One thing that has been the topic of conversation in recent years is marijuana. It was not a widely talked about topic for the first decade of the 2000’s, when state after state began legalizing it for medicinal purposes. It has however gained the attention of many nations, when in 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized it for recreational purposes, which started a domino effect, causing another 13 states to do the same thing to this date.
Many people around the globe consume marijuana in order to treat a myriad of conditions, and as many consume it for fun. The question that has been on the mind of many is “Does it affect productivity?”. This question has a lot of factors to take into consideration, but the short answer is; it depends.
There is still a lot of research to be done regarding the actual effects of marijuana, but we spoke to the team at Smoke Cartel to find out whether entrepreneurs smoke cannabis and still be productive?
Heat affects the high
The main reason that many people are under the impression that smoking marijuana will result in a person lazing around all day and suffering from impaired cognitive ability, is because of how the consumption is portrayed in movies. The other reason is because, historically, the most popular method of consumption has been combustion, in other words, using a flame to light the joint.
The average heat from a cigarette is 3,580 degrees Fahrenheit (1,970 degrees Celsius), and the heat needed to experience intense euphoria, heavy relaxation and sleepiness is between 370 – 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means that smoking marijuana using a flame will always make the person experience the extreme psychoactive effects. Vaping marijuana on the other hand allows for the control of temperature, and between 310 – 330 degrees Fahrenheit, a person will only experience subtle relaxation and mild euphoria, while still maintaining the ability to focus and be productive. If you wanted to smoke while on the job and remain productive you could use a desktop vaporizer like the ones available at Smoke Cartel.
Know the dosages
Another factor that will influence the levels of productivity a person is capable of when smoking marijuana, aside from the heat that is used, is the dosage. It might sound quite obvious that higher dosages mean higher levels of psychoactive effects, and lower levels of productivity, but it can be a little bit more complicated than that.
Another thing to take into consideration is the strain of the marijuana being smoked; different strains react differently to varying temperatures, and therefore produce varying effects. A person would be able to still be productive if they established a baseline, which means understanding how much they can consume before becoming unproductive.
The best way to do this would be by consuming marijuana in the forms of edibles or vaping, as the concentrations can be measured.
Helps with aches and pains
For someone who is on their feet all day, carrying boxes of goods, or someone who is prone to injuries, such as bumping their knee against a desk, then marijuana can help to relieve the pain after a long day’s work, or to prepare for another day of exertion. This is because marijuana can help with various forms of pain.
It does this by reducing the pain signals at the area of injury, or weakening the effects of the signals making their way to the brain. In addition to this, marijuana also has anti-inflammatory effects. In other words, if marijuana is consumed in appropriate dosages that promote productivity, then the aches and pains felt after a long day’s work won’t get in the way of any work that needs to be done when arriving at home.
Helps with stress and anxiety
Running a business might sound great on paper, but in reality, it can be a massive source of stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can be debilitating and can reduce the amount of productivity and individual has. Marijuana is effective at reducing anxiety and stress because it affects the parts of the brain and body that is responsible for regulating the responses to fear.
A study showed that using low doses of marijuana helped to reduce stress in 93.3% of participants, and anxiety in 93.5% of participants. Being level-headed, optimistic and energetic are qualities that greatly influence the success of entrepreneurs, and not being stressed or anxious will definitely help to allow anyone to be productive.
