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Strain: CBD MediHaze
Parentage: (Super Silver Haze x Neville's Haze) x undisclosed CBD Strain
Breeder: CBD Crew
Grower: Sweden Farms
Cannabinoid Content: 9.78% CBD, 5.01% THC
In a recent press conference, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer discussed the Trump administration's stance on cannabis for the first time since our 45th president took office.
While pledging non-interference with regards to state medical marijuana programs, Spicer warned that regions with regulated recreational weed could be seeing "greater enforcement" of federal marijuana laws.
With the DEA's joystick in Trump's hand, the threat of feds coming down on our pot shops, professional growers, and the cannabis industry at large just got real—and that threat alone could be enough to disrupt Oregon's bustling new economy.
Turning over the nightmare scenarios in my head, I found myself a bit wound up, and I decided to track down an anxiety-relieving strain to review this week.
But where to start? Some people actually get anxiety from weed, while others swear by its relaxing qualities—making it impossible to work from anecdotes alone.
Related: Five Anti-Anxiety Cannabis Strains to Try
Which is why we have science. So, science, which weeds are good for treating anxiety?
Turns out, that's a fairly complicated question.
Without getting too deep into the details, there are some boxes to check off when you're looking for a strain to relieve your anxiety:
-It should be low in THC. The cannabinoid THC, responsible for a portion of weed's psychoactive effects, stimulates the amygdala—which regulates fear—so too much can actually make a person anxious or paranoid. That said, a little bit of THC has been shown to help curb anxiety in mice, so just err on the side of caution and you should be fine. Especially if you're a mouse.
-It should be high in CBD, which binds to the non-psychoactive CB2 receptors of the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS), and has been found to reduce symptoms in patients with generalized social anxiety disorder.
-Keep an eye out for the terpenes linalool, limonene, or beta-caryophyllene, which all help with anxiety in various ways. The data on beta-caryophyllene is quite encouraging, as the terpene solely binds with CB2 receptors, which means it doesn't get you high, just like CBDs.
I wanted to find a strain that ticked off all the boxes: high in CBD, low in THC, and hopefully containing a pinch of the above-mentioned terps.
After perusing some menus online, I took a trip to the Williams Street Green House (not to be confused with nearby competitor, the Greenhouse on Alberta) an unpretentious spot that I occasionally hit up for its budget flower options.
As is par for the Green House, they were stocked with affordable choices—16 strains priced between $5 and $9 per gram before taxes, plus less-competitive, top-shelf options.
I ended up with a gram of CBD MediHaze ($9) and another of Raspberry Diesel ($6) for good measure, and walked away with a few bucks left over from the $20 that was in my wallet when I arrived.
For the purposes of treating anxiety, I decided on the CBD MediHaze, first for its cannabinoid content—9.78% CBD, 5.01% THC—and second for its Haze-related parentage, which, out of the options available, was the most likely to contain the terpenes to ease my jitters.
Grown outdoors by Sweden Farms and bred by CBD Crew, MediHaze is a cross of Super Silver Haze and Neville's Haze, which was then pollinated by an undisclosed, CBD-heavy father.
The MediHaze gives off a sweet pine and menthol scent, which translates to a spicier flavor palette when smoked, reminiscent of the classic hazes that make up its mom's genetics.
As you'd expect of a high-CBD strain, there's minimal psychoactivity, and roughly zero stoning effects.
A bit of a head high sets in when you get about halfway through a bowl, and shortly thereafter you can feel the CBDs doing their work: your mood levels out, a mental calm sets in, and your muscles loosen into an al dente relaxation.
After a few puffs, I found that my anxious mind had quieted some, my thoughts settling to a more coherent linearity.
I quietly considered the Trump administration's distinction between medical and recreational marijuana. How could they not see that recreational cannabis is itself an effective form of preventative medicine? Stress and anxiety lead to all sorts of health problems, and finding a reliable way to chill out is the surest way to combat these deleterious states of mind. We shouldn't need doctors to sign off on the obvious.
As I debated with the little orange man on my shoulder, I soon found myself waking up from a blissful slumber, feeling fresh in the body and limber in the mind.
And though I can't honestly say if the MediHaze helped ease my worries, it did make my body feel great, calming me into a good night's sleep despite the increasingly uncertain future unfolding before me.