Is Weed The New Booze?
Inside an American cannabis farm and the perception shift from drug to plant medicine. Plus, advice from Fran Lebowitz.
On this exact day two years ago, alcohol put me in a coma. I can count on one hand how many drinks I’ve had since. Do I miss alcohol? Not one bit (more on that later). Probably because I’ve replaced it with another substance: weed.
Back home in Toronto, where cannabis has been legal for six years now, it feels like there’s a weed shop on every block. While I smoked casually as a teenager, as an adult approaching weed strategically in search of some stress-relief, I was initially intimidated walking into these shops. I found one with a couple employees who know their stuff, and after learning the basics, I figured out what works best for me: indica-dominant strains with a near 1:1 THC to CBD ratio.
If you’re like I used to be and don’t know what that means, here’s a quick breakdown. Cannabis contains hundreds of cannabinoids, which bind to the cannabinoid receptors in our body. The two cannabinoids that we pay atten…