Cannabis Effects on Blood Pressure

Does cannabis lower blood pressure?

The available research shows mixed results with a need for further research as smoking cannabis is correlated with increased blood pressure yet specific cannabinoids have been proven to lower blood pressure. Smoking cannabis has been associated with increased blood pressure and a greater risk of dying from heart disease, and other studies have shown specific cannabinoids like CBD to have the ability to lower blood pressure with a single dose. This leads us at Strains Dispensary Perris to recommend practicing caution with your health and cannabis therapies, especially if you have been diagnosed with heart disease or high blood pressure, and to only introduce cannabis smoking into your treatment regimen if approved by a qualified physician.

Smoking Cannabis & Heart Health

Studies have shown an increased risk of smoking cannabis and heart conditions, such as heart disease, and hypertension. Although the studies are inconclusive, Harvard Medical School (2017) continues to recommend that those with heart conditions refrain from smoking cannabis due to the complex effects that cannabinoids have on the cardiovascular system including heart rate and blood pressure.

THC, CBD & Blood Pressure

THC and CBD are both associated with lowering blood pressure. CBD is the infamous non-psychoactive cannabinoid effective at treating a wide range of ailments whereby the patient benefits from an effective cannabinoid but wants to escape the psychoactive high produced by THC. A 2017 study published in The American Society for Clinical Investigation found that a single acute dose of CBD reduced resting blood pressure and lessened the blood pressure response to stress when heart rate increased among healthy participants. THC is associated with increased heart problems at higher doses but remains effective at lower doses. These findings yield implications for the patients at Strains Dispensary Perris as a high-CBD & low-THC product could be best for those with heart conditions.

In Conclusion: More Research Needed

Most of the evidence concerning cannabis and heart health are based on reports from those who smoked cannabis, which makes it difficult to tease out the effects of cannabinoids on the cardiovascular system from the dangers posed by inhaling irritants and carcinogens in the smoke. If you have a preexisting heart condition defined by increased blood pressure, especially those including prescription medications for treating hypertension, please consult with a qualified physician before consuming cannabis alongside prescribed medications.

Cannabis Effects on Heart Rate

Does Cannabis Affect your heart rate?

At Strains Dispensary Perris, we have to admit: we aren’t doctors but have researched and answered the question – does cannabis affect heart health? Yes, THC has been shown to increase heart rate by up 50 beats per minute but also lowers blood pressure. The increase in heart rate occurs because the THC lowers blood pressure. It is important to know that lower doses of THC are more effective at providing heart benefits; however, the benefits decline with the increase in THC dose.

Cannabinoids & Heart Rate

The cannabinoids, CBD and THC, have been studied for their impact on heart rate. CBD has been shown to reduce resting heart rate among healthy participants; THC has been shown to decrease heart rate at lower doses yet has the affinity to increase heart rate and anxiety at higher doses. These results have implications for cannabis enthusiasts having heart conditions as high-CBD & low-THC products have the best chance at balancing reward and risk. Again, we recommend speaking with your doctor about what cannabis can do for you and your heart rate.

THC Dose & Heart Rate

Since the dose is an important factor when considering how THC impacts heart rate, we do not recommend the elderly or those with heart disease to take higher doses of THC unless under the care of a qualified doctor. We always recommend speaking with your physician about cannabis and your specific heart condition before introducing a new cannabis therapy.

Research is Inconclusive for those with Cardiovascular Disease

With approximately 25% of all American deaths caused by heart disease, our patients are positioned at Strains Dispensary Perris to benefit from the ongoing research on cannabis and cardiovascular health. Those without cardiovascular disease need not worry as cannabis has not been shown to increase their heart risk profile. We found that cannabis has an influence on the cardiovascular system that is quite complicated and further research is necessary to know what specific cannabinoids are effective at treating heart disease and at what dose that the cannabinoids are effective. Those with cardiovascular disease should refrain from smoking cannabis given the proven risks even though additional research needs to be completed to arrive at a consensus.

Cannabis Food and Drink Guide

Stains Dispensary Perris Cannabis Food & Drink Guide

Cannabis products found commonly at Strains Dispensary Perris come in a variety of consumables featuring both food and drink. We invite you to take the average cannabis smoking experience to the next level of consumption quality and therapeutic value by considering how cannabis foods and drinks might improve or better serve your current cannabis consumption method.

Cannabis Food and Drink = Edibles

Edibles are all cannabis-infused products taken orally including foods and drinks of all kinds and flavors. No matter if you’re eating a cannabis-infused cookie or drink, they all qualify as edibles. We carry an impressive selection of cannabis edibles, such as CHILL Chocolate and Emerald Sky, in a selection of foods and drinks perfect for meeting individual tastes.

