The stigma surrounding Cannabis is heavily intertwined with America’s racially oppressive past. Since marijuana is classified and

recognized federally as a schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, disproportionate punishments for similar

crimes between the white population and black is fueled by systemic racist policy. According to the ACLU or American Civil Liberties

Union, marijuana related arrests make up more than half of the drug arrests in the United States, where African-Americans are dis-

proportinately targeted despite similar rates of cannabis usage among both whites and the BI-POC community in America (NPR.org).

This stigma is enforced by racial stereotypes of laziness, incompetency, and drug abuse that are aimed to discredit and harm Black

Americans. The legalization of pot is cool, but there are still systematic policies enforcing racial prejudice. Since the influx of legalization,

pot charges in relation to sales have been used to detain and arrest legal black consumers. This rebranding and normalization of pot

use, medical or recreational, fails to acknowledge and address the racial prejudice and stereotypes regarding America’s POC and marijuana.

Now that we know about the two main cannabinoids found in Cannabis plants, it is time to learn a little about terpenes of the marijuana plant.

Terpenes are natural chemicals or chemical compounds found in plants. In marijuana, terpenes affect the color, smell, and taste of the flower, or buds.

Different terpenes in cannabis have different psychoactive affects on the brain. Every person reacts to terpenes differently but scientists are able to estimate what “high” will be produced from the cannabis depending on the terpene profile of the plant.

There are multiple terpenes in one plant, all simultaneously working with the cannabinoids to produce unique feelings during a high.

Some terpenes are notable for certain affects like pain relief, mind clarity, insomnia relief, and so much more!

Contrary to popular belief, the type of cannabis plant is not that important. Indica or sativa is the go to question when really, what makes up the high is the terpene profile. Fun fact, eco scientists have found that there is little to no distinction or difference in effects between sativa and indica strains with similar terpene profiles.

Today is the day we start to break down the specifics of Cannabis, as a plant, a medicine, and a recreational product. The best place to begin is identifying CBD and THC, their differences, similarities, and uses.

The Cannabis plant comes in two different species. Referring to my helpful infographic to the left, you can see that the two species are Hemp, and Marijuana. The Hemp species is the plant that is used to produce CBD, or Cannabidiol, while the Marijuana species produces THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol.

The difference between CBD and THC is they have different psychoactive components. Hemp cannot provide enough THC levels to create a “high” by a consumer.

Marijuana however, does supply CBD. Hemp manufacturing is used to produce 0% THC CBD products.

CBD is a compound found in Cannabis, and is just one of hundreds of other compounds found in Cannabis. These compounds are called “Cannabinoids”, and THC is another Cannabinoid.

CBD is used for body pain, anxiety relief, and other medicinal uses due to its response to the human body. This is because the CBD Cannabinoid is unable to properly bind to our brains cannabis receptors, where THC is able to bind seamlessly and create that mind, body and psychoactive high.

Both CBD and THC are used for pain and leisure and sometimes they are used together to increase certain feelings or achieve certain goals.

What is your experience with CBD and THC?

Do you prefer one over the other?

How did you use Cannabis? Medically or recreationally?

Is there a way to use marijuana professionally?

I believe there is.

Pot has been associated with the trope of laziness, disassociation, and stupidity for a long time. Today we still see those notions being exercised in media, schools, work and community life.

Using pot professionally without maintaining privacy pertaining to usage is a goal I strive for. Breaking these stigmas slowly but surely. In my professional life, I want to be transparent about my use of marijuana, just as casually as someone would be about drinking alcohol off the job.

I think the steps leading to this are rooted in connection, and willingness.

Willingness to learn, and put previous notions aside, while being connected to the information being provided.

To achieve this goal, I show up authentically in professional settings. I use my skills of presenting well, to form a connection, while also being outspoken about my marijuana usage.

I believe pot users have more than enough capacity to be productive professionally to denounce harmful stereotypes, rewriting the idea that pot can’t be professional.

What are your expectations of others regarding marijuana usage?

Do you think that weed can be professional?

I can’t remember the first time someone warned me about Spice, but since whenever that was, I have heard it a million and a half times. The dangers and effects of K2 were seen throughout the country, and throughout my town. The ‘Zombie Drug’ was contributing to the drug epidemic enough, so when the hype for Spice died down, I became weary of this “new synthetic cannabis” sold at vape shops and gas stations.

Yes, I am indeed talking about products like “Delta-8”, “THC-O” and others like them.

These cannabis derivatives were an immediate success in my community for their legality, effects and availability. I remember trying a Delta-8 product and understanding that someone could feel “high”, but the feeling felt wrong. Wrong enough to pique my interest on the nature of synthetic cannabinoids and what this new product was. Soon after I tried this “legal weed” I learned of a close friend who was in the hospital. Her lung had collapsed and the doctors diagnosed her with something called “CHS”.

CHS, or Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome, causes someone to severely vomit regularly and when I looked it up and read that it occurs in “long-term users” I became worried. My friend had only started smoking cannabis recently and was not a heavy smoker. Looking deeper, I found that this condition can be caused by related chemicals in THC products, and even can be brought on by unsafe consumption. My brain immediately wondered, “Is it Delta-8?”.

I called my friends mom and asked if she had been regularly smoking weed from the gas station and reported back to me that my friend had been regularly using Delta-8 products as a THC substitute.

Looking deeper, I found that Delta-8, and its predecessors, are found in sativa strains of cannabis flower, but in very minuscule amounts. So concentrated amounts of these compounds are manufactured from CBD oil. But that didn’t make sense to me either. How do you get high off of CBD? An amazing essay on the matter by scientist Christopher Hudalla highlights just exactly “what” is in these products and the dangers. https://thecannabisscientist.com/testing-processing/we-believe-in-unicorns-and-delta-8

This article is my go to source to educate people on how these synthetic cannabinoids are altered, manufactured, and the effects. I sent my friend that article as soon as she got out of the hospital, and after recovery she started smoking THC cannabis for pain again and she is asymptomatic of her CHS to this day.

Some people have had great experiences with Delta-8 or synthetic weed and although I acknowledge the problems with access, and legal consumption, I urge people to think about what they are putting in their bodies, and take advantage of Minnesotas recent change in Legislature.

In conclusion, I would say synthetic cannabinoids are a Don’t.

What are your experiences with these products?

What are your thoughts on the article provided?

(Early 200’s anti weed commercial voice): “This is your body on Delta-8”