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Ladies, Let's Start The New Year With A Fresh, Educated Attitude About Weed

Resolve to look into the strains, products and developments that can support the elevation of your own daily life — setting you up for a better 2018.
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As Canada begins the countdown to becoming the first G20 country to nationally and fully legalize both adult-use recreational and medicinal cannabis, the team at BlyssCloud has put together the top five cannabis resolutions that all Canadian women need to make in 2018 in order to have a healthier and happier year.

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Get educated

Earlier this year, Van der Pop, a cannabis lifestyle brand for women, surveyed 1,530 women about their perceptions, consumption and cannabis interests. One of the key findings from their research was the need for education. Only 21 per cent of women strongly agreed that they have a solid understanding of the science behind cannabis.

Let's make 2018 the year that we change that and educate ourselves. There is much more to the cannabis plant than a basic high — including the overlooked option of receiving the wellness and treatment benefits. For instance earlier this year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine analyzed more than 10,000 studies to see what can conclusively be stated about the benefits of cannabis. Among the findings, it's been discovered that cannabis can reduce suffering from: chronic pain, spasms linked to multiple sclerosis and nausea from chemotherapy.

This is the start of our understanding of the science behind the potential benefits of this plant.

Let's resolve to stay on top of these developments and how they can potentially support us.

Cannabis contains over 113 different chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. THC is the most infamous of these since this is the compound that provides the high. However, in 2018 it's important women clearly understand the benefits of CBD, which has no psychoactive effect and a growing list of health benefits — including functioning as a mild antidepressant, as well as being useful in the treatment of age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Mainstream science is only starting to unlock the potential of the plant and 2018 promises to be a significant year with new insights and understanding — let's resolve to stay on top of these developments and how they can potentially support us.

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Be transparent about your cannabis consumption

In May, we wrote about the importance of mothers being able to leverage the health benefits of cannabis. It's important mothers feel comfortable having an open and public adult conversation on their cannabis use, and this starts by shifting the stigma and changing the public associations around who uses cannabis.

Research shows that 70 per cent of women believe that cannabis consumption carries a stigma still, and so 66 per cent of women still hide their use, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of shame.

Let's make 2018 the year to change this.

Here's how: Normalize cannabis use by talking about it. Share how you consume cannabis to treat your migraine, and how on a Friday evening you prefer a mocktail with a drop of cannabis tincture instead of alcohol. At social events be the one to bravely offer it by bringing beautifully packaged pre-rolls or your favourite oil cartridge. Remember to know the strain so you can educate others, as well as, bring a designer roach clip or wet wipes so the experience stays healthier for those participating.

The reason we still think of cannabis use as a young male habit is that they're the ones driving the conversation. So let's join them and change that.

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Share your data

Traditional medical research tends to focus on male subjects and presumes these same outcomes apply to women. This is shifting as researchers are expanding their studies based on the diverse outcomes between genders with the interplay of physical, psychological, economic and social.

As a result of marijuana being scheduled as an illicit drug, medical research is in its infancy and there have been few studies which specifically explore the interplay between cannabis and women's health.

This is gradually changing. Currently, there are clinical trials underway in the U.S. to see how cannabis derivatives can be used to as part of breast cancer treatments. Medical cannabis patients also report that it may help with alleviating painful periods and symptoms of menopause, vastly increasing patient life quality.

Women can directly support the advancement of understanding the wellness benefits of cannabis by contributing our experiences.

Here's how: apps like Releaf and Strainprint, and notebooks like Goldleaf's Patient Journal allow users to track their cannabis consumption in an easy way. Users can input the details of the strains they're consuming, the symptoms being treated, ingestion method and amount. Later, users record how they felt — and have the option of sharing their experience with researchers like Dr. Michele Ross who is leading the first large-scale clinical study of cannabis and women's health in the world.

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Invest in quality cannabis tools

Cannabis is no longer a dirty little habit that we have to hide — and so in 2018 let's celebrate by upgrading our cannabis accessories. With adult-use recreational cannabis happening there's a plethora of high-quality brands popping up.

Now you can choose cannabis tools and accessories which reflect your personal style and grown-up taste — like smell-proof and UV-protected storage containers, designer bongs, eco-friendly filters and so forth. Expect to see your choices to grow even further in 2018 as women start to view their cannabis accessory choices as part of their fashion choices, and not just something functional.

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Set yourself up to enjoy a healthier and happier 2018

Almost daily it seems an article pops up on our social media feed or arrives in our inbox sharing the latest research on how stressed women are (especially over the holidays). Women are experiencing high rates of anxiety and sleeplessness due to the toll of family pressures, work, social expectations and financial worries.

We get it, since we're living it also.

Cannabis legalization is not a solution to deeply rooted issues grounded in gender bias, workplace precariousness and normal midlife stress, but research shows that it can increase feelings of relaxation and mindfulness while decreasing insomnia, anxiety, stomach issues and other daily aches, pains and stresses that are eroding our daily enjoyment of life.

Resolve to look into the strains, products and developments that can support the elevation of your own daily life — setting you up for a better 2018 on every front.

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