Cannabis-Infused Butter

Cannabis oil is lipid-soluble and requires a carrying oil to bind to when making foods. Most cannabis foods and drinks are made with a special butter that has been infused by cannabis oil containing all of the cannabinoids extracted from the flower. When making cookie edibles, infused butter is used in lieu of traditional butter so that the resulting cookies contain the cannabinoids needed.

Candy

Candy is preferred among those seeking a delivery system for quick, tasty, and effective dosing. No matter if you prefer chocolate or gummies, we have a large selection of chocolate candy and gummies infused with cannabis perfect for you!

Drinks

Cannabis-infused beverages offer convenient precision dosing and a selection of flavors taking the scene by storm meeting individual drink preferences including root-beer flavored soda, fruit punch elixir, or wildberry guava quencher. Dixie Brand offers delicious and natural THC elixirs.

Baked Goods (Cookies & Brownies)

Cannabis consumers often introduce baked goods into their wellbeing regimen because who doesn’t like a good cookie or brownie infused with their favorite cannabinoid? Baked goods offer the benefits of pleasurable consumption with an oral delivery system that escapes the negatives of smoking.

Gluten & Dairy Restricted Food

Those with gluten and dairy restrictions can find it difficult to secure their cannabis foods and drinks due to dietary requirements. The cannabis industry has been pretty good at introducing gluten and dairy-free products to meet the needs of such patients and we carry several at our dispensary in Perris.

We Welcome You Into Strains Dispensary of Perris

If you know that a particular cannabis product is best for you, we invite you to consider our full menu of cannabis products featuring all of the common forms, concentrations, and routes of administration. Our customers can rest assured that if they need flowers or another cannabis product, we have the cannabinoid medicine needed in the form desired and in the most-effective concentration that gets the job done.

10 Cannabis Plant Facts

Person holding bud of marijuana with open sky and field in background

10 Cannabis plant Facts From Strains Dispensary in Perris, CA

We think cannabis is an amazing plant with countless health benefits and we want to share 10 interesting yet less-known cannabis plant facts that might help inform the role of cannabis in your life and potentially help you select the ideal product to treat your presenting ailment effectively yet holistically.

1.

Cannabis Sativa Evolved in the Tropics

Cannabis Sativa adopted its upward stretch, thinner leaves, and uplifting THC high from evolving in tropical regions with intense heat in an environment defined by intense plant competition.

2.

Cannabis Indica Evolved in the Hindu Kush Region

Cannabis Indica evolved its shorter, bushier stature and couch-lock heaviness from growing in the harsh mountainous region of the Hindu Kush.

3.

Cannabis Hybrids

Hybrids are those plants whose genetics are somewhere between true Indica and Sativa. Although a plant geneticist will be quick to point out that almost all cannabis plants today are hybrids, the term is commonly used to describe plants with middle-ground genetics.

4.

Increased Heart Rate

Studies have confirmed that cannabis can increase heart rate for up to 3 hours after smoking. Although more study is needed to confirm implications, the increase in heart rate may be related to an increased probability of experiencing a heart attack. At Strains Dispensary Perris, we recommend that our older patrons or those with heart disease to introduce cannabis therapies after speaking with a qualified physician.

5.

Once a Pipe Dream – THC Levels are on the Rise

Cannabis growing technology, breeding methods, knowledge of the plant’s genetics, and not to mention – consumer demand – have created a market by which the potency of cannabis flowers, as evidenced by the percentage of THC, is on the increase. I think that we can all agree that today’s cannabis flower from Strains Dispensary Perris has a quality that was once considered mythical. The frosty flowers that we once could only witness on the cover of a famous 1990’s marijuana magazine are now readily available at Strains Dispensary Perris in a candy-shop-like selection of products that were once a pipe dream.

6.

Effective Treatment for a Range of Ailments

A remarkable feature of Cannabis is producing cannabinoids proven to be effective at treating a huge range of ailments including depression, pain, insomnia, anxiety, and anti-cancer just to name a few!

7.

Anti-Cancer Cannabis Cannabinoids: THC & CBD

We can cite research as early as the 1970s finding anti-cancer properties among cannabis cannabinoids with THC & CBD being targets of popular study. THC not only helps with cancer-related insomnia, nausea, and depression, but recent studies have shown that THC & CBD delivered in a 1:1 ratio can be an effective anti-cancer therapy.

8.

