, spouses, caregivers, and kids heal together.

If you’d like to learn more about Project Sanctuary, please contact them at:

(720) 561-9193

info@projectsanctuary.us

5. Denver Urban Gardens

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG), knows that community is the driver of lasting change. That’s why each of their urban gardens and farms has been started and led by local residents. They currently have over 180 gardens in six counties within the Metro Denver Area.

DUG gardeners grow food, but more than that, they grow the community. They put down deep roots, providing resources, training, and support to establish enduring gardens and farms that become valuable assets to neighborhoods. All of this is done with respect for all people and the environment.

Since 1985, Denver Urban Gardens has been building and supporting community gardens in the Metro Denver Area.

If you’d like to learn more about Denver Urban Gardens, please contact them at:

dirt@dug.org or (303) 292-9900

Honorable mentions:

Servicio de la Raza
(303) 458-5851
info@serviciosdelaraza.org

Colorado Homeless Families
(303) 420-6634
info@chfrb.org

Senior Support Services
(303) 832-1622

We hope you will join us in supporting individuals and organizations who make a difference each day in Colorado. Let’s show the world what the cannabis community is all about—health, positivity, healing, support, and love.

*Lightshade is proud to provide not only financial support to the organizations mentioned above but also store-based donation drives and in person volunteer hours.

Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about any of the organizations mentioned in this blog. Head over to our Cannabis Social Responsibility page to learn more about our efforts to support our communities.

Ignite your passion this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is next week. Are you ready?

Many of our readers will answer this question with a sigh and roll of the eyes, others, with a seductive smile and nod. We understand both reactions.

The Feast of Saint Valentine, as it’s also known, is rough. For those flying solo, the day is forlorn—a stinging reminder that something is missing*. That being said, if you’re married or in a relationship, there’s plenty of opportunities for disappointment (did you remember to buy a card?).

*Note: we should clarify. There is nothing wrong with choosing to fly solo—we are fans of solitude—you do you.

We aren’t part of the doom and gloom set and view Valentine’s Day as a beautiful celebration of love, no matter where you fall on the relationship spectrum. Is our fondness for the Feast of Saint Valentine influenced by cannabis? Perhaps it is (#duh).

Since legalization, cannabis industry innovators have created a legion of products ideally suited for star-crossed lovers, spouses—together for decades, or newlyweds—the happily single, and the not so happily single. Here are five of them.

Five premium cannabis products from Lightshade

1. Coda Bath Bombs

Everyone loves a relaxing bath. Light a few candles, turn on the romantic tunes, and treat your Valentine (or yourself) to a relaxing cannabis-infused bath with the Symphony Bath Bomb collection from Coda Signature.

From Coda:

The body essential Bath Bomb Symphony Collection orchestrates the rich effects of cannabis with our unique oil blends to provide a total body healing experience. Simply drop a single bath bomb into a warm bath, submerge yourself, breathe deeply, and let this effervescent experience relax your muscles and nourish your skin.

2. Binske: 100mg Raspberry Chocolate Bar

Valentine’s Day and chocolate go hand-in-hand, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better, sexier, cannabis-infused chocolate, than a bar from Binske. Borrowing from the ancient Mayan tradition of chocolate manufacturing, Binske’s 100mg Raspberry Chocolate bar joins the gold of Moctezuma with the Feast of Saint Valentine.

From Binske:

As legend has it, when Cortez conquered the Aztecs and asked emperor Moctezuma for their most prized commodity, he was shown vaults of cacao instead of gold. The real gold of the Mayans, Oro Maya Chocolate, comes from the lush tropics of Mesoamerica, where it first evolved in the Amazon River Basin between three and six million years ago. The Mayan civilization is credited with being first to document the manufacturing of chocolate and popularized it in their culture, as they considered it sacred, and chocolate was believed to contain the ‘spirit of the gods’. The cacao is grown, harvested and produced in the same Honduran jungle sacred to the Mayans.

The Honduran 65% Cacao with crispy bits of tart raspberries bursting with flavor. Suggested musical pairing: Je Ne T’aime Plus by Manu Chao.

3. Foria: Pleasure Lube 5ml

Break out the cannabis-infused lube when you and your Valentine are ready to kick things up a notch—or, when you’re ready for a solo celebration. Need we say more? Nope.

From Foria:

FORIA Pleasure is a first of its kind all natural sensual enhancement oil thoughtfully designed for women and their partners –  a blend of nourishing liquid coconut oil and lab-tested cannabis oil.

•   Sourced from sun-grown cannabis cultivated to organic standards
•   Delivered in 100% organic-certified coconut MCT oil
•   30-50 servings per bottle
•  Independently tested for purity: free of pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, and other toxins    

4. Love’s Oven: Red Velvet Cookies 100mg

If THC laden chocolate bars and cannabis-infused lube isn’t your thing, perhaps the 100mg Red Velvet Cookies from Love’s Oven will spark your interest. Who doesn’t love a sensual cannabis-infused cookie on Valentine’s Day?

