The Benefits of Keeping a Cannabis Journal

What is a Cannabis Journal?

Keeping a marijuana journal is a valuable strategy to find the right cannabis therapy. Every strain of marijuana contains a unique blend of hundreds of compounds. Thanks to this diversity, every strain feels different.

Medical cannabis patients will also notice that each type of product, such as an edible, tincture, vape pen, concentrate, or flower, yields a different experience. With such a variety of cannabis products, it can be challenging to find which products work for you, and how best to use them. This is where a medical cannabis journal can help.

By reviewing the results by yourself or with your doctor, you can narrow down which products you like, which you don’t, and how best to take cannabis. Think of journaling as an individualized experiment whose outcomes are used to benefit your long-term health.

The Benefits of Keeping a Cannabis Journal

1. A Journal Encourages You to Ask the Right Questions

It is all-too-easy to use medical marijuana and just let go. While this relaxation is a benefit of cannabis, it does not help when it comes to finding the right treatment plan.

By tracking your symptoms, side effects, dosage, duration, and more, you can make a plan using data. These figures are more reliable than trying to remember exactly what happened the last few times you used medical cannabis. They encourage you to think objectively about how effective the medicine was and whether or not there is any room for therapeutic improvement.

2. A Journal Helps You Find Strains or Products that Work

There are many products that you must choose from when you enter a dispensary. Keeping a journal allows you to see what type of products (edible, tincture, vape pen, flower, etc.) work the best for you in different situations. On top of that, each marijuana strain contains a unique blend of nutrients.

Jotting down the pros and cons of different products and strains provides the information that you need to find what works best for you. You may find that certain strains help you while others offer little benefit. Or that you prefer some products for daytime and others for nighttime.

3. A Journal Helps You Remember What Works

There will be times when you try something new that you thoroughly enjoy. The last thing you want is to forget what strain of flower or what marijuana product that was. If you take notes in a journal, you can identify previous products that worked well.

4. A Journal Helps You Find the Right Dose

For anyone new to medical cannabis, one of the first steps is finding the right dose. The correct dosage varies based on the product used, how severe your symptoms are, and when you take it during the day.

Remembering the right dose based on different factors is challenging. A journal can be used as you figure out the best dosage and as a reference for when you need to remember what that dose was.

5. A Journal Allows You to Identify Potential Drug Interactions or Side Effects

While cannabis therapy is considered safe, you can still experience side effects or drug interactions. Note if you experience any adverse effects or interactions with medications. You can then discuss these with your doctor.

What to Track in Your Cannabis Journal

Design your cannabis journal based on what you believe will be helpful for your therapy. Here are some valuable categories, but do not feel limited or like you have to include everything.

Date and time
Cannabis product or strain used
Dosage (how much you took)
Time until you felt it
How long it lasted
Positive effects (you can track specific goals here, such as pain relief, mood, appetite, etc.)
Side effects
Other medications or drugs used (include things like caffeine and alcohol)
Overall experience

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