A man smoking cannabis

How to Lower Weed Tolerance: Strategies for Responsible Consumption

Do you feel like cannabis is starting to let you down? It might be due to a high weed tolerance if it’s not working for you anymore.

As your body gets used to THC, it takes more to produce the same effects.

If you want to chase that high without spending more on cannabis products, you’re in the right place.

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How Does Weed Tolerance Work?

You can develop a high weed tolerance when regularly using cannabis. This repeated consumption can reduce the CB1 receptors in our endocannabinoid system (ECS), meaning the same amount of THC won’t have as strong of an effect.

The CB1 receptors in our brains react to THC and are responsible for the effects we feel when using cannabis. Fewer receptors mean it takes more and more weed to get us where we want to be over time.

Related: What’s Your Favorite Color? Recommend a Strain for Beginners

How to Lower Weed Tolerance

Our body’s fat cells store THC, and it can take 3-4 weeks to get it out of our system. However, various things affect THC tolerance — the products you use, how often you use, your height, weight, etc. — meaning it’s not the same for everyone.

If you want to lower your weed tolerance, try one of these five strategies for responsible consumption.

Take a Break

A tolerance break (“T break”) is a tried-and-true way to lower your weed tolerance. This break involved taking a varied amount of time off from consuming cannabis products, lowering your tolerance through abstinence.

We mentioned earlier how cannabis affects our ECS and CB1 receptors — this study found that even heavy, daily, long-term cannabis users’ CB1 receptors recovered and returned to normal after around four weeks of abstaining from THC.

So, how long should your T break last? Well, there are two things to keep in mind: The four-day rule and the 21-day sprint.

The Four-Day Rule

After taking four days off from consuming cannabis, your body will have almost no psychological dependencies left. From our experience, a T break should last a minimum of four days. After this time, you’ll notice the drive to smoke will continue diminishing each day.

We’re not saying a four-day break is easy, but it’s worth it. Remember, it does get easier. And if you can’t make it four days, you might want to consider how that dependency affects you.

The 21-Day T Break

After four days of abstaining from weed, each day gets easier, but when should you stop your break? A good rule of thumb is after 3-4 weeks.

After around 21 days, your body gets used to the lack of THC (you may still not pass a drug test at this point, though). Most cannabis users get used to this new normal after a few weeks and begin replacing old habits with new ones.

So, always go for at least four days and assess how you feel. We recommend trying the 21-day sprint at least every now and then to help reset your tolerance.

Related: Too High

Reduce Your Consumption

A budtender weighing out nugs

Instead of taking a T break, you can also lower your weed tolerance by reducing how much you use. There are two ways to reduce your consumption: Microdosing or decreasing the frequency that you use cannabis.

Microdosing consists of using small amounts of THC to feel more mild effects. However, if your tolerance is extremely high, you might not feel anything from these small doses.

The other way to reduce your consumption and reset your tolerance is to smoke less than usual. For example, if you use cannabis every night, try using it every other day instead. Small reductions in your cannabis use can go a long way toward lowering your tolerance.

However, if you use cannabis for medicinal reasons to treat a condition, stopping or reducing your intake might help lower your tolerance, but it also might not provide the relief you need.

Try Higher CBD Products

Another option is to switch to products that have higher CBD content and lower THC content. Our bodies and ECS receptors react differently to CBD and THC, so introducing a different cannabinoid ratio can positively affect your tolerance levels.

Plus, your body knows CBD is a different cannabinoid than THC, and it doesn’t reduce CB1 receptors, meaning using products with high CBD levels won’t impact your tolerance levels nearly as much as THC.

While CBD doesn’t produce the same high as THC, it does have many potential health benefits. And when combined with THC, you can still get a good high while working on lowering your tolerance.

Experiment With Different Strains

If you usually stick with the same strain, picking a new one to try can do wonders for your tolerance level. There are hundreds of cannabis strains, each one offering slightly different effects due to their unique cannabinoid and terpene blend.

When you think about strains, indica and sativa likely come to mind. However, these categories are less important than they used to be, as so many strains are crossbreeds. Still, switching things up can make a significant change in your tolerance.

Change How You Consume Cannabis

Finally, how you consume cannabis can also affect your tolerance level. Whether you’re an edible fan, prefer smoking flowers, or stick to another consumption method, it affects how your body processes THC.

Typically, smoking and vaping cannabis have a more significant impact on your tolerance than other methods.

Trying a different method can give your body a different type of exposure to THC, giving you a better, stronger high when your tolerance levels are up. Doing so can also reduce how much you need to use to get your desired effects.

So, if you typically smoke, you could try a tincture or edibles to see if it affects you differently.

Related: I’m Gonna Get You High Today

Find the Cannabis Products You Need to Lower Your Weed Tolerance

A woman rolling a joint

Most cannabis users can benefit from lowering their tolerance, whether it’s to switch to less-potent products or use less overall to save money.

If it’s time to find a new strain or a different cannabis product, there’s only one place to do it — Weedcolors.

With Weedcolors, you can find your new favorite strain and connect with brands and their customers to ensure you get the best experience on your journey to lower your weed tolerance.
Ready to get the high you used to without spending twice as much on cannabis? Download the Weedcolors app and see how easy enjoying weed can be.