Cannabis, THC & Mental Illness

Cannabis does come with an increased risk of mental health side effects for those with preexisting mental illness or those prone to experience mood swings, paranoia, anxiety, or depression. Those with mood instability or a mental health diagnosis should consult a qualified practitioner before introducing cannabis therapies.

9.

The Classic Cannabis Edible Story

It’s a fact that some people trying edibles for the first time take too much because they take a second dose believing that the first dose was ineffective only to find the first edible has yet to kick in. We recommend that first-time edible consumption get paired with significant patience by waiting at least two hours before taking more.

10.

Strains Dispensary is the Best Dispensary in Perris

Okay, so we made that up due to slight bias; however, we do operate a quality dispensary with an impressive inventory of cannabis products including flower, edibles, vape cartridges, concentrates, topicals, and all of the gear that you might need on your journey to improved wellbeing.

Forms of Cannabis

We Carry all Forms of Cannabis at Strains Dispensary of Perris

The friendly and knowledgeable budtenders at Strains Dispensary in Perris routinely help our patients navigate an ever-expanding selection of cannabis products perfect for treating the range of conditions that brings them in.

Flower

Also referred to as buds, cannabis flowers have been consumed by humans in various forms from infused beverages to smoking for thousands of years. We sell a full menu of traditional THC cannabis flowers in a healthy selection of cannabinoid ratios to high-CBD flowers with little to no THC for those wanting to escape the THC high.

OTHER TYPES

Edibles

Edibles are food-based products infused with cannabinoids. Although most edibles are high in THC, any food or drink product infused with cannabinoids qualifies as an edible. Most edibles contain a high percentage of THC and are sought after for effects, such as relaxation, pain relief, euphoria, increasing appetite, depression, anxiety, and more! However, we also carry high-CBD edibles for those needing CBD and not THC. Note of caution from the knowledgeable budtenders at Strains Dispensary of Perris: take it easy with high-THC edibles and apply conservative dosing when using for the first time.

Concentrates: Oil, Shatter & Butter

Concentrates come in a variety of forms but they ultimately have one important characteristic in common: they all contain significantly high concentrations of THC that fall between 70 and 90% with some isolates now pushing beyond 90%. The key difference between concentrates is their consistency: shatter being hard and brittle; oil being black, thick, and sludgy; and butter being yellow in hue with soft butter-like texture.

Hemp

Hemp is marijuana’s famous cousin and a phenotype of cannabis Sativa. Hemp is important for industrial use and is the prevalent source of the wildly popular cannabinoid CBD.

Tinctures

Tinctures are cannabis-infused suspensions made by mixing cannabinoids in a diluting agent such as alcohol or vegetable glycerin. Tinctures generally contain higher concentrations of THC or CBD and are consumed via a dropper bottle for accurate dosing.

We Welcome You Into Strains Dispensary of Perris

If you know that a particular cannabis product is best for you, we invite you to consider our full menu of cannabis products featuring all of the common forms, concentrations, and routes of administration. Our customers can rest assured that if they need flowers or another cannabis product, we have the cannabinoid medicine needed in the form desired and in the most-effective concentration that gets the job done.

What is Shatter?

Explanation of Shatter at Strains Dispensary of Perris

At The Dispensary in Perris, our knowledgeable budtenders get asked about shatter every day due to its increasing popularity among patients. Shatter is a popular concentrate class with a special consistency guiding its increasingly popular name. Shatter is a cannabis industry word describing a specific concentrate type defined by its brittle consistency. When you hear ‘dabs’ being discussed, shatter is one of the concentrates that qualify for this route of administration.

Making Shatter

Shatter is produced through the extraction and refinement processes of the cannabis flower and contains a high concentration of THC. The extract and chemical properties of THC cause shatter to have a glass-like consistency that ‘shatters’ easily under pressure similar to hard candy or peanut brittle. Shatter begins as raw oil pulled from the plant and then undergoes a refinement process that enhances the THC’s concentration while removing non-therapeutic ingredients. The end shatter product has a nearly translucent appearance with a light-brown or amber coloration. When it comes to broadly comparing concentrates that have a THC content between 70 and 90%, shatter offers similar potency and effectiveness as others like oil or butter.

Consuming Shatter

As a concentrated form of cannabis, shatter can be administered in a variety of ways perfect for meeting our customers’ unique conditions and treatment needs.

Here is an overview of the most common ways to consume shatter:

Dab Rig

Taking the scene by storm, dabs have been proven to be an increasingly popular route of shatter administration; requiring a special dab rig, this allows patients to consume their shatter via heated nail and favorite smoking device for rapid uptake of THC.

Adding to a joint

Some of our patients choose to break small pieces of shatter off and place it with the flower inside a joint for maximum relief.

Shatter as the cherry on top of a bowl

Our bowl-loving patients often choose to place a small chunk of shatter on top of their night-time bowl for relaxation, decreased anxiety, and improved sleep.

Vape cartridges

Many vape cartridges begin with a concentrate like shatter that is diluted and contained within a cartridge for easy vaping

The Strains Dispensary Shatter Sales

Shatter itself is a form of highly concentrated THC whose name is derived from the consistency of the product being brittle to touch and shatters when it breaks due to the high THC and low oil content. Shatter is easily differentiated among other concentrates when considering its texture and color: shatter is hard and brittle with a yellow to amber translucent hue.

What is Hemp?

Hemp Products at Strains Dispensary

Hemp is marijuana’s cousin as a phenotype of the cannabis Sativa plant. Hemp has been used industrially for generations but has recently become a popular source of the sought-after cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD). Hemp is commonly associated with CBD due to the relationship and is the source of the cannabis industry’s high-CBD and low-THC medicines. The CBD-based products at Strains Dispensary in Perris are sourced from the flower that produces CBD and not the hemp seed that does not contain any cannabinoids.

Hemp-based CBD Products

The knowledgeable budtenders at Strains Dispensary of Perris regularly discuss hemp and CBD with patients. The discussion almost always leads to an educational summary of the similarities, differences, and relationships between hemp, cannabis, and CBD. First, CBD is CBD regardless of the plant producing it and the part of the plant producing it.

most popular hemp-based CBD Products

CBD Oil

Awesome for medical patients with a special affinity for treating seizure disorders like epilepsy and for reducing anxiety in recreational patients, CBD oil has become wildly popular with our patients seeking CBD relief without the THC high.

Flower

High-CBD and low-THC flowers are excellent for those seeking cannabinoid relief without the high. Our Marley Natural Red CBD-rich flower has been proven to be a real crowd-pleaser.

Topicals

CBD-infused topicals are popular for pain relief and skin treatments including lotions, elixirs, balms, creams, and more!

Edibles

CBD-infused edibles are often preferred due to their convenience, enjoyable taste, and effectiveness in treating a range of conditions from insomnia, pain, anxiety, and much more!

Hemp and CBD at Strains Dispensary

The CBD in our patients’ favorite edibles, flowers, or topicals was extracted from the plant’s flower. Don’t be confused by the hemp seed oil found at health food stores because despite it having the hemp name, these products do not contain any CBD nor THC as they are made with the hemp seed that does not produce cannabinoids. Rest assured that when you buy a CBD product from us that the CBD was extracted from high-CBD plants grown in a certified facility according to strict quality and safety standards. We also carry high-CBD flowers that contain only trace amounts of THC insufficient to generate the feeling of being high.

How to Keep Your Cannabis Flower Fresh

Tips For Keeping Your Cannabis Flower Fresh

When it comes to keeping cannabis fresh, we recommend knowing these flower storage best practices proven to retain cannabinoid potency for lengthy periods:

In the Dark Away From Direct Sunlight
In a Cool & Dry Location
Always in an Air-Tight Glass Container

Away From Heat Sources
Never in the Freezer or Refrigerator
Ideally Not in Plastic (Baggy or Container)

Storing Cannabis Flower and Free Air Exchange

When cannabis flower is stored in an environment with free air exchange, it exposes the therapeutic cannabinoids held within the plant to the elements. Cannabis flowers stored in a dry environment with free air exchange will allow the plant to dry out, and the cannabinoids that our customers need will begin breaking down as the flower loses its freshness.

Conversely, flowers stored in a damp environment will invite mold growth to take over the plant material, and nobody wants to consume moldy flower. The most important feature of an excellent cannabis storage container is that it is air-tight, effectively preventing free air exchange while preserving the coveted cannabinoids.

Air-Tight Glass Storage

At Strains Dispensary in Perris, CA, we are often asked about the best storage methods to keep cannabis flower fresh. The objective of cannabis storage is to protect the cannabinoids held in the flower such as THC and CBD so that they have the same therapeutic effect as the day of purchase. For personal storage, we recommend that our customers consider these air-tight storage strategies:

Glass Mason Jars – plastic storage containers are not recommended for long-term storage due to concerns with plastic leaching as well as allowing free air exchange. Plastic is also prone to static that can cause potent trichomes to stick and reduce potency.
Specialized Commercial Units – there are many companies that sell stylish storage devices ranging in materials, such as glass, wood, and stainless steel. Many of these options include a humidor function that keeps cannabis flower fresh; however, we never recommend using a tobacco humidor due to the common use of cedar, which can transfer unwanted essential oils to cannabis.
Air-tight Bags – especially useful for travel, air-tight bags come in a variety of non-plastic materials that offer the same air-tight protection as a sealed glass jar.

CBD Explained

CBD Explained: What is CBD?

CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol, a natural non-psychoactive compound found within cannabis and hemp plants. CBD is a safe and non-addictive substance. CBS is often mentioned alongside THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), although the two have very different side effects. Even though THC and CBD have the same molecular count, it is the slight rearrangement of atoms that cause different interactions and outcomes. CBD has taken the cannabis industry by storm recently due to its significant health benefits and reduced risk profile. CBD interacts with cannabinoid receptors but does not create the feeling of being high. Thought recent studies, CBD carries a significant appeal to those seeking effective health and medical interventions but not any psychoactive effects.

CBD Health Benefits

The medical community has shown a serious interest in CBD as an effective treatment for epilepsy. It has shown to help reduce the number of seizures, and in many cases, have stopped seizures altogether. CBD is also used for mental health conditions whereby a cannabinoid can help the patient’s condition. We also have many clients that choose a CBD intervention for their pain and insomnia.

Given the safe risk profile, effectiveness, and popularity, it is clear that CBD offers an attractive therapy for medical and recreational clients alike.

Our CBD Products

CBD-rich Flower

If you enjoy smoking but want to rule out the THC high, we carry CBD flower in a 10:1 CBD to THC ratio.

CBD Vape Cartridges

Perfect for our vape-enthusiast clients, we carry high-CBD vape cartridges with reduced THC content in a variety of ratios perfect for meeting our clients’ individual CBD needs.

CBD Tinctures

Get your CBD in an easy-to-administer liquid suspension by choosing one of our many CBD tincture products.

CBD Capsules

For easy consumption, our capsules products containing CBD offer our clients a capsule-based route of administration.

THC Explained

THC Explained: What is THC?

THC is the abbreviation for the compound tetrahydrocannabinol. It is one of the more than 400 known cannabinoid compounds produced by the cannabis plant. When you consume a cannabis product, such as an Indica, Sativa, or hybrid flower, edible, or tincture, if it includes tetrahydrocannabinol, you will get that euphoric or “high” feeling. THC is effective within the body because it mimics the natural compound anandamide produced by the human brain. When THC is introduced to the body from the outside, it travels to the brain where it begins interacting with neurons and neurotransmitters found throughout the endocannabinoid system. This disruption then provides our clients with the sought-after therapeutic effects and medical benefits of THC.

THC Dosing

Finding the right dose for you and your condition is paramount when using THC therapeutically. You’ll notice that typical doses among cannabis products include 5, 10, 80, and 100mg increments with percentages applied to cannabis flower. Cannabis Indica flower labeled as 22% THC will have 22% of the flower volume made up by THC. An edible labeled as 100mg will contain 100mg of THC.

Depending upon the route of administration and the product, our clients will need to consider the milligrams and percentages to achieve dosing precision. Also of importance is to start low and build up the dose when using THC for the first time and finding the dose that’s right for you.

THC Medical Uses

THC is found throughout the cannabis industry across most product types, including cannabis flower, tinctures, edibles, lotions, balms, and topicals. THC is also found in a prescription drug, Marinol, which is synthetic THC approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

It is practically impossible to overdose on THC despite its attractive range of applications, which demonstrates that THC is a very safe intervention for a variety of conditions.

The National Cancer Institute has found that THC has been used as a medical intervention for over 3,000 years, but when considering THC and how it is commonly used today, it has been shown to help our clients with for the following conditions:

Inflammation
Pain
Nausea and losses to appetite
Eating disorders

Posttraumatic stress disorder
Stress
Mental health conditions such as anxiety & depression

How Else Can THC Help?

Here at Strains Dispensary of Perris, our knowledgeable budtenders will tell you that THC helps by mimicking some of the same chemicals made inside the human body. The human body has an endocannabinoid system where THC does its magic. Although research continues to define the many ways that THC can help, we have research that has shown that THC helps by; reducing anxiety, relieving pain through reduced inflammation, controlling nausea and vomiting among cancer patients facing chemotherapy, killing cancer cells and stunting tumor growth, relaxing rigid muscles in MS patients, and stimulating appetite and weight gain among cancer and AIDS patients.