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Once upon a time, cannabis tolerance was a myth. Only the most connected could dream of cannabis strong enough and consistent enough to build up a serious tolerance. Today, however, advancements in technology and cultivation have produced more cannabinoid-dense flower and concentrates that are available at the dispensaries popping up around the corner. A great high is available at any time, in any form, in any legal state. If you want a medicinal sedative to help you eat and rest comfortably, there are top-notch indicas: For creative energy that eases your anxiety without a nap-time, a bright sativa may be the solution.  But what happens when the strains or treats you know and love just don’t feel the same way anymore?

Building your cannabis tolerance is probably easier to do than it should be, especially with regular access to premium cannabis. But when it takes too much just to feel right, you know it’s time for a t-break, reset your tolerance and just take things easy.

Of course, resetting your cannabis tolerance may be a different situation for everyone. Some can put it down for two weeks and come right back, no problem! Some people need it daily for medical or emotional reasons, so “taking a t-break” is not as easy as the former. So today, we’re diving into just what it means to reset your cannabis tolerance and how you can do that, whether you can break off for a bit, set a schedule, or need to reset to a lower tolerance without missing a day.

The Principle Behind Lowering Your Cannabis Tolerance

  • Reduce your receptor’s process rate
  • Completely resetting your cannabis tolerance

Your cannabis tolerance is your endocannabinoid system’s habituation to having cannabis in your bloodstream. You can become tolerant partly because of this system, but just like how going without sugar for a week can make your next dessert super awesome, reducing your cannabis intake or cutting it off can help your body’s receptors return to a low-processing state so that low amounts of cannabis have a higher, desirably stronger effect.

If you need to fully reset your system and clear all the THC from your bloodstream, this will take three days to four weeks of t-break combined with water and exercise for a holistic cleanse.

However, if you just need to retrain your neurotransmitters to function on less flower, there are several ways to train your receptors back to a low-tolerance state and enjoy cannabis at the levels you did when you were getting started. Without further ado, these are the seven methods that work to reset your cannabis tolerance.

1) Take a T-Break

Taking a T-break is the tried and true way to reset your cannabis tolerance. If you need too much to get to the level you prefer, simply stop consuming cannabis for a few days (a few weeks, at the most) and you can be almost fully reset when you return to your favorite methods and strains.

With its popularity, different ways to take a T-break have manifested. Some people reduce their use only to the weekends or only after hitting certain performance marks with their other weekly goals. Some people take long breaks, some regularly take T-breaks of just one or two days to keep their tolerance at a comfortable low.

Tips to Take a Successful T-Break:

If you plan to take a serious T-break without cannabis for days or weeks, we suggest making the coming break as painless as possible with a few easy tricks:

  1. Put Away Your Cannabis Stuff
    • Completely clean and pack away all your gear and remaining cannabis supplies. Make sure you can’t see or smell the green stuff when you know you’re not trying to partake. This is a great opportunity to get all your stuff really sparkling clean.
  2. Clean Your House
    • Not only is it therapeutic, it will completely rid your of the cannabis smell, which helps get your mind off of it: Vacuum the carpets and furniture, wipe down the tables, windows, screens, walls, etc. Do your laundry, and air out the house by changing the air filters and using air freshener. You will enjoy a sparkling, fresh-scented house with no lingering cannabis smells during your t-break.
  3. Stay Active
    • Physical activity and plenty of water can help you flush anything from body aches heartaches. Staying active and getting fresh air not only elevates your mood and mental health, but the physical exertion combined with sweating, drinking water and getting the blood pumping will cleanse your body of anything unwanted you were carrying over.
  4. Set a T-Break Schedule
    • Know when your t-break will start, know when it is over and think about your reward for sticking to the plan. If your reward is a roll, do not go overboard and just enjoy it responsibly.

2) Slow Your Roll (No Pun Intended)

As we mentioned earlier, many people cannot full-stop their cannabis use. It is hard enough already for heavy users to suddenly stop, but if you have medical reasons for your consumption prescribed by a doctor, full-stops will come to a screeching halt. If you or an individual needs cannabis to manage daily complications with chronic pain, inflammation, or mood disorders, you might find that a serious reduction in cannabis can help you reset your tolerance instead. 

To slow your roll, start using a much smaller amount of cannabis each time. You can also set your use for certain times or extend the intervals between your hits or doses. Slowing your cannabis use when your tolerance is high can actually feel like stopping completely, but you’re not. Unlike fully taking a t-break, you can enjoy small amounts of cannabis to ease that discomfort as your body transitions to a lower tolerance.

3) Water and Exercise: The Holistic Reset

Did you know that you can “sweat out” cannabis?  It’s true! The holistic approach of simple water and exercise can help you reduce the cannabis in your bloodstream by processing it out through water. The sooner your blood is free of cannabinoids, the sooner your endocannabinoid system receptors will reverse their adaptation to available molecules. When you sweat out the cannabis, your tolerance can lower more quickly by straight up removing cannabis from your bloodstream. 

Water and exercise can help you purge THC from your blood at a surprising rate. This process makes the holistic approach the perfect solution for “sobering quickly” from cannabis, cleansing your body fully of THC in preparation for a drug test, and for helping your receptors adapt to lower cannabis levels in your bloodstream.

4) Set a Strict Schedule and Stick To It

One way to help yourself stay organized and use less cannabis each day while still enjoying it at critical times is using a strict schedule. Make rules and a calendar for yourself on exactly when you will enjoy cannabis and then enjoy yourself only during that time.

You might make a rule that you don’t light a joint before 9 pm, or that you only smoke on weekends, or on weekdays after you are home or done with work. You can set your schedule where you smoke a few puffs every few hours at set intervals, and those few puffs will be much sweeter than vaping a bunch of oils all day.

5) Reduce Your THC Consumption

Interestingly, you don’t have to slow your actual use if you slow the THC content in your cannabis products. Take a look at those little percentage points next to your cannabis sometime. They indicate just how strong the cannabis is, and you don’t always need the strongest stuff. Try the gentler vape oils and low-percentage buds. Try some hemp buds with higher CBD than THC for that body-soothing without the psychoactive effects you’d like to wind down from.

Reducing the concentration of your cannabis can be more enjoyable and almost as effective as cutting your use. You can still enjoy hemp joints while lowering your tolerance for the strong cannabis that you’ll love returning to later on.

6) Change Up Your Cannabis Methods

Many people metabolize the different methods of cannabis in different ways. For example, if you can’t feel the difference when you vape anymore but you really need the full-body soothing effect – try an edible. Edibles are absorbed through a completely different body system – digestive rather than respiratory – and they process differently as well.

You might switch from smoking to vape, or from vape to edibles, or from edibles to topicals to find out what works best for you. It may be that the receptors that interact with your normal method have high tolerance, but others will not. A smart rotation can help manage cannabis tolerance for those who need a fair dose every day.

7) Explore New Cannabis Strains

Many people decide to lower their cannabis tolerance because they no longer feel satisfied with a reasonable amount of their favorite cannabis. After lowering your tolerance, consider other ways to make your stoning time more rewarding. For example, you might be inspired by the very different effects of a new strain, or even switch from indica to sativa (or vice versa) to see if the opposite family of strains is more inspiring or satisfying compared to your usual go-to flavors.

New cannabis methods, new cannabis strains, and the help of a cannabis industry professional like a medical cannabis doctor or an educated budtender can guide you toward not only lower cannabis tolerance, but also a richer experience and exploration as a result. 

Taking Care of Your Cannabis-Related Health

If you are a Nevada medical cannabis patient or believe that you should be, discover your best health options for cannabis with the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board. We strive to offer excellent quality of care and guidance those with personal and medical need for cannabis in their lives. We are also here for those who need medical support and guidance to safely lower your cannabis tolerance and maintain a functional cannabis self-treatment plan.
Contact Planet 13 Las Vegas today to learn more or seek cannabis medical support when and where you need it.