By Luke Sumpter

The art of writing is one of extremes. It can either be an experience of pure joy where the mind enters a flow state, or one of utter frustration. At the best of times, it feels as though words are being summoned from the finger tips in an unstoppable barrage of clear and concise communication. But writing isn’t always so smooth and blissful. Sometimes putting pen to paper can be a mental slog. Every single word is forced, sentences are bumpy and disjointed, and every draft appears just as bad as the last. In fact, sometimes the pen doesn’t even hit the paper, nor do the fingers make contact with the keyboard. Sometimes the writer's mind can’t even conjure lucid thoughts, let alone transmute them into writing form.

This latter state is known widely as writer's block, and it can be an extremely frustrating and annoying reality. But thankfully, it doesn’t last forever. Still, there’s no promising it won’t come back with a vengeance. There are several methods you can use to try and overcome such a phase, including ingesting cannabis, an herb that has influenced writers throughout the ages. And cannabis need not only be ingested in times of creative strife; smoking the herb during peak flow states can also help to bring your writing game to another level. It can lift you out of your normal style and help push your boundaries toward excellence.

CANNABIS AND CREATIVITY

Smoking cannabis has long been closely associated with increased creativity. It seems to be beyond coincidence that scores of top-level musicians, artists, writers, and performers partake in the herb. From an anecdotal perspective, shortly after the ingestion of cannabis, the mind appears to perceive the world through a new lens. The default mode of analysing the world seems to melt away and is swiftly replaced by intrigue, fascination, awe, and wonder. Emotions such as anger, jealousy, and resentment seem to evaporate, making room for forgiveness, understanding, and appreciation. This renewed mental state appears to be fantastic when it comes to engaging in the creative process. Feelings of empathy and a greater attention span allow the mind room to breathe.

How many times have you heard a cannabis user claim how the herb “blows the mind” or “opens the eyes”. These archetypal descriptions truly surpass cliche and have some real substance to them. There really is a huge difference in mental state when sitting down with pen and paper sober, compared to hitting a bong or blunt first.

The idea that cannabis enhances creativity isn’t just some justification for idle hippies to continue hitting the pipe. The herb’s impact on creative faculties is so noticeable that it has been investigated by scientific researchers.

CANNABIS AND CREATIVITY

A 2012 paper[1] from the journal Consciousness and Cognition attempted to study the link between cannabis and creativity. The authors of the paper state that there is a lack of research in this area simply because of how hard creativity is to define or objectively measure. The researchers chose to use a model of creative thinking that conceptualises creativity as a distinction between divergent and convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is linked to concrete problem solving and the collection of knowledge focussed towards a single solution. On the other hand, divergent thinking is associated with novel ideas and solutions, fluency, and flexibility.

The study tested 160 participants during one day when they were sober, and another day when they were under the influence of THC. It was found that cannabis increased verbal fluency in participants who were classed as “low creatives”, and also in those classed as “high creatives”. The authors of the paper concluded that acute cannabis use increases divergent thinking as indexed by verbal fluency in low creatives.

CAN CANNABIS USE ENHANCE WRITING ABILITY?

So, it looks like cannabis may increase creativity and divergent thinking in some individuals, but how does this apply to writing? The study mentioned above documents how the herb enhanced verbal fluency in participants, a trait that can translate over into writing.

Although cannabis use does seem to correlate to certain elements of creativity, the real question is whether cannabis itself leads to creativity, or if creative people are simply more likely to use cannabis. A 2017 paper[2] from the journal Consciousness and Cognition suggests that personality type plays a large role in creativity, and personality traits such as openness to experience may explain cannabis users’ enhanced creativity. The study showed that sober cannabis users displayed enhanced self-reported creativity in comparison to non-users, suggesting that personality may be the root cause.

Many of the best-known and greatest writers smoked and ingested cannabis including Carl Sagan, Stephen King, Hunter S. Thompson, and Quentin Tarantino. Reports also state that the great William Shakespeare most likely engaged in the occasional smoking session.

CAN CANNABIS USE ENHANCE WRITING ABILITY?

HOW CANNABIS MIGHT NEGATIVELY AFFECT WRITING

Although cannabis is superb for creative writing, not all writing is strictly creative. New and original ideas are essential to the writing process, and cannabis can help immensely in this domain. Yet, being stoned out of your mind might prove detrimental when it comes to writing quality, grammar, and structure. Plus, many forms of writing don’t require as much creativity, and instead prioritise factual evidence and clarity of communication. Don’t misunderstand; cannabis can still be superb for these writing styles, especially due to its stimulating aspects and ability to increase attention span. However, it may lead some writers away from their main point, and may have a detrimental effect on short-term memory.

EXPERIMENTATION, MICRODOSING, AND CBD

The key to writing with cannabis is self-experimentation. There is no rule book, and the experience will vary between individuals. Try out different doses and strains and see what works for you. In most cases, less is more. The act of microdosing involves taking very small, sometimes sub-perceptual doses. Some users find this increases creativity and focus without being too intoxicating.

If THC is causing you to daydream or making you too drowsy to keep up a solid work flow, you can also try high-CBD strains or extracts. CBD provides a clear-headed experience that can improve focus and immerse users into the present moment. CBD is also excellent if you find yourself becoming too stoned whilst writing, as the molecule can lessen some of the effects of THC.

STRAINS TO TRY WHILST WRITING

These strains are good choices to try if you’re thinking of experimenting with weed and writing. They have mild THC levels and high CBD levels, making the high subtle but effective.

Euphoria is an excellent cannabis strain for writing. This indica-dominant autoflowering strain will relax the body and let your mind do all the work. Her flowers contain THC levels of 9% and high levels of CBD, offering a subtle but effective high that will not overwhelm you.

Euphoria

Euphoria

Euphoria

Genetic background Great White Shark x CBD dominant plant
Yield indoor 450 - 5002
Height indoor 60 - 100
Flowering time 8 weeks
THC strength THC: 9%(aprox.) / CBD: High
Blend 20% Sativa, 80% Indica, 00% Ruderalis
Yield outdoor 450 - 500 g/per plant (dried)
Height outdoor 120 - 150 cm
Harvest time Early October
Effect A motivating and inspiring feeling
 

Buy Euphoria

 

Fast Eddy is another fantastic writing strain. She’s a sativa-dominant auto also with THC levels of 9% and high levels of CBD. A few tokes of these flowers will ease you into a clear-headed high that elevates the mood. Tastes of citrus accompany this motivating state of mind.

Fast Eddy

Fast Eddy Automatic

Fast Eddy Automatic

Genetic background Cheese x Juanita la Lagrimosa x Ruderalis
Yield indoor 80 - 1302
Height indoor 60 - 100
Flowering time 6 - 7 weeks
THC strength THC: 9%(aprox.) / CBD: High
Blend 50% Sativa, 40% Indica, 10% Ruderalis
Yield outdoor 80 - 130 g/per plant (dried)
Height outdoor 80 - 120 cm
Harvest time 8 - 9 weeks after sprouting
Effect Clear, Painrelief
 

Buy Fast Eddy Automatic

 
External Resources:
  1. Investigating the interaction between schizotypy, divergent thinking and cannabis use - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com
  2. Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: