If you’re feeling canna curious about marijuana, you’re not alone — and we’re here to help you.

With more states across the country legalizing medical and recreational cannabis, more Americans are becoming canna curious. That’s as natural as marijuana itself!

Each year, more Americans are coming around to the idea marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use. Despite that, only 12% of Americans say they smoke marijuana — but that’s likely underreported.

There are a lot of different reasons why people consume cannabis, so let’s explore a few.

Medical Reasons

There isn’t a ton of hard research on the medical benefits of cannabis because it’s still illegal at the federal level and it’s classified as a Schedule 1 drug. That means the U.S. government says that there is “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” of marijuana. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t medical benefits to using cannabis.

The cannabinoids in marijuana alter the pain perception pathways in our brain, which means they may act as an effective pain management tool.

There’s also potential that CBD oil can be an anti-inflammatory. That could mean cannabis could be a less-damaging replacement to anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. That’s why you see CBD products almost everywhere now. But those products don’t have THC, and cannabis has both THC and CBD.

Cannabis also has relaxing properties, which means it could help people sleep better and deal with insomnia. Ask any cannabis user you know, and they will likely have a story about how weed positively impacted their sleep.

Stress Relief

Cannabis is also a potential stress reliever. Because of its relaxing effect, many people decide to use it to help ease their tension and frustration.

This is particularly helpful for people who suffer from high anxiety because it can help them calm down. Cannabis can help slow down the thoughts in your brain, which some people find as a great way to mentally relax.

Many veterans suffering from PTSD are finding that cannabis helps them cope with their symptom severity.

It can help with physical stress, too. Soreness and tension go hand-in-hand with exercise. Because CBD in cannabis can help relax our muscles, many people use cannabis after strenuous exercise.

Spirituality

Cannabis has been used for spiritual purposes for thousands of years. In fact, Herodotus — the Father of History — wrote about the use of cannabis in funeral ceremonies by the Scythian people around 440 BCE.

For many people today, the simple act of enjoying cannabis is a part of a ritual. It starts with choosing what strain to smoke, to grinding the bud, packing or rolling it, and then smoking.

Other people use marijuana while participating in other spiritual activities, such as meditation, mindfulness, and yoga.

Modern religions have even been created around cannabis, which pay reverence to the plant and embrace its healing properties and make it a central tenet in rituals.

Getting Social

Humans are social beings, and sharing experiences bonds us together. Many lifelong friendships have started with a simple question: “You smoke?”

Nowadays, some people experience anxiety when trying to make new friends. Cannabis can help it be easier and more comfortable to bond with a new friend and have great conversation.

The same is true with old friends. Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, playing games, or just vibing, sharing the experience while high can deepen your bond.

Alternative to Alcohol

Despite the boom in the craft beer industry in the past few decades, alcohol is losing the spotlight among Millennials in favor of cannabis. In fact, fewer Americans overall are drinking alcohol. As more states make marijuana legal and easier to get, we’re not shocked that more people are turning to cannabis when they used to reach for a drink.

Cannabis has a few perks over its boozy brethren.

For starters, as more states legalize cannabis, there’s growing evidence that it’s less expensive to smoke weed than drink, especially in the long-term.

Anyone who has had too much to drink the night before can tell you the horrors of the next morning’s hangover. There’s some debate on weed hangovers — some people don’t experience them at all. The people who say they’ve had weed hangovers agree: they’re not the same as an alcohol hangover, and they’re much more manageable.

To Get High

This one is pretty obvious. Some people love cannabis simply because it gets them high!

The euphoric feeling of getting high is attractive to many, and it keeps many people coming back for more.

That’s especially true because the experience of being high can be different every time you consume cannabis, depending on the strain and the way it’s consumed (like smoking it or eating an edible). With an endless variety of strains that offer different types of highs, it’s an entirely new world to explore.

If you’re canna-curious and have little to no experience with cannabis, we always recommend to “start low and go slow.” If smoking, take a couple of hits and see how that feels for a half hour before smoking more. If eating an edible, make sure the dose is 5mg or less and don’t drink alcohol or use other cannabis products.

Prosper’s cannsultants can help guide anyone to the right cannabis products, regardless of experience level. Stop by soon and prosper!