Last weekend: Snowdown.
This weekend: The Broncos Super Bowl.
Next weekend: Winter. The week after that: Winter. After that: More winter.
As we make the long march toward spring, we are of two types – those who love winter and those who loathe it.
Those who love winter will spend the next couple months on the slopes, trails and other brumal haunts, loving the crisp air, the crunching ice and the hushed beauty of snowfall. Those who hate it will bundle up and bear it, avoiding any contact with “the air that hurts our faces,” and slowly turning the color of snowbanks after weeks of traffic – what Shakespeare called “dun.” Cannabis may have something to offer all of us.
Hiking, skating, downhill or cross country skiing, climbing, snowshoeing, even sledding: Each of these activities puts us outdoors, keeps us moving and offer opportunities to encounter another phase of nature’s beauty. Winter recreational activities keep us healthy during the season when many of nature’s creatures just say “Aw, hells naw!” and crash out for a few months. But there is the downside: Lumps, bumps and aches from repetitive motion and the occasional doozy wipeout.
And then there are those among us who would much rather just snuggle up to a grizzly and check out until St. Patrick’s Day. We’re the ones who recognize that firelight, while beautiful, does nothing to balance a vitamin D deficiency and that the doctors who named Seasonal Affective Disorder nailed the acronym perfectly.
Winter may be the time to downshift from THC-heavy strains and look into the benefits of high CDB (cannabidiol) strains or your own personal blend of the two. CBD, like THC, is one of the dozens of chemical compounds in cannabis known as cannabinoids. THC is the primary psychoactive compound, the compound that actually gets you high. For this reason, most cannabis breeding programs over the past couple decades have focused on elevating THC levels. Most strains available in the 1970s and ’80s measured in around 5 percent or less; many are now available at levels around 20 percent or more. With the advent of focused medical marijuana programs worldwide (in the U.S. and Israel, in particular) higher CDB, lower THC strains are being developed for their healing properties.
High cannabidiol strains rose to media prominence in Colorado, largely through the development of Charlotte’s Web, a CDB-rich strain engineered to combat a juvenile seizure disorder. They are also effective at combating multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is the mechanism that assists in PTSD that can be useful in helping to lessen seasonal depression. Higher THC strains may raise anxiety levels by affecting already tweaked biochemical levels; the CBD strains are “gentler” and may provide a mood boost without the intensity. Used in conjunction with positive overall health choices and patterns, like diet and exercise, you might just find yourself enjoying winter a bit more.
For those who sit around every summer just waiting for December to roll around, CDB strains could be the perfect fix for you, as well. Riding the slopes or climbing an ice face can get tough if your joints and muscles are incapable of doing what you ask them to do as a result of soreness or the ache of old injuries. The feeling I had the first time I smoked some Cannatonic was akin to that moment when a nonprescription pain reliever actually begins to work – no actual buzz but an increased sense of well-being as pain and tension recede. It’s a really great effect because there is no accompanying mental effect to distract your attention from the activity at hand. Give these CDB strains a shot, DGO, and be well till next week. Oh, and GO BRONCS!!!
Christopher Gallagher lives with his wife and their four dogs and two horses. Life is pretty darn good. Contact him at [email protected]
