Phil Stille

Cannabis use disorder is a term that gets thrown around a lot, and in many ways I think the current conversation around it creates more confusion than clarity.

In this clip from my recent sit-down with Dr. Riley Kirk , she helps unpack what the term actually means and some of the criteria that currently go into determining whether someone qualifies for it.

Loosely speaking, both addiction and cannabis use disorder point toward a similar mechanism. Continuing to engage in a behavior despite negative consequences. Certainly there are situations where that is happening and should be taken seriously.

What makes this conversation interesting is that some of the criteria used to determine cannabis use disorder are incredibly broad. Dr. Riley points out that building a tolerance and spending time preparing or consuming cannabis can contribute toward qualifying someone for CUD. By that definition, she would technically qualify.

The interesting question then becomes: does that label actually tell us something meaningful about the quality of someone’s life?

Dr. Riley is a cannabis scientist, researcher, published author, and educator. She has strong relationships, meaningful work, a supportive community, and a healthy relationship with herself. Cannabis is not creating chaos in her life. It is part of a life that is already functioning well.

That doesn’t mean cannabis use disorder isn’t real. It means we need to be thoughtful about how we define it, how we measure it, and whether the criteria are actually helping us identify people who are struggling versus people who simply consume cannabis regularly.

If you’d like to hear the full discussion, you can find it on my page. 🙌🏼

Dr. Riley Kirk discusses why cannabis deserves a more honest conversation than the one it usually gets. It is remarkably safe for a large amount of people, especially compared with many pharmaceutical drugs, but that does not mean it is automatically right for every person, at every dose, through every consumption method. Dose, sourcing, health history, nervous system state, and method of use all matter.

The same mechanism that creates a risk for one person can be of benefit to another. That is why we need to stop putting cannabis under a microscope that no other medicine is placed under, while also being mature enough to talk about real considerations. The better question is not “Is cannabis good or bad?” The better question is: how is this person, with this body, this mind, this life, and this relationship with the plant, actually being affected?

If you would like to listen to the full episode, you can follow the link on my page or search for Stillecast on Spotify.

A lot of people hear the phrase “regulated nervous system” and don’t really know what that means or how to tell if their nervous system is actually dysregulated in the first place.

One of the easiest places to begin looking is not just around when you use cannabis, but in the small moments throughout your normal day.

Someone cuts you off in traffic. You drop your keys. Your spouse tells you something you didn’t want to hear. A text comes through and your body instantly tightens before you even fully read it.

Those little snap reactions, the tension in the body, the irritation, the immediate anger, the feeling of your nervous system jumping before you consciously choose a response, these are often signs of an overtaxed nervous system.

I know for me, years ago, if somebody pulled out in front of me or I dropped something, I’d instantly blurt out “piece of s**t” and feel this spike of tension in my body. At the time, I thought that was just my personality. Looking back, it was a nervous system that was constantly bracing against life.

And it’s important to give yourself grace here. This isn’t about judging yourself or thinking you’re broken if you notice these patterns in your life. Most people have them to some degree.

The good news is that these micro moments are also opportunities. Working with your nervous system in these moments instead of letting the automatic loops continue to run is where you can begin to create real change over time.

If you’d like a good place to start, you can check out a simple six-part framework on my profile.