Cannabis Tolerance: What Is It and Can It Be Avoided?

Do you feel like cannabis is not helping you as much as it used to? It's not just your imagination: It's possible that your body has developed a high tolerance to THC. How is this possible, and can you develop a tolerance to CBD? We'll explore this in this article.

What is Cannabis Tolerance?

Tolerance to medical marijuana occurs when your body gets used to the amount you consume. This happens because tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the psychoactive compound in cannabis - activates CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Regular cannabis use gradually desensitizes CB1 receptors, thereby reducing the effects of THC.

When this happens, the user must increase medical marijuana doses to achieve the same results.

Genetic predispositions and cannabis potency can also influence tolerance levels.

Cannabis Addiction

You cannot develop a physical addiction to marijuana, and most people who use marijuana for medical purposes do not become dependent. They do not lose control over their lives (as with hard drug addiction) and usually consume the amount they want and control when and how they want to use it. However, a psychological dependence on THC is possible.

Cannabis addiction is associated with a reduction in type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) regulation. The more CB1R you have in your system, the more dependent and tolerant you are to cannabis.

How to Reduce Cannabis Tolerance?

How to reduce tolerance to medical marijuana? The most commonly used method is a tolerance break, but are there other options?

Tolerance Break

A tolerance break, or T-Break, is a process during which the user does not use medical marijuana, which leads to a reduction in bodily tolerance to THC (to restore its effect) and usually also to eliminate negative aspects associated with regular THC smoking. It takes about 3 weeks for THC to leave the organism. A cannabis tolerance break should therefore last at least 21 days. According to this study, CB1R receptor density in humans returned to normal levels after approximately 4 weeks of not using marijuana. The study also explains how your brain uses CB1R receptors to increase tolerance to cannabis.

How to Prevent Increased Tolerance to Medical Marijuana Without a Tolerance Break?

For patients who need to use cannabis for medical reasons, skipping a day of medication is not necessarily ideal and could lead to worsening symptoms, such as seizures. Tolerance can also be reduced by following these preventive measures against increased tolerance:

  • Microdosing: Using small amounts of THC and slowly increasing in steps until symptoms improve is an ideal way to reduce the likelihood of developing tolerance
  • Product Rotation: Changing cannabinoid and terpene profiles can help the body not become too acclimated to one specific product or strain - this is not always an ideal solution, as some patients require specific preparations (e.g., patients with autism)
  • Replacing THC with Non-Intoxicating Cannabinoids: A mix of CBD, cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabigerol (CBG) can provide anti-anxiety and pain-relieving effects with less psychoactivity
  • CBD may also reduce tolerance behavior of other cannabinoids - this may be one reason why many consider a THC:CBD ratio of 1:1 to be particularly effective
  • Follow Dosage Guidelines: If you find that 20 mg THC and 10 mg CBD daily helps treat symptoms well without excessive intoxication, do not take more

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Cannabis Tolerance?

Cannabis tolerance may seem mostly like a bad thing, but does developing cannabis tolerance have any advantages?

Advantages

Thanks to medical marijuana tolerance, you can take higher cannabinoid doses for health reasons (e.g., alleviating symptoms in a cancer patient). You can also:

  • experience fewer side effects, such as anxiety, paranoia
  • relieve pain without the risk of intoxication - especially useful for people with chronic pain who want to avoid opioid-based medications

Disadvantages

Many people use medical cannabis for its properties that improve mood, increase appetite, induce sleep, and relieve pain. Developing too much tolerance to THC can reduce these effects. Other disadvantages include:

  • need to search for new products - cannabis that worked before may no longer work
  • risk of using too large an amount - with possible associated paranoia
  • increasing the amount used, with associated increased costs

CBD Tolerance: Can You Develop a Tolerance to CBD?

No, you cannot develop a tolerance to CBD like you can to THC. The opposite is true. It seems that a reverse tolerance can be developed, which means users can gradually reduce their dose and achieve the same results.

CBD does not bind to CB1 receptors like THC, which means you do not develop a tolerance to it. In fact, CBD can reduce CB1 receptor activation, meaning it can re-"sensitize" CB1 receptors and reduce tolerance to THC.

As a result, CBD and other cannabinoids are very useful not only for reducing negative side effects but also for ensuring that the patient does not become too tolerant to a specific cannabinoid.

The key to effectively using cannabis for its healing abilities is to find the "golden middle ground".

Cannabis should bring mood improvement and symptom relief, but excessive use could potentially lead to cannabis tolerance. This is one of the key reasons why gradual dosing of cannabinoids is so important.