It rolls around again – the familiar cramps, cravings, and general distress. While many have been able to find ways to cope with pain, usually with wine and chocolate, it’s no doubt that some experience more discomfort than others.
What about smoking weed while on your period? If the knots in your stomach are especially strong and if you live in an area where it’s legal, cannabis may a viable option then!
Hear me out first. Aside from the fun headspace associated with it, smoking weed definitely helps ease pain from menstrual cramps and other pains. In fact, as a powerful anti-inflammatory, that’s where many of the medical properties from cannabis lie.
How does it help and are there other ways other than smoking? We’ll go over those two thoughts here.
First, here’s a quick hot list of the things cannabis is known for medically and how it can help you out during your moon cycle:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Pain relieving
- Reduce stress
- Relieve anxiety
- Treat insomnia/help sleep
- Improve mood
It’s no secret that this little plant has a lot of medical and recreational values tied to it. Conveniently, the positive effects of cannabis are nicely contrasting to the negatives associated with the troublesome time of month.
With that in mind, smoking weed on your period might not just be right for you. Of course with anything there can be downsides, and some people in particular experience discomfort, anxiety, and food cravings can certainly become intensified – something to note if you’re trying to watch your waistline.
Do your due diligence and if you’re interested in using weed during your period, start low and slowly work your way up if you’re a newcomer.
How can you use cannabis during your period then?
Well aside from the very obvious smoking option, there are a couple of other methods which are a lot less stinky, less harmful to lungs, and generally more enjoyable. If you’re adverse to smoking weed (like me) but still want to enjoy its effects and pain relief, then you have a couple of options:
Vaporizing
The most effective and the preferred choice for me and my girlfriend, a dry herb vaporizer can be the most revolutionary thing for you if you want weed during your period! The effects hit just about as fast as smoking, however it doesn’t smell or taste like smoking and is rather pleasant instead.
In fact, someone like my cute little mother is perfectly fine sipping away on her herb vaporizer, while she’ll never even consider touching a joint due to her fragile lungs.
Bonus, a cannabis vaporizer uses much less herb (around 0.1 grams), doesn’t smell nearly as much, and doesn’t hurt the lungs compared to smoking.
Every time my girlfriends moon cycle rolls around and she starts feeling that funky feeling, she just takes a couple of quick hits and suddenly watching movies and eating strange snacks is the best thing in the world. Unfortunately there is a start-up cost, but it’s definitely a long term investment that’s worth it!
Edibles
Becoming more and more common, cannabis edibles contain your daily dose with the advantage of lasting quite a bit longer and not requiring you to inhale anything. The downsides? Well, edibles are sometimes unpredictable and not really the best for beginners. With too high of a dose, the effects can certainly be overwhelming to say the least.
If you’re already familiar with the effects of weed, then go for it! Alternatively, seek out pure CBD edibles. They may be hard to come across but with pure CBD you’ll avoid most all the unpleasant side effects associated with weed and in fact you’ll practically be sober.
Another downside to edibles is they take around an hour to hit – which is far too long if you’re in the throes of powerful abdominal cramps and need that relief ASAP.
Oil/tincture
Similar to the edibles route, an oil/tincture is really easy to use and you simply squeeze a few drops under your tongue. Wait around 15-30 minutes and see how the effects are. It’s very simple, no inhalation required, however oils and tinctures are usually pretty expensive.
Alongside that, the downside from edible cannabis also applies and many (like my partner) are just not fond of those effects. Of course pure CBD drops are available, but honestly it is a little fun to just snuggle up and watch a series while a little bit not sober.
Topical
Lastly, you can opt for a topical cannabis lotion or oil to locally treat pain and such. While this won’t have an effect on mood, sobriety, or hunger, the mental and physical properties are also quite mild.
A CBD oil or lotion might be right if you want to take the edge off some mild period cramps, however I wouldn’t quite say it’s the best if you experience moderate-high levels of discomfort.
Unfortunately too, a lot of topical oils and lotions are pretty expensive and not the best bang for your buck.
Cramps + Cannabis = Relief!
Your results may certainly vary and for some people, it’s just not for them. For my significant other, it’s her favorite thing and her moon cycle is no longer dreaded. Rather, it’s almost anticipated because that just means we have an excuse to have a little herb, snuggle up to a movie, and snack away.
Edibles and oils work alright, but we prefer to use a dry herb vaporizer and we quit smoking it entirely because it’s much more pleasant. For her, the pains are much more manageable and it really takes the edge off her mental state, and she feels more relaxed overall.
Your experience may vary and it’s definitely not for everyone, but consider it if your interests are piqued, if you’re in a legal place, and if you’re comfortable with the idea of it!