Cannabis consumption has reached great heights, to the point that it’s now considered a mainstream medication.
What was once considered criminal and taboo is now one of the most sought-after means of managing and treating a slew of medical conditions.
The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been practiced for many, many