From Love’s Oven:

Dive into the deep mysterious taste of luxury that will leave your taste buds wanting more.

Ingredients:
White Flour, Colorado Beet Sugar, Cannabutter, Egg, White Chocolate Chips, Cocoa Powder, Liquid Red Food Color, Pure Vanilla Extract, Pure Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Agar

Allergens:
Wheat, Dairy, Egg

Package Size:
Ten individually packaged, 10 mg active THC cookies

5. Mary Jane’s Medicinals: Aloe Lotion 2oz

Everyone appreciates silky, smooth skin, especially on Valentine’s Day. Treat your special someone to a relaxing rub-down with a cannabis-infused lotion from the topical experts at Mary Jane’s Medicinals.

From Mary Jane’s Medicinals:

Our silky body lotion is a great product for skin issues that can affect larger areas of the body because it easily spreads over the skin and is quickly absorbed. Between the regenerative powers of cannabis and aloe vera’s well-known ability to treat burns, this lotion is quite effective at soothing and helping to restore sunburned, sun damaged, or aging skin. And it can aid comfort for other painful skin problems too. Apply this rich cream all over your body before bed for a restful night’s sleep.

Valentine’s Day has been delighting lovers and irritating single-folk since the Middle Ages. Fortunately, for those lucky enough to live in Colorado (or any state where recreational cannabis is legal), marijuana is here to help you elevate the years most contentious ‘holiday.’

Whether you’re going it alone this year, or spending the day with your closest companion, make this Valentine’s Day an elevated experience to remember. Place a pre-order online.

Be sure to keep an eye on our sales & specials page next week for our Valentine’s Day promos.

The New Year is your opportunity to reset and renew, and cannabis is here to help.

As the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, people around the world celebrate the New Year and make resolutions with the best of intentions. From dropping weight to hitting the gym, lofty travel plans, to personal wellness goals, we start the New Year with only positive outcomes in mind—unfortunately, as the days progress, most of us run into roadblocks. Cannabis can help.

While people become more comfortable with mainstream cannabis and a new population of consumers discovers the variety of strains and their impressive range of effects, we continue to chip away at the couch-locked stoner stereotype.

We want to pause and make something clear: we mean no disrespect to consumers interested in the classic, couch-lock experience. There’s a wide range of consumers and an equally broad range of cannabis effects—we don’t discriminate.

Let’s get back to our resolutions.

Cannabis has proven benefits to those touched by a slew of issues, from tension and general pain relief, to more severe afflictions. Surprising to some, however, cannabis can provide motivation to keep you on track to hit your New Year’s goals.

Tackle your to-do list with a Sativa-dominant hybrid.

If you’re missing the energy or motivation to tackle a list of resolutions, a Sativa-dominant hybrid will be your best friend. Sativas elevate your mood, but in the case of a hybrid strain, a touch of Indica helps to keep you grounded and focused. That said, the impact of a strain depends on your body chemistry, and the strain’s unique terpene profile (click here to learn more about terpenes and how you can use them to predict your high). If you’re new to cannabis, as the phrase goes, start low and go slow. Test with low doses and experiment with various strains to find the right products to help you tackle your list.

Lightshade recommends:

Enliven Strains for an energizing experience: Durban Poison and Sour Joker

Inspire Strains if you prefer a more mellow effect: Lavender Jones and Pineapple Express

Elevate your workouts and stay on track this year.

Microdosing cannabis before a workout is a great way to prepare mentally for an intense sweat session (we published a blog about it last year). The awareness of your body grows, and each movement becomes a focused, moving meditation. Cannabis and yoga go hand-in-hand, and, yoga, as well as being an intense total body workout, is an excellent way to focus your mind and to cultivate a positive mental attitude. Set achievable goals, start slowly, and don’t hit the gym or studio with so much enthusiasm that you burn out instantly.

Pro tip: if you pull a muscle in the gym or yoga studio, cannabis can help with that too (be sure to visit your healthcare provider for anything more than a minor injury).

Lightshade recommends:

Enliven strains to elevate and energize  your workout: The White, Green Crack and Red Headed Stranger

Calm Strains for post-workout relief: Star Dawg, Mother’s Milk and Dalae OG

Make travel plans and unleash your creativity with a strain from our Inspire category.

While we never recommend traveling with cannabis (it’s illegal), we always encourage consuming to inspire creativity and to dream up lofty travel plans. Pull out the map, pin it to a wall, consume a strain from our Inspire category, and start throwing darts. Pick a dream destination and sit down to map out a strategy. No goal is too lofty when you strategize and build a roadmap. We recommend that you solidify your travel goal(s) and work backward, step-by-step, making notes at each juncture to bring your target to life.

We are biased, but in our opinion, cannabis is the ultimate catalyst for inspiration and creativity. With the right strain, you’ll find the focus and motivation to bring your lofty travel goals and creative resolutions to life.

Lightshade recommends:

Inspire Strains: White 99, Orange Herijuana and Sour Diesel

Optional: try a Rest strain to clear your mind and daydream about your next adventure: Bubba Fett

There is quite literally, a world full of resolutions, and, while most people will find themselves losing sight of their goals as the year moves forward, there are steps you can take each day to achieve and exceed your objectives in 2019. Cannabis can be your ally in this endeavor—your secret weapon.

An Exploration of This Years Hottest Cannabis Trend, Cannabidiol (CBD)

CBD is exploding nationwide, but mystery and misinformation are preventing consumers from realizing its benefits.

This year, cannabidiol products, more widely known as CBD, have taken the country by storm. Despite, or more accurately because of, the attention these products are receiving, a growing number of consumers are unsure of what CBD is (and does), and how it differs from the more commonly understood cannabinoid, THC.

As CBD becomes more widely known among a population of consumers, most of which are new to cannabis, it is essential to take a close look at this emerging category of products and lift the veil of mystery to eliminate confusion and misinformation.

Let’s dive in.

CBD: A Basic Definition

Let’s begin with the basics. What is CBD?

Cannabis is packed with hundreds of chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. These cannabinoids are responsible for the range of effects commonly associated with the plant. CBD is one of these compounds.

Most consumers, until recently, have been familiar only with THC, the chemical compound responsible for our favorite plant’s psychoactive effects. Our bodies absorb cannabinoids via the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a group of receptors found within the brain and central nervous system that make it possible for us to realize its effects (psychoactive or otherwise).  

Other cannabis compounds include CBN, CBG, and THCV, to name a few. Each compound owns a unique set of properties and interacts with the ECS to produce a broad range of effects.

CBD alone, is not psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you high. This fact is the primary point of difference between CBD and THC. This is not to say CBD has no effect on the body, to the contrary, CBD has a range of effects that while different from those offered by THC, are equally impressive (we will get to those later).

Marijuana CBD vs. Hemp CBD

There are two primary types of CBD; marijuana-derived and hemp-derived. To understand the difference between the two, we need to first understand the difference between marijuana and hemp. Both are varieties of the cannabis plant, however; they have very different attributes, both chemically and visually.

Looking at the two plants side by side, you’ll see the hemp plant has thin leaves with tall, slender stalks. Marijuana, on the other hand, has broader leaves with a shorter stalk and large buds. The most significant difference between hemp and marijuana, however, isn’t in appearance, but in the make-up of their cannabinoids. Marijuana typically has very high levels of THC and lower percentages of CBD, while hemp, as you may have guessed, contains high levels of CBD and low levels of THC.

When looking at the difference between marijuana-derived CBD and hemp-derived CBD, it all has to do with the percentages of each cannabinoid the plants produce. While each plant will have percentage of both THC and CBD, hemp plants will have an extremely low percentage of THC, which is why hemp-derived CBD is legal in most of the U.S. and marijuana-derived CBD products still remain legal only in medical and recreational states, such as Colorado and California.

If it doesn’t get you high, what does it do?

CBD on its own may not produce any psychoactive effects, but it makes up for that with many other qualities. CBD has a therapeutic effect on the body and has been shown to help with nausea, inflammation, stress, pain and anxiety relief. Many consumers actually prefer CBD to THC for this reason. They can get many of the benefits of cannabis without having to have the head-high that comes along with THC so they can consume throughout the day while remaining alert and focused on their routines.

Further research is needed on CBD, but there have been many studies that suggest CBD can be helpful in the treatment of illnesses such as cancer and epilepsy.

Why get CBD products at a dispensary?

If CBD is legal in nearly every state (be sure to check your local laws), why bother going to a dispensary to purchase CBD products when you can just order them online? There are multiple reasons why a dispensary is the way to go.

First and foremost, you have the option of buying cannabis-derived CBD products. As we mentioned before, cannabis-derived CBD products also contain different levels of THC in addition to CBD, and here is where things get really interesting.

By many accounts, THC and CBD work best when they are utilized together. What is known as the “entourage effect” in the industry, this concept suggests that cannabinoids work better together, with THC and CBD enhancing one another’s characteristics and benefits while downplaying adverse side effects of the other, such as CBD reducing paranoia symptoms that could be brought on by THC, for some people. This is something you just won’t be able to get from CBD-only products sold online.

The confusion around CBD has grown as more products find their way to market, sold online (as we’ve mentioned above), and at local farmers markets and boutiques. CBD purchased outside of a dispensary has been known to include chemicals which could be harmful when consumed. Additionally, in countries like China, where a large percentage of the world’s CBD-only products are produced, dubious testing practices and vague regulations increase the chances that your purchasing products with unhealthy additives. You can rest assured that products purchased at a licensed Colorado dispensary, have been through rigorous testing for chemicals, microbes, and other potentially harmful additives.

Dispensaries offer a wide range of products, with varying ratios of THC to CBD. Whether you want a 10 to 1 ratio of ‘CBD-heavy’ gummies, an even ratio of 1 to 1 THC/CBD bath soak, or a 20 to 1 CBD/THC tincture, these are all options you’re only going to find in a dispensary.

At Lightshade, we carry a full offering of the highest quality CBD products available, from full CBD vape pens to THC/CBD edibles, we’ve got it all. Our knowledgeable budtenders are trained and ready to answer any questions you have about CBD or any and all things cannabis related. Stop by any of our eight Denver-metro locations and discover what the CBD movement is all about.

The Lightshade 30-Day Challenge, Continued

Elevate the season with our Autumn-focused recipes and ideas.

Last month, we challenged you to make a switch from alcohol to cannabis at least one evening a week, for 30 days. We’ve since received a flood of positive feedback from Lightshade customers, who have discovered for themselves, the transformative impact making this change can have.

From the miraculous to the mundane, customers have reached out to share inspiring stories and significant results—our budtenders have heard it all. Everything from people who have dropped an inch from their waistlines to one customer, new to cannabis, who realized an incredible personal transformation after only a handful of positive experiences, and has since made the decision to eliminate alcohol completely.

This month, as the temperatures drop and you begin to spend more time indoors, Lightshade encourages you to continue to challenge yourself and perhaps add an additional day (or more) each week where you swap the booze for the bud. To help support you in this endeavor, we’ve come up with a handful of ideas specific to this transitional time, as the heat of summer subsides, and we changeover to the season of cold.

It can be difficult to keep clear of the whiskey or wine on a cold Colorado evening. The recipes and ideas below will help you stay the course.

Transform your Broncos game-day experience.

When imagining game-day parties, most Coloradans see images of wings, dips, and beer—lots of beer. The thing is, when you’re surrounded by carb-heavy treats, inserting extra calories in the form of a beverage isn’t ideal. Adding the threat of a possible post-game-day hangover (made worse by a loss), is equally unappealing. This football season, try swapping out the brews for cannabis. Your guests might make jokes, they may seem shocked, and a few might call you crazy, but they’ll appreciate the restful sleep, dropped calories, and hangover-free morning, post game-day.

Everyone loves Mac N Cheese—try this enhanced recipe at your next game-day gathering.

Hunker down for a chill afternoon at home.

It’s getting cold—in comparison with our string of 90+ degree-days in September, some might say frigid. Throughout summer we advocated taking advantage of Colorado’s outdoor activities, but there’s nothing wrong with spending a guilt-free afternoon at home on a cold fall day. Self-care is a must in this fast-paced digital age, and sometimes a quiet afternoon, reading, listening to music, or revisiting your favorite movie is just the thing to recharge your batteries. Cold weather is the perfect excuse to stay inside.

Enjoy a dose of liquid sunshine on a cold Colorado afternoon.

Host a cannabis-themed dinner party and/or happy hour.

Fall is the season of small gatherings and reflection. There’s no better way to stay warm than by inviting a few of your closest friends over for a cannabis-themed happy hour and/or dinner party. Invite your friends to join early, whip-up a delicious cannabis-infused mocktail–or leave the cannabis out, place a few tinctures nearby, and have guests dose themselves. As an alternative, set out a plate of edibles for everyone to enjoy–remember, ‘start low and go slow’.

Take a short break from cannabis while you and your guests enjoy dinner, and instead of a cocktail or dessert after the meal, indulge in a post-dinner cannabis-infused chocolate. We recommend Bliss Cups from 1906, or Coda Signature’s ‘Coffee & Donuts’ 100mg THC chocolate bar (to be shared).  

Couples, after your guests leave for the evening, keep the fun going with High Love Beans from 1906 or wind down with Midnight, also from 1906.

Find Your Balance

Whatever the occasion, you can find the right product and strain to fit the moment for both you and your guests. Enliven, to find focus, euphoria, and energy. Calm, to elevate your mood or to relax. Inspire to boost your pre-dinner appetite, enhance creativity, or discover bliss. Rest, to relieve tension and to help your guests go home and enjoy uninterrupted sleep.  

We realize the transition from summer to fall can be rough. We also realize, for many people, making a switch from alcohol to cannabis can be equally challenging. The unnecessarily checkered past of our favorite plant, mischaracterized both pre and post-prohibition, only adds to the challenge new consumers face when integrating cannabis into their lives. Lightshade is here to guide your journey—visit us today and begin your transformation.