microdosing cannabis

[burn out]

My medical card expired recently and due to circumstances like not having a car it's been a pain for me to get a hold of cannabis (although I just picked up a 20 bag today which I am very excited about). But not knowing for sure when I would be able to get my next bag has caused me to cut down greatly on my smoking, especially when I get near the end of a sack.

This has actually been a really good thing, because I realized I don't need to smoke anywhere near as much cannabis as I was smoking before to get a good effect. I was experiencing such heavy burn out and harsh come downs that for a while I was using opiates to ease them.

Lately I have discovered that because of all my years of heavy cannabis usage plus my heavy mescaline and psilocybin usage, the doors in my mind are already fairly open. So I can take one small hit of cannabis and meditate and get into a deeply psychedelic state. Then I dont get so burnt out afterward and my tolerance lowers so I actually get more stoned off that one hit than I normally would.

I guess this isn't truly "micro" dosing, but it is drastically lower than the amount I or most people normally smoke. I just wanted to post this to let you guys know it is worth experimenting with lowering your dosage. Find the least possible amount you can smoke and get a decent effect.

One more bit of advice, I recommend not making the stone or the high be your main objective when smoking. Now if you are a new user, it's fine and a good thing to go ahead and get as high as you want and enjoy it. But after smoking for so many years like I have been, it's actually really lame to let getting stoned be your primary objective, day after day.

Instead, I recommend just smoking small amounts to enhance your normal activities. For example, I like to work on my spirituality and so I normally spend my evenings in prayer and meditation or reading scripture. I find that smoking a small amount of cannabis really helps me to get into these activities and keeps my mind from wondering. Smoking more might give me a stronger experience but let's face it, I have had enough strong experiences at this point. Of course I can still choose to smoke more from time to time and on those occasions, I will then get a lot stoneder because of low tolerance.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Burn Out,

...when I get near the end of a sack.

When i'm short of dry flowers there's still pre-vaped material waiting for cooking or even just a 2nd vape pass, most preferably for blending.

...heavy... Find the least possible amount you can smoke and get a decent effect.

M'well i happen to have just the right tool for that:

It works in burst mode, quick pre-heating "charges" the core in 2 ~ 3 seconds and provides superheated water vapor to potentiate the release/transport hot dry air agent... Abuse is likely when the PVC tube looks foggy.

Interested? %)

...I recommend just smoking small amounts to enhance your normal activities.

Function shapes the tool which in turn naturally influences consumption profile IMO. Using Induction Heat i believe micro-dosing precision shall become an option while still supporting the Inlet Self-Conditioning feature with or without clean butane burning.

Good day, have fun!!

 

[GolemGolem]

I've always had a light tolerance to weed and after a few years I started getting the fear, and then a couple years after that it just got stupid, and just came back to smoking pot a few months ago.
I'm with you, 1-2 small hits every hour or three is where I like to be these days, and I FEEL those hits man. Gonna have to stop smoking at work for a bit which is a shame because it can keep me friendly (and looking friendly which is the real problem) when I'm stressed and overworked, and it can help me find things to do and do them right when times are slow. Can't get caught and hiding just makes me feel shitty and nervous.

 

[thujone]

yeah i've found threshold doses are still effective as medicine for problems like nausea, it's a good way to get on with life without being slowed down by the mental effects that come with a rec. dose

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations ThujOne,

...threshold doses...

Hummm... I'd agree there's something about dosage for sure though i've got to wonder which is preferable on the long run between a low but steady rate versus brief heavier amounts. For me a vaping session can last nearly the same no matter if it's a balloon or a pipe, of course there's a contrasting difference of pre-heating (~3 minutes vs 2 ~ 3 seconds!), euh... While i found bags inappropriately exhausting (possibly as a result of my electric-dry vaporizer) it turns out the clean-butane burning option works wonders for me. Bye! Bye! Allergy signs, whatever.

%)

At this point i wish i could collect pressure/temperature readings at 2 locations along the air/cannabic path while displaying analysis curve(s) in real-time, to provide an effect of "bio-feedback" that can be associated later to an appreciation review itself corresponding to a specific layout configuration meant to be optimized further, etc. Only then i'd have the means to discriminate between steady-state consumption vs occasional peaks, whatever, etc. The idea being to identify an appropriate manner to reflect the results into some practical implementation i think.

But what sense does it make when too much human factor is part of a closed-loop process! I'd have to be connected to the recorder as well i guess!... Or using Induction Heat it shall become possible to realize some improved degree of reproductability in term of thermal "charge", so to speak, since once at its Curie temperature the metal mass can be reasonably expected to store an amout of heat energy which doesn't vary as wildly as when such energy is injected by fire operating under human control. Meaning an IH pipe would provide more operator precision considering the human factor has been tradeded-off for quick-pulse thermostatic IH "pre-charging"...

