Your Guide to Smoking and Functioning At The Same Time

A mild high: although there is no Merriam Webster definition, the two words elegantly speak for themselves. It’s a state of achieving a slight buzz after consuming cannabis. Attaining and prolonging a “mild high” is like achieving the perfect hover state without sending the brain off on a mental tangent. Sometimes we need to cruise through the day with softer edges, sweeter sounds, and a super-chill mindset. And while we all enjoy getting highly elevated, our day to day lives don’t always afford us to check out of reality completely. So we turn to small doses of weed, just enough to inspire an uptick in mood, but grounded enough to keep us focused through the day. To reach this state, it’s helpful to follow a few simple steps to ensure you don’t tip yourself over the edge into a sea of blissful distraction or mindless tranquility. Here is an easy guide to microdosing weed:

1. Start With a The Basics

To begin, avoid mixing different intoxicating substances, like cannabis and caffeine or cannabis and alcohol. It can skew the experienced effect and blur one’s ability to recognize just how sober or buzzed they really are. We recommend sticking with just cannabis for your first few sessions. See how much of it will bring you to your ideal state of mind. Before you dose yourself, it’s also a good idea to do a quick self-audit. Scan your body, how do you feel? Are you tired or alert? Comfortable or experiencing pain? Focused or distracted? Now that you’ve tuned into yourself a bit deeper, let’s get elevated.

2. Build your Buzz

In the case of a mild high, less is more. Remember that we are not trying to get stoned here, but rather experience a functioning buzz. Start with half, or even 1/4th the dose you typically take and let that work its magic. Remember, all forms of cannabis consumption have different onset times, ranging from almost immediate (most smokables and vapes) to as long as 2 hours (most edibles). Give your buzz plenty of time to kick in. Once it does, evaluate whether you want a more potent high. If you aren’t quite at the level you want, you can puff on a little flower or a vape to build upon your buzz in real time. Try going one puff at a time, and giving yourself plenty of time to feel its effects before choosing to build on.

My Dosing Guide:

• Eat ~2mg of infused chocolate (or whatever edible your hearts desire), wait 1-2 hours to start feeling the effects. 
• Level-up: take a micro-hit of low potency 1:1 cannabis flower [recommended strains: Critical Mass, Cannatonic, Pennywise] or a few puffs of CBD rich hemp [recommended strains: Cherry Wine, Suver Haze, Lifter]. If you don’t have a 1:1 strain on hand, you can also roll your weed into a spliff with an herbal smoking blend to cut the potency. Since smoking flower has a nearly immediate onset time, it’s a great way to build upon your edible induced buzz. Just remember to go slow.

3. Mix Your Bud With Non-Intoxicating Botanicals

Now that you’ve identified the right dosage of cannabis that hits your sweet spot, you can begin mixing it with other, non-intoxicating herbs. We know that for a lot of us, consuming cannabis is a ritual in itself that we feel grounded in. Consuming only a fraction of a joint deprives you of this ritual. There are plenty of smokable, safe, botanicals that you can grind your weed and roll with. Rose, lavender, raspberry leaf or some favorites amongst mild dosers. As an added benefit, each herb can help you achieve a different kind of mild high. Inspiration, energy, or calmness; pick the mood that most fits your situation and select your herb accordingly. You can check out our range of smokable botanical blends here to give it a try. 

4. Quit While You’re Ahead

Feeling the buzz? If your answer is: “Yea! I think so?” Then you’re right where you want to be. Do another quick self-audit and see how you feel. Stretch your legs and drink a glass of water. Try to resist the urge to consume anymore because it’s pretty easy to get too stoned, and that’s not the experience we’re after right now. You’ve now entered the optimal stage of a mild high, and you’re ready to have an excellent day!.

If you find that you accidentally got too high, fear not. To find your balance again drink a glass of lemon water, nibble on some CBD chocolate, and go for a light walk. Even a splash of cold water to your face can help you snap back into focus.

Every person has a different tolerance to THC, take care to find the perfect individualized balance for your own body and mind. Remember that this experience should be catered to your personal needs and situations. Mixing in different effect-based botanicals can be a fun experiment in achieving various styles of mild highs. You’re going to have the best experience when you are able to focus inward and check in with yourself while also being knowledgeable about the products you’re using. If you’re the journaling type, consider recording what has worked for you in the past (and what left you in an anxiety-induced tailspin). The golden rule for a perfectly balanced mild high is simple–start with a low-dose and dose slowly.

Written by Valarie Sakota, co-founder, Chief Creative Officer and Head of Product Development at BARBARI
Instagram: @barbari.shop