Ask a Stoner: Mixing CBD and THC for Sleep

Dear Stoner: What’s the best THC-to-CBD tincture ratio to help me fall asleep? Or are there other combinations I should look for?
Chris

Dear Chris: Neither state-legal marijuana businesses nor hemp-derived CBD companies are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, making any claims about medical benefits, including sleep, federally illegal – and a quick way to put a target on your back with the feds. Since most studies published in medical journals say something like “more research is needed,” that probably won’t change any time soon, but there are some things to consider.

CBD doesn’t bind to receptors in your brain and nervous system, which could hamper its individual sleep-inducing effects, but THC, CBG and CBN do. Most medical marijuana professionals recommend a microdose of THC with a larger amount of CBD – somewhere between a 5:1 and 1:1 ratio – while others recommend a little more THC. Meanwhile, I’ve been trying a 1:1 tincture of CBD and CBG and have been dropping like a sack of bricks. Keep the THC low but in the mix, and be patient. You may eventually find that cannabis isn’t the sleep hack for you.

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