After hitting the snooze button twice already - you finally open your eyes, indulge in that ritualistic full-body stretch, and begin your day. After brushing your teeth and washing up, you proceed to get dressed; whip up a quick breakfast; and nibble a piece of your special cookie before bolting out of the door for a long day ahead of you.

Although you have a million deadlines and only a few hours to meet them, you aren’t panicked; your ability to focus is unmatched; you are more creative than ever; and best of all, there’s no crash at the end of the day - all thanks to your special cookie.

That nibble you took of your special cookie is called microdosing. Essentially, microdosing is taking small amounts of cannabis (or a psychedelic) to reap the benefits while minimizing unwanted effects. For some, microdosing, in this sense, is apart of their daily routine. But for others, this concept seems foreign, and even more absurd - although pharmaceutical companies micro-dose drugs with harmful side effects, such as Ibuprofen, and sell it to us everyday.

With state cannabis laws loosening and federal legalization looming, there seems to be a new demographic of cannabis user every second. With that, the way in which people consume cannabis has become much more diverse. And with that, people's knowledge of dosing and portions will be crucial to their experience with cannabis.

For some, cannabis use helps them focus, reduces anxiety, enhances all five senses, and can even help relieve pain. But I’m sure we’ve all heard horror stories of someone who ate an edible and had a scary trip, or someone who smoked for the first time and became super paranoid and uncomfortably anxious. While it is true that some people's brain chemistry just simply processes cannabis differently than others, it is also true that varying strains and dosages affect one’s experience.

A few years ago, the world discovered that coder circles in Silicon Valley were microdosing LSD. People marveled at claims that microdosing [LSD] produced higher levels of creativity, increased energy, increased focus, and improved relational skills. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc., even credits his LSD experiences with opening up his mind and enabling him to see the world in a different light.

While there hasn’t been much scientific research on the long term effects of microdosing LSD, it says a lot that the people pioneering the tech industry rely so heavily on doing so, and is definitely a concept worth further exploration.

By the same token, we know that cannabis has relatively no harmful side effects, and depending on the strain, can produce the same results when “microdosed”. So if the idea of microdosing LSD is a little hard to wrap your head around, microdose cannabis instead! Unlike LSD, the potential for safe daily cannabis microdosing exists - and is more common than you think.

For at least the last century, the media has portrayed social and recreational use of cannabis as a mischievous activity; and is usually associated with reckless individuals merely chasing a high. So when most people think of consuming cannabis, they only think about going on a trip, or they associate it with “having a good time”. But for thousands of years, people have used cannabis as a healing herb, and they still do today! In fact, it wasn’t until recently that cannabis has seen such intense levels of THC (the chemical in cannabis that produces a “high”).

But of course the market for recreational cannabis calls for high amounts of THC and lower amounts of CBD (a chemical in cannabis with a significant amount of healing benefits without the “high” effect) - which is why being knowledgeable about dosing, and even the different chemical properties of cannabis is crucial to your experience. Because let's face it, getting stoned-to-the-bone isn’t always ideal.

Rather you find yourself wanting to relieve pain without drowsiness; or heighten your creativity without losing focus, microdosing marijuana may be a healthy option for you. Microdosing comes in many forms, and when considering microdosing as a lifestyle supplement (depending on how you want the cannabis to function) you can choose from a wide variety of edibles, flowers (smoking), oils, and vapes. While everyone’s tolerance is different, many experts suggest beginning with 5 milligrams and increasing dosages from there.

Alas, no matter how much research is done on human consumption of cannabis, it still isn’t going to be for some people - and that's okay! But there is no denying the fact that, when used with care, cannabis has dramatically enhanced people’s lives; improved people’s health; and even helps stimulate the economy.