Re the indica vs sativa difference in effects - as far as I can tell, this has never been scientifically confirmed, and is probably not true. If you know of something that I don't, let me know... but here is an example of what has been published recently on the question:
CCR: Some users describe the psychoactive effects of Cannabis indica and sativa as being distinctive, even opposite. But are they really? Beyond self-reports from users, is there any hard evidence for pharmacologically different species of Cannabis?
Dr. Russo: There are biochemically distinct strains of Cannabis, but the sativa/indica distinction as commonly applied in the lay literature is total nonsense and an exercise in futility.
Really great post! I think about this a lot, but don't really have anyone to discuss this practice with, so I was really happy to see you write about it. I've been enjoying cannabis use Friday night for the past couple of years on a somewhat regular basis since it was legalized in NJ. Thankfully, I haven't had any noticeable changes in tolerance over this period of time. I have found it to be a net-gain for my Shabbos experience overall, however, your arguments against it are definitely interesting. Part of my internal conversation on this topic inevitably goes to, "Well, alcohol consumption has been a more-or-less mandatory part of Shabbos since the very beginning, and that's a psychoactive substance, so how does the role of cannabis on Shabbos fit in within that perspective?" A fun thought experiment is always, what if THC somehow switched historical spots with ethanol - what effect would that have on our religious and halachic history?
"We even sing, sometimes about how awesome it is to get intoxicated on Shabbat!"
I didn't see an obvious reference to this in the Zemer you linked. I see a reference to drinking wine, but not necessarily intoxication. Are you referring to the word "mevusamim?" If so, whoever translated it seems to be saying that it means "spiced wine."
Re the indica vs sativa difference in effects - as far as I can tell, this has never been scientifically confirmed, and is probably not true. If you know of something that I don't, let me know... but here is an example of what has been published recently on the question:
CCR: Some users describe the psychoactive effects of Cannabis indica and sativa as being distinctive, even opposite. But are they really? Beyond self-reports from users, is there any hard evidence for pharmacologically different species of Cannabis?
Dr. Russo: There are biochemically distinct strains of Cannabis, but the sativa/indica distinction as commonly applied in the lay literature is total nonsense and an exercise in futility.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5576603/
Really great post! I think about this a lot, but don't really have anyone to discuss this practice with, so I was really happy to see you write about it. I've been enjoying cannabis use Friday night for the past couple of years on a somewhat regular basis since it was legalized in NJ. Thankfully, I haven't had any noticeable changes in tolerance over this period of time. I have found it to be a net-gain for my Shabbos experience overall, however, your arguments against it are definitely interesting. Part of my internal conversation on this topic inevitably goes to, "Well, alcohol consumption has been a more-or-less mandatory part of Shabbos since the very beginning, and that's a psychoactive substance, so how does the role of cannabis on Shabbos fit in within that perspective?" A fun thought experiment is always, what if THC somehow switched historical spots with ethanol - what effect would that have on our religious and halachic history?
"We even sing, sometimes about how awesome it is to get intoxicated on Shabbat!"
I didn't see an obvious reference to this in the Zemer you linked. I see a reference to drinking wine, but not necessarily intoxication. Are you referring to the word "mevusamim?" If so, whoever translated it seems to be saying that it means "spiced wine."