Most cannabis consumers know CBD and Hemp as popular - even if THC is their preference, but many haven't heard of CBG or CBGa. When we walk the aisles of local stores or even a pharmacy, it's easy to find CBD for sale in capsules, tinctures, and more. Mike Robinson, a California-based plant medicine researcher from the Global Cannabinoid Research Center, has been busy giving away various Hemp Extracts on Instagram and other social media outlets while educating about the plant and how it works throughout the pandemic.
As the legalization movement continues to sweep across America, consumers are learning differing ways to use both Hemp and high THC Cannabis. Instagram has had an increasingly higher number of giveaway contests over the past year. Many speculate this is due to a need to market products that consumers haven't been able to purchase as frequently as they have in the past.
Typically, these giveaways are brief and for one or a few items, but Robinson has been giving away up to 20 grams at a time to gain consumers' attention. "People that have built a high tolerance to THC that dab will use them if these giveaways, as costly as they are in time alone, get done. Inhalation of various hemp dabs causes a balancing effect - it allows the THC user to continue use without the well-known tolerance break that I heavily disagree with," he stated.
A 'T Break' is when a person using THC stops it entirely for a few days. Then, after this short break starts again and feels more efficacy, many consumers report this will help them but at a high cost as they go through incredible hardships while trying not to use THC.
"It's not tolerance is the thing; it's an imbalance that's not allowing the THC to work for most; to make it easy to understand, a different part of the Endocannabinoid system that processes the hemp dabs gets utilized, and that creates action that doesn't happen with THC alone," He said.
"Many consumers that use THC as their primary cannabinoid have doubled down or even more in use - and for many, even that isn't working. All internal systems need balance - especially the ECS - We must maintain the function of many different types of receptors by using multiple plant constituents and cannabinoids - don't forget about Terpenes as they matter."
"When a person ingests or inhales primarily one cannabinoid, a bell curve effect often happens - increased use with decreased efficacy isn't tolerance. It's a lack of balance causing the ECS to malfunction literally. It can happen quickly or over a long period - but I've witnessed the correction of the problem happening so fast that all users of THC, especially chronic, should experience this," Robinson stated.
There's been continued chatter about tolerance breaks on the internet, with people weighing in their opinions and giving advice across all social media channels. "It's much like starvation - yes, it will make the person hungry if you starve them for a few days, but give it a week or less, and that diet is right back where it was. With the famed tolerance break that breaks the spirit of so many THC users who count on the cannabinoid, you can rest assured the individual will need another soon - but that's not the case if they balance their system, which should be the modern school of thought."
"We all live with Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome - a clinically proven health issue. This issue is due to multiple generations of cannabinoid-starved people after prohibition, so it's thought that it could have always been an issue that led people to use the plant in ancient history, but I doubt it. The onset of so many diseases, cancers, and more all came after prohibition. A Cannabis plant alone didn't get jailed for a century in 1937; we need to get it straight, good health was," Said Robinson.
Recently, I was a Keynote Speaker at the G4 Conference in Las Vegas - the topic was Patient Views. In discussions on accessibility, affordability, and the need for easy-to-digest patient information, this subject wasn't front and center - but it should have been. When we examine affordability, ECS balance becomes a significant factor; if your THC use is not giving you the desired effect, it may be time to venture into other plant compounds, such as Robinson suggests.
While taking these tolerance breaks to reset the body's ECS has been the thing to do in the past, it seems new research opinions vary, especially from the Global Cannabinoid Research Center's Mike Robinson. "There's no real science on this. Tolerance has multiple definitions and very little research on how it happens. Nobody knows anything, but balance is known in the 2023 Cannabinoid Science arena - or should be."
Most comment that it's hard for them to stop from social media posts we've monitored. THC users need options other than quitting their Cannabis; CBGa has been vital in helping many with Endocannabinoid Balance, and so has CBD." Robinson has shared with me that he discovered the ability to gain answers to research questions through giveaway contests.
"We've done giveaways with Delta 8, CBD, CBD, and CBGa combinations. People respond when they can win something, so it's an excellent time to teach all this. I know I have a lot of people's attention when the prize is big and is also being talked about. Consumers don't generally gain much information from who's selling products beyond what that product does and by a salesperson - so they get it in other ways." He stated.
Industry leaders love to see compassion and giving since it does give the public a better image of Cannabis, a plant cast into shadows of evil for so long. "There's no reason to fear the refer - many have found they can have a better life using high THC and other cannabis types. As a nation and global community, we had surpassed that type of thinking quite some time ago - regardless of the recreational markets, all of this is medicine," stated the outspoken, Internationally known researcher.
Everyone rallies on social media when these giveaway contests are done, so Mike Robinson and his CBGa could be on to a new way of spreading further cannabis education information.
By: Sarah Schwefel, Cannabis Patient and Content Writer, 2021 (HUG), Hemp Users Guide & Research Analyst, Global Cannabinoid Research Center\
