Smoking weed during the coronavirus: Safety, social distancing and what you should do

When the coronavirus pandemic started becoming a serious issue that posed a serious threat to people’s everyday lives, we saw a huge spike in the number of people buying loose leaf from dispensaries as people started stocking up and bulk purchasing strains and other dry herb related products.

On the other hand, there are conflicting sources of information about the safety of smoking pot during the coronavirus: some think it’s not a big deal, some think it may cause irreversible damage by making people more susceptible to getting the virus. A French source even went as far as saying that tobacco could actually be beneficial for people who test positive for the coronavirus but suggested that this shouldn't encourage people to take up smoking. 

Should you really quit smoking pot though? 

Some of the primary concerns revolving around loose-leaf are that there's a chance it may cause harm to the immune system by affecting the lungs, the health of which makes a huge difference in the recovery process, and how your body deals with the coronavirus.

 Also given that loose-leaf is something that is commonly shared as an experience with a group of people, it increases the risk of community spread exponentially. 

However, this obviously hinges on the risk of you catching the infection. Would it be risky to smoke up right now? Yeah, probably, but given the right circumstances, there's not much of a problem. Like do you think people aren't smoking cigarettes anymore because of the pandemic? 

Avoid sessions with the buddies, social distance and try and avoid meeting up with friends or going out frequently for purposes other than work/shopping for essential items

Don't meet people for a sesh, as much as that annoys and frustrates you. If you're an essential worker, don't smoke up, if you're someone who's in contact with people on a regular basis, don't smoke up.

But if you have a job that allows you to stay at home and you have minimal or no contact with people, then there’s no particular reason to hesitate, to be frank. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you do decide to go ahead with smoking/vaping loose leaf.

Is it the pot or the coronavirus and other such questions

Imagine this: You’re taking a fat rip and it’s been a few days since you managed to relax and unwind with some dry herb as you’ve been busy with work (thank your stars you have a job, dude!) and after a while, you start coughing.

Is that something that was triggered by the pot or is it a symptom of the coronavirus? 

Mental clarity at the time of a pandemic is of utmost importance: second-guessing a random cough or sneeze and then getting paranoid about it isn’t beneficial

What about a clear head?

Well, keeping yourself focused and in the right state of mind is extremely important and it’s not too hard for all the news of tragedy and illness to get to you and render you an emotional wreck, which will no small ways be fuelled by the pot. Only go ahead with your sesh’s if you feel that you’re absolutely stable and you need something to help you relax, which, let’s be real, is something everyone needs a little of. 

Don’t hoard pot, consider growing at home and try not to smoke

This might seem a little confusing given the current scenario, however there’s a very important reason for why we’ve added this section. While we don’t mean to suggest that you shouldn’t stock up on loose leaf, because heading out on a weekly basis might not be the most prudent thing to do, hoarding pot is probably not the best idea. Most states that have dry herb legal have a specific limit which varies from state to state. Try not to exceed that limit.

While it’s time consuming and labor intensive, consider growing weed plants at home so that you don’t have to head out too often

One way of getting around this is to consider investing your time on growing plants. Most states allow a certain number of cannabis plants to be grown at home, so look up your state laws and start to growing! This might take a while though and some of the things you need could be difficult to get a hold of, but giving it a shot won’t hurt.

If you need help, we have an in-depth guide on how to grow loose leaf plants at home!

Another important thing is to try and avoid smoking. If you’re living in a place completely devoid of people and have no reason to venture out and purchase things/in general do things that might require you to move around, then perhaps this won’t make much of a difference. Like, smokers might continue to smoke but it’s still a precarious situation and being at the top of your health is extremely important to make it through.

Staying in tip-top shape is really important, which is why good food, CBD and home exercise is recommended and will help keep you mentally/physically occupied while we stay at home

We’d also suggest using CBD products to help improve the functioning of your body in various different ways: it stimulates your muscles, is a wonderful antioxidant, helps with depression, anxiety and panic attacks, which is something we’d wager is going to become a little more common.

Just keep in mind that if you’re on the younger side and don’t have any major health issues, it’s unlikely for you to either get it as easily as others (viral loads make all the difference) and your ability to bounce back and make recovery is high as well.

The Coronavirus is a pretty serious pandemic that’s affected virtually everyone in the world. We hope you haven’t been hit hard by this pandemic and that you’re secure financially, health wise and emotionally too. If you feel you’re able-bodied and financially secure, do consider volunteering and contributing in any way possible.

Please stay home and stay safe!