Is it possible for patients to develop tolerance to their medical cannabis medication? The answer is yes and no. The reason is that tolerance profiles are different for THC and CBD, the two main active components of medical cannabis. While frequent use of medical cannabis will lead to greater tolerance to THC, the same is not necessarily the case with CBD. Incorporating CBD into your tolerance break could help with the lack of concentration, anxiety, or bad sleep you might feel when you take a break from THC.
Medical marijuana users find that CBD may be useful as an alternative for some of the symptoms for those who previously used THC mainly. CB1 and CB2 are the main cannabinoid receptors. CBD doesn't interact with them in any meaningful way. In this regard, CBD (if free of THC) should not interfere with your efforts to reduce your tolerance.
The relationship between THC and CBD goes further. It is believed that you can consume CBD to reduce your tolerance to THC and THC to reduce your tolerance to CBD. A single study conducted in 1993 found that even a single dose of CBD can increase endocannabinoid receptors by 15-19%. After intensive use of THC, these CB1 receptors become more resistant and begin to downregulate the effects of THC to maintain balance.
A cannabis tolerance break, or break in THC tolerance, is also called a “t-break” because of the THC content. Yes, as recreational users will confirm, frequent use of THC will result in having to take more THC to achieve the same effects. If you're worried about your tolerance to THC, you can use cannabis strains with a mix of CBD and THC.
