On July 1, 2015, recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon.
Alan Sylvestre / OPB
Now that Oregonians who are at least 21 years old can use marijuana recreationally, many may be pondering entering — or reentering — the world of casual cannabis.
Sue Vorenberg started smoking pot again a few years ago, after Washington legalized recreational marijuana. She is the media director at Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver, and also contributes to the Cannabis Chronicles blog.
Vorenberg spoke with "Morning Edition" host Geoff Norcross Wednesday, and shared some tips for Oregonians who are considering using pot again after a long break.
Today's Stuff Is A Lot Stronger
"If you're used to 30 years ago smoking a whole joint and being good, and you pick it up today and smoke a whole joint, you'll be overwhelmed probably because you have no tolerance.
"When I first tried it, I think I tried something that was a little too strong and it made me kind of paranoid. But then I dialed it back, found some weaker stuff and had a better experience," Vorenberg said.
Don't Get The Most Potent Pot
"You're likely to have a bad experience, maybe some paranoia if you do that. Go find something that's relatively low in THC. Below 15 percent, I would suggest."
Learn About Different Strains
"Hybrids are a combination of indicas and sativas. Sativas are your daytime strain. They're good for cleaning the house, going for a hike, that kind of thing," Vorenberg said. "Indicas are a kind of nighttime strain, you're sitting-on-the-couch-watching-TV (strain). And hybrids are a mix of the two with different aspects of both."
Start Slowly
"Don't smoke a whole bowl," she said. "Just take one hit, see how it affects you, wait a good 30 minutes before you take any more."