:D

In other words, lets refer to this method of vaporisation as an IH "Quanta" mode, if i may; in the sense that heat energy injected using an electro-magnetic driver in a Curie-effect alloy would proceed as "packets" of somewhat uniform value time after time, because the mass/geometry of such Curie alloy doesn't vary with time, only absorption/transformation of electro-magnetic energy (until a metal's thermostatic behaviour leads to relative electro-magnetic "transparency"). It is the self-limited temperature feature which makes the whole thing tick, without it the concept is no longer apealing, at least not to me as i like it the KISS way while keeping my nose at safe distance from any power source, euh... Actually using 2 or 3 Curie alloys renders possible new scenarios not conceivable before, etc., etc. DAY-Dreaming is suddenly allowed!

...

Briefly put, i think exploration of consumption profiles as a function of tolerance level through time calls for reproductible bursts of heat just like that which i've just imagined above and that's a job calling for Induction Heat - but that's me. Anyway thermocouples are easy to find but i'm still not sure how to get the ideal alloy formulations in required geometries, on another hand!

Etc.

That's a long path to go, which is why i dream of a world of WiFi/BlueTooth IH data-logging vapes allowing appreciation curves to be shared, etc. Always with HR objectives in mind.

Good day, have fun!!

 

[thujone]

eh, tbh your butane solution sounds more practical than implementing electromagnetic heating. I've wondered if an infrared heating solution would work given that the amount of heat required is relatively low, but that may be even less efficient than the electromagnetic heating

 

[Egzoset]

Hi again ThujOne,

...butane solution sounds more practical...

But i tagged this my "Plan-B" for a reason.

...infrared heating...

Actually there is a portable project conceived around halogen bulb heating, which does generate a lot of heat in radiative mode i would expect. Not to mention the Aromed 4, the Venus, the Oracle and also i liked the LoxLux concept very much. Etc. But those still fail to offer simplicity, sturdiness, durability, precision, etc... Hence the need to proceed with packetized heat injection, to extablish a "charge" meant to be predictible so it enhances the learning process significantly. I don't suppose everyone is ready to spend 2+ years just to manage operating a vape correctly, after all!

The advantages of electro-magnetic Induction Heating are as follows, as far as i'm concerned. 1st it's wireless, which implies the pipe can be conveniently detached from the power-base, as frequently as require considering there are no electrical contacts waiting to go bad. It may seem trivial but my sense of serenity feels frustrated by the presence of a power source only a few inches from my nose when i just need the heat, not the attached hardware... Not only does IH technology free a concept from junction-related restrictions, etc, it also opens the door to thermostatic self-regulation using a Curie-effet alloy - and as i pointed previously, i have ZERO interest in IH designs that fail to meet this paramount criteria besides curiosity, because this is the basis for other features as well. Including the prospect of enhanced dosing presision, to render the device more "socially-acceptable" so to speak! Go wonder, a machine designed to help a user in managing his consumption profile through "bio-fedback" or similar, ideally. Etc.

...the amount of heat required is relatively low...

On the contrary: in burst mode you want a maximum of heat in a minimal time lapse. Only IH technology will make it "fun" attempting to implement a pulse-mode thermostatic function at the point of contact, as far as i can tell. Using conventional temperature sensor(s), analog/digital signal processing, whatever, etc., you'd need to manage with delays associated to various transition points, temperature loos at interfaces, material dissipation (...), all this while using Induction Heat (e.g. provided by a Curie-effect element - or plain forget the whole deal!!) it becomes possible to eliminate those delays simply because the temperature-regulation process occurs within the heating element itself (ZERO-distance between "sensor" and "actuator"), by virtue of its self-regulating Curie-effect behaviour.

%)

Failure to include the Curie effect complicates the matter significantly considering a vaporizer manufacturer is no oven maker, etc., etc. I mean, there are 3rd-party IH drivers available on the market, with warranty, etc. No need to become a Jack of all trades and focuss on developping an IH driver before the actual project can progress.

We don't build private electrical dams to power our vapes, or our own custom-made butane lighters to use a pipe, etc. The No Flame Plus is an IH driver well known in the dentistry industry and there are clones/competitors. Anyway, who'd want to buy the 1st VaporGenie-designed IH driver when it's still "fresh" and new? I'll bet most people would comment VG in my example should do what they do best, an IH-compatible pipe doesn't require an in-house 100 % VG-designed IH driver simply to exist.



As i've shown in my pipe experiments all it takes, for all i know, is Curie alloys; imagine, even the core's metal disc was included in VaporGenie's pattent originally! Which i find amazing as i found no mention of electro-magnetic Induction Heating in their paper!! Hoping the company will correct such surprizing situation someday soon!...

In the meatime, what happens with a time-compressed energy pulse appears to be similar to a finger extinguishing the pale flame of a candella: the skin doesn't get burned.

M'well, in the case of my cannabic bowl the release/transport agent caries away some dense/potent cloud and yet signs of a roasting spot remain minimal. By the time my goodies arrive at the mouthpiece the residual energy pulse has been stretched, so if we compare with the 30-some seconds inhalation from a slow electric-dry torture device that means the 2 ~ 3 seconds needs to pack more energy since its duration is 10 times shorter. At least in my example... On top of that the human factor in "Plan-B" can induce incidents a consumer may prefer to strictly avoid via some packetized/limited IH energy pulse. The "pepper" effet in itself may not seem desirable in all situations while i'd definitely favour a separate configuration for the next-level (dab-like?) effect! I mean for that one perhaps a specific shere shall make much more sense to me!

Euh... But lets remember the IH version of that pipe is hypothetical and i figure the manufacturer shouldn't be bothered about it, by the way!

...less efficient than the electromagnetic heating...

Not as quick and powerful, while getting rid of sensor delays and excess whatnot, in any case.

Also, once the pipe's metal core has been adapted for induction nothing forces a consumer to choose a deluxe IH kit automatically. Bi-Energy is inclusive, if it's got to be restrictive i no longer see the benefit: to offer a truly affordable solution that can match a wide range of profiles/situations, etc., etc.

Briely put, no thermostatic heat using butane. Which is why i'd pre-heat with an IH driver, then vape using butane if i wish - and i certainly would.

Micro-dosing should help "conserve" the vegetal load, a parallel assumption would be to expect this to prevent battery stress, for example.

Quite frankly many safety features accumulate on the IH side i think, but i wouldn't want to give up "Plan-B" unless there's a super-heated water-vapor substitute to "potentiate" basic hot dry air.

...

Time to sleep!

Good day, have fun!!

 

[Scarfo]

Good thread. I spent many teenage years over smoking. After taking a long break and starting back slowly, I too found that I really didn't need more than a few hits.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Scarfo,

I spent many teenage years over smoking.

The smoking habit alone took its toll and hence i regret i didn't understand what principles were at use with hot knives decades ago, practically as much as i regret having to make circles around an electric-dry machine for 2+ years just to find out i can't stand it and then another 2+ trying to adapt a pipe to finally confirm an assumption over what i really require in this new century... Each time i couldn't see the essentials because there was no proper guidance, essentially, which in turn is yet another consequence of the bigot anti-cannabic prohibition IMO.

...I too found that I really didn't need more than a few hits.

That sure sounds familiar. As far as i'm concerned the discovery of a pregnenolone-related feature of the brain structure has put an end to the fear of overdose, yet although i'd find alarmist to raise the subject of cannabis overdose i certainly consider over-dosing does happen too often in lack of properly conceived consumption tools. So for me it's not as much about cutting down on vaping/smoking as it is a matter of obtaining the correct amount for an expected effect, avoiding tolerance build-up ideally. The modded pipe is no true "micro-doser" but it does work in burst mode and that is a trade-off which i believe can offer the ex-smoker in me all the good sides i missed for so long, in the name of children...

So, naturally i sort of agree with the OP too Scarfo, not to mention he rang a bell relating about opening doors (or windows...) in a young mind. I'd most probably turn out to be incomplete without a few LSD sessions, which i think didn't install dependency because it left no unresolved obsession of a perfect experience as i always got my treat and plenty of it on a 1st try - like all you can eat in a buffet - plus a lesser ritual limited to mere basics. Sort of like burst mode vaping where the user can get all he wants from cannabis (even more than i initially suspected as a young man, actually!), euh...



A person may still abuse with such pipe but i'll gamble on human nature and bet after a while there will be goodies left in its bowl the next morning.

Some day, when the bullie$$$ are done milking the cow like there's no tomorrow (...), there shall be guidance available when/where needed to young persons while it's still a good time to give them the means to acquire healthier consumption reflexes than what society gave us. At least i can testify my smoker habits didn't teach me better control, on the contrary: a joint's simple design is fundamentally flawed to begin with and i found nothing wise in keeping tar + cauldron inside a closed-cavity smoking instrument with cumulative layers of toxic compound on the acrylic wall after i got my "tokeu". Thinking it was rational to get more for less... Oh what a bogus bargain it was!...

Good day, have fun!!

 

[TheChillGuy]

Lol, every time I re up, I just burn through it, over smoking like crazy. I even tell myself "you're gonna regret this when you're down to your final gram and have a week til you can reup again", but then I get high and don't care anymore.

When I do finally hit that final gram, I make it last the week very effectively. I'm talking super slow hits out of my glass pipe using a hemp wick, .05g at a time, holding it in for 5 seconds. Does the job, but makes me realize how badly I wasted the other 13 Gs the week prior.

 

[WashedCNDL]

Lol, every time I re up, I just burn through it, over smoking like crazy. I even tell myself "you're gonna regret this when you're down to your final gram and have a week til you can reup again", but then I get high and don't care anymore.

When I do finally hit that final gram, I make it last the week very effectively. I'm talking super slow hits out of my glass pipe using a hemp wick, .05g at a time, holding it in for 5 seconds. Does the job, but makes me realize how badly I wasted the other 13 Gs the week prior.

I feel that. I used to just keep going so often. Then when I got down low I would hold it in longer and make more of an effort and it was far more effective. At one point I even said to a friend of mine "I think I've been smoking wrong"...after several months of using every day, would go through an ounce a month.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations,

...smoking like crazy.

...more effective.

If you really want it "effective" then i'd suggest giving vaporisation a fair evaluation as it can easily help to lower consumption rates by one third, up to an half IMO!

%)

...smoking wrong...

Then i'd comment « listen at your body » and react responsively.

Though if looking for a "hit" which qualifies to be remembered a lifetime then i'd suggest it may be about time to evaluate cannabic vaporizing indeed.

In burst mode, most preferably!...

Good day, have fun!!

 

[thujone]

Egzo have you thought about using a hookah? You could replace the crucible and heat source with something more suited for herb and just leave everything else as it is

 

[yacob]

first off dont take this the wrong way because for 1. i know what its like to get really bad anxiety and stress when getting low on pot with no more in sight, it really sucks ass and to this day i still always have some even though i dont smoke nearly as often or even everyday BUT its peace of mind for me to know its there in case i get anxiety, feel depressed, need to gain an appetite, or just plain tweak too hard on god knows what and need to come back to earth(this especially) . and 2. i dont know your health situation or why you even have your card in the first place(i assume everyone is like me and gets it because they just like smoking without worrying, which is wrong some Really need it)

but that being said, thats crazy to me that you have withdrawals like that to make you need opiates. a little bit of unwanted wakefulness at night is about all ive ever experienced beyond just wanting pot to have that aforementioned peace of mind. everyone reacts differently and im not trying to say thats even a bad idea but its just simply something ive never heard of. honestly i feel bad for you because its miserable even for me sometimes and like i said blazings not even like an all the time deal for me anymore. hopefully we can get over that mental hurdle, but i especially feel for you my friend that is just simply not a pleasant thing at all

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations ThujOne,

...hookah?

Does my aquatic experiment qualify, down below?

Sorry, not exactly an authentic hookah but that was sufficient to point a finger at what's next for me...

And i can be positive stating this solution is no solution for me as i found out, and i should know as i gave water some good thought! So that ain't in my plans and the recent confirmation only renders it as unlikely to change as before.

Once in a while i do try to revisit my late water toy scenario, thinking the reader may actually be curious about how one would combine what i've already got with what other persons require for themselves. The thing is clean butane burning generates a satisfying amount of water in vapor form and lets not forget it's well above 100 °C - which is what makes that essential for me to enjoy it, apparently... So, that doesn't totally eliminate water toys as a valid avenue but using IH technology there's no reason why there can't be 2 IH-driven vaporisation chambers, or even 3 for that matter. Consequently, if cannabis can vaporized then why not a single droplet of water?

For example, Curie-alloy #1 (~ 99 °C) would serve in a droplet-mode water pre-heater/boiler, Curie-alloy #2 (~135 °C) would constitute the vaporisation-bowl walls and implement pre-heating in conductive/radiative mode... As for Curie-alloy #3, it depends:

M'well at this point it would be useful to know what's the temperature behind a ~4 mm thick SiC Front-Puck when torched ("charged") under my configuration, mass and geometry being important variables to consider i believe.

...getting low on pot... ...that mental hurdle...

Micro-dosing for "conservation" purposes is still on my menu as far as i'm concerned. Of course, if there were a trap and i didn't like to get trapped then, naturally, i'd be on the lookout for ways to avoid that trap in the 1st place. There again i find the tool determines the ritual and hence this will influence the consumption style or profile i think. On another hand if the consumer is out of control anyway then it may seem a bit late to begin a reflexion!

Good day, have fun!!

 

[yacob]

yeah thats why i dont smoke even remotely as much now because it was just becoming more of a regimen and a stress making sure i had enough than it was enjoyment. you dont even get stoned when youre smoking the last couple bowls because all you do is think about getting the next one. its definitely something you get attached to, addiction is a strong word and people die from that so its definitely not even close to that category, but you really can get borderline dependent on pot just to go through the day being normal which is really just silly considering the shit people deal with. and at one point it was pretty out of control for me, but thats because i literally had more than i knew what to do with and there isnt a whole lot else to really do when you spend all day handling it to make money anyway. that gets old really fast though