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Whether you are one of the thousands of Missouri residents who's already experiencing the natural relief that cannabis provides or are thinking of getting your medical marijuana card soon, a cannabis journal is something you may want to consider. Journaling is a great way to keep track of how you respond to medical marijuana, which dosage gives you the best results, and which types of strains and delivery methods work best for your needs.
Sometimes, an old dog CAN learn new tricks. Even if you are more experienced with cannabis use, keeping a journal could lead you to a deeper understanding of how your body responds to cannabis, allowing you to track your pain levels, quality of sleep, moods, exercise, and more. Medical marijuana affects everyone differently, and a cannabis journal can help you understand how to get the most out of your medicine.
What Exactly IS a Medical Marijuana Journal?
Simply put, a medical marijuana journal is a log that you keep each time you consume cannabis. It is there to help keep track of what works and what doesn’t as you sample different strains and try different methods of delivery, such as medical marijuana edibles, tinctures, topicals, and more.
If you are adjusting your dose, a journal can help you go back and remember which THC amounts helped you the most. And if you overdo it, you’ll have a reference point to help you go back and make those adjustments.
Cannabis strains sometimes become unavailable. If you discover a strain that you LOVED, write it in your journal so that you can keep an eye for it when it comes back around. Your journal is whatever you decide to make of it and can be adjusted to include whatever information YOU want to keep track of along your cannabis journey.
What Information Should I Include in My Medical Marijuana Journal?
You should keep any information that you want to keep track of in regards to your experience with medical marijuana. Here are some of the details we recommend keeping track of:
Your Medical Marijuana Goals
Patients across Missouri are treating a wide array of conditions with cannabis, so your goals may differ from others. You may be using cannabis to manage chronic pain, you may be using medical marijuana to improve your sleep, or you may simply be consuming cannabis to improve your overall well-being.
Your journal should begin with your goals so that you can adjust your treatment plan to help you get to where you’d like to be.
Keep Track of Your Marijuana Dosage
It’s important to know how much THC you are consuming so that you can adjust. Cannabis affects each patient differently, and many individuals who give up on medical marijuana simply haven’t found the dose that works for them.
Keep track of the milligram or percentage of THC your cannabis products contain and rate your experience accordingly. If you feel like you got too high, back off the dosage next time. If you didn’t quite get the desired effect, up your dosage incrementally until you get to where you’d like to be. Keeping track of this is paramount to getting a consistent, positive experience on your own terms.
Track Your Method of Cannabis Delivery
You may find that your body responds differently to smoking (and different types of smoking - from a bong to a pipe to a pre-roll), vaping, tinctures, or edibles. In addition to your dosage, you should track how different cannabis delivery methods make you feel.
Does it take longer for the THC to kick-in when you consume gummy edibles versus a homemade tea infused with a cannabis tincture? Does vaping affect you differently than smoking? Keep track of these. You may not always consume edibles, but the next time you do, you can recall how they affected you the last time.
Name That Strain
Make note of the different marijuana strains you consume and how they make you feel. You may want to experiment with different strains and then come back to a favorite down the line, and your notebook will have that information so you don’t have to keep track of everything in your head. Write down the strain and the specifics of your experience with it so that you have that info when you need it.
Track Your Feelings
It’s important to know how cannabis is making you feel. Track how you feel before, during, and after consuming medical marijuana. This will help you see the big picture of how your cannabis treatments are working, allowing you to make any necessary adjustments.
How Does Medical Marijuana Affect Your Sleep?
Many people who consume cannabis have found that it improves their quality of sleep, allowing them to start their day more refreshed. Even if you are using cannabis for different reasons, it’s worth noting how cannabis use affects your sleep habits.
Keep track of the time you go to bed and wake up, how many total hours of sleep you are getting, and the quality of sleep. Did you get restful sleep, did you toss and turn or have any notable dreams? How do you feel throughout the day after getting a good night of sleep?
Is Cannabis Helping You Manage Pain?
If you are one of the many patients using medical marijuana to manage chronic pain, you should keep track of how your pain levels change each time you consume cannabis. Knowing which dosages and strains help you the most could be a game changer when it comes to using medical marijuana to treat your condition.
If you are using marijuana to reduce your dependence on prescription opioids, make note of this progress as well so that you can adjust your cannabis use accordingly.
How Does Medical Marijuana Affect Your Mood?
As you adjust dosages, delivery methods, and strains, you may notice that your mood is different. If you are using cannabis to manage anxiety, depression, or mindfulness, having this information can go a long way to discovering how to use cannabis to improve your wellbeing.
It is also important to note whether or not you overdo it and consume too high of a dose. If you suddenly feel increased anxiety, chances are that you consumed too much. If you discover feelings of paranoia while consuming cannabis, relax, know that you are okay, and the feeling will pass. Then, write down your dosage and back off a bit, or try something different next time. Your journal can help you avoid repeating a negative experience.
Track How Medical Marijuana Affects Your Mobility
Many people use cannabis to increase exercise or simply get back to doing the things they used to do. Keeping track of how you feel physically and your overall movement and mobility will let you know how cannabis is affecting your ability to exercise.
Whether you workout in the gym, go for a walk around the neighborhood, or get back out into the garden, keep track of how you feel and any increase or decrease in mobility each time you consume cannabis.
How Do I Keep a Medical Marijuana Journal?
Keeping a cannabis journal has a wide range of possibilities. You should decide which information YOU want to keep track of and get a notebook that will make it easy to regularly write down your progress.
Select Your Notebook
There are many different ways to keep a medical marijuana journal, and you should choose whatever works for you. Some people simply get a spiral notebook and start writing. Other people want a more specific guide. We love Goldleaf’s selection of marijuana journals.
Other alternatives include going digital with a marijuana journaling app, such as Tetragram. Some people just like to enter their information into an Excel spreadsheet. If you are a person who likes to get artistic with their journaling, you should check out this intro to bullet journaling for inspiration.
Be Consistent
More important than the type of journal that you keep is your level of consistency. The data you provide yourself with is information that will help you to have the best possible experience with cannabis. Consistency is the key.
You may not be in a situation where you can journal each time, as you may not be at home or in a place where you can whip out your journal every time you consume medical marijuana. If you accidentally forget, or making a journal entry isn’t convenient, that’s okay. Just make note of it and get to your journal when you can. Remember - the more information you give yourself, the more data you’ll have to make your medicine work best for you.
Remember, This Is a Process
Adapt and change as your journey with medical marijuana evolves. Give yourself permission to pivot or begin tracking a new aspect of how cannabis is affecting your life. Maybe you suddenly realize that cannabis is helping reduce your anxiety in social situations. Track that, because if you change strains or dosages, it may affect you differently and you may want to return to your previous dose.
The way that cannabis affects your day-to-day life will change with time. Your journal is there so that you can see what works and what doesn’t, making adjustments accordingly. You deserve to get the most out of your medicine, and since everyone responds differently, your journal is a way to take your medical marijuana experience into your own hands.
Your Journey Starts With a Medical Card
If you’re ready to experience the natural relief that cannabis provides, you’ll need a Missouri medical card. If you don’t have your card yet, we can help you with that. Our medical staff is standing by to take you through a quick and easy evaluation to see if you qualify. Schedule an appointment with a marijuana doctor online by CLICKING HERE, or give us a call at (877) 303-3117 to talk to a patient support representative.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Missouri Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Missouri!
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