It's 4:20 on a Saturday and you're about to take part in one of your favorite rituals: the weekend session. You're off work, you've taken care of your errands, and now it's just time to chill and let your worries fade away with a fat bowl of your favorite strain. When suddenly everything goes wrong. You're all out of weed.

What to do if you run out of weed

If this has ever happened to you, there were probably some immediate feelings of disappointment, loss, maybe even a lingering sense of self-betrayal. Could this have been prevented? Could you have saved some, perhaps hidden some, or bought extra? Yes, there is always something you could have done in hindsight. But we're not talking about preventing that dreaded moment when you run out of cannabis. I'm encouraging it. Here's why.

For those of us, which is a massive majority, who use cannabis for recreation and life enhancement and not to medically treat themselves, we should take a break now and then if we want to get the most out of our sessions. The more ganja you intake, the more your endocannabinoid receptors become flooded over time and can receive less and less stimulus. You'll still get high, but it won't be like the first time. This ramping effect is due to other psychological effects as well.

As we create routines in our lives those routines tend to become less and less rewarding over time, so we have to vary them in different ways to keep them interesting and exciting. We get new clothes, change around our furniture, and cut our hair. We also get new pipes, smoke more blunts, and take bigger and bigger dabs. Most of the time all those things are okay. But it can get to a point where the reward is less than the cost, both metaphorically and literally.

Why taking a break from weed is good

As your cannabis lifestyle begins to require more and more cannabis, you can quickly lose some of the other benefits of the lifestyle. Weed and video games are fantastic together, but having to trade one for the other because you can only afford to do one is awful. None of us should have to make the brutal decision between OG Kush, or Mario Kart. If you take a break and embrace the empty stash jar, you'll never have to make that unbearable choice between cool activity, or being cool.

When the moment comes and your 420 Jar is empty, all your bowls are cashed, and your one cool neighbor is out of town, just let it happen. Give into stoner oblivion, and don't get high for a little while. Your wallet, brain, and lungs will all thank you for the gentle reprieve, and when you blaze back up, everything will be worth it.