Category: Production

On average, the traces of THC in your system are undetectable after around 30 days. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily pass a drug test 31 days after using; there are several different factors that can keep traces of THC in your system for much longer. These include:

• Frequency of use. People who consume cannabis or cannabis products more frequently will naturally store more THC-COOH in their systems. 
• Amount of use. The more THC you consume, the longer it will take to metabolize out of your body. 
• Body fat storage. Bodies with a higher amount of fat will get rid of THC-COOH slower, as these cannabis compounds will diffuse across your fat storage. 
• Metabolic speed. The body gets rid of THC-COOH by metabolizing fat, so if you know you have a slower metabolism, then you will hold onto THC-COOH for longer. 
• Hydration levels. If you don’t drink enough water, then THC-COOH will be more concentrated in your system. 

Finally, it’s important to consider not only these biological factors, but also one very important measurement of THC levels: the drug test itself.

Cannabis strains with seeds produce far less of the cannabinoids THC and CBD. When a female cannabis plant is fertilized, it diverts resources towards growing seeds, and the flower from which cannabis products are made will stop growing. As a result, fertilized cannabis plants produce less cannabinoids. 

These seeds are also hard to remove from cannabis products. Decades ago, people had to smoke cannabis with these seeds mixed in the flowers, resulting in a rather uncomfortable experience. The added time and labor to remove these seeds is costly for cannabis growers, and since seedless strains yield higher cannabinoids, it makes sense to grow sinsemilla instead.

So, how does medical cannabis work? By enhancing your body’s innate ability to maintain homeostasis. 

The ECS has two different cell receptors, though some researchers speculate there are even more. These receptors, also known as CB1 and CB2 receptors, tell their respective cells to perform various functions. The body produces certain cannabinoids that target these receptors, such as the chemicals anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. 

However, the substances in cannabis can also target these receptors. In the brain, CB1 receptors tell certain nerve cells to signal more or less frequently. This is why cannabinoids like THC can affect your mental health, because the brain cells that undergo endocannabinoid signaling are involved with memory, emotion, and perception.

In the immune system, CB2 receptors tell immune cells if the body is undergoing inflammation. This is why cannabinoids like CBD are associated with pain and inflammation relief. 

This process is the same way in which other medicines treat the body. Painkillers target nerve cell receptors, insulin targets the receptors that tell cells to take in glucose, etc. Thus, cannabis works by amplifying the body’s natural system for maintaining homeostasis and regulating mood.

If cannabis can have a hangover effect on the body, it’s because of THC. THC binds to certain receptors in the body that cause these hangover effects. For example, THC temporarily binds to the glands that produce saliva, which is why cannabis consumption can give you dry mouth. THC can also cause temporary cognitive impairment, especially in large doses, which explains the “foggy” hangover feeling.

Many researchers argue that a weed hangover is actually just a prolonged high. THC can remain in the body for a while, especially if you consume an edible. An alcoholic hangover occurs because your body has spent too many resources removing alcohol from your system; since the THC from cannabis is still in your system, “hangover” might not be the correct term.

Legalizing cannabis can profoundly benefit both the nation’s economy and the wellbeing of its residents. Ostensibly, national legalization would expand the pool of individuals who can consume medicinal cannabis. On top of increasing Americans’ access to the health benefits of cannabis, legalization would improve the country through the following:

Greater Testing Capabilities 

If cannabis were legalized, there would be much more funding for medical research on the plant. We know that cannabinoids, in certain ratios, can seriously improve a user’s health, comfort, and wellbeing. Future research would let us understand the chemical mechanisms of the endocannabinoid system, and it would help producers finetune their products. 

Better Cannabis Products

With better testing comes better products. Growers and manufacturers can improve their methods and products, allowing for cheaper production techniques and higher quality cannabis. Additionally, legalizing cannabis would allow people to purchase cannabis products from trusted retailers, rather than from local dealers – who may deal products that are laced, or of otherwise poor quality. 

Public Health 

Lastly, legalizing cannabis would greatly benefit public health, especially the health of drug addicts. Cannabis offers a potential avenue for weaning off of an opioid addiction, mitigating the withdrawal symptoms from opioids. With cannabis also used to treat individuals with cancer, epilepsy, and mental illness, public health would greatly benefit from legalizing marijuana.

The two active chemicals in cannabis, THC and CBD, affect the body in different ways. Both of them target brain receptors associated with the flight or fight response – the physical response associated with anxiety.

CBD, the “calming” chemical of cannabis, binds to CB1 receptors in the brain that lessen the flight or fight response. Many stress relief products today rely on CBD to ease the effects of anxiety. While CBD can’t cure anxiety, it can certainly calm the body down.

THC also targets CB1 receptors, but it has a different effect on the body. Known as the “psychoactive” component of cannabis, THC has a “bi-phasic” effect on anxiety. In low doses, THC reduces anxiety; in high doses, THC can increase feelings of paranoia and unease. This is because THC can overwhelm the amygdala, which is the part of the brain associated with fear and emotion. Although people can build their tolerance to THC, it should be consumed in moderation among people with anxiety.

Thus, ethanol extraction is not without its drawbacks. Ethanol extraction is much safer than butane and certainly more effective than supercritical CO2, and ethanol is also safe to consume according to the FDA. However, the process of purifying ethanol solutions can be quite costly, and even then, ethanol extracts don’t always meet the same quality as cannabinoids extracted safely through butane, unless done with well-funded equipment.

Nonetheless, ethanol extraction brings an exciting new option to the manufacturing of cannabis products, and with new research and developments coming out every day, the process is becoming much more effective at purifying cannabinoid solutions. Even though we’re experts at making cannabis products, producers at Waveseer far prefer using ethanol as a solvent, since accidents can happen with butane. With our combined expertise and advanced purification methods, Waveseer makes products that are potent, safe, and satisfactory to all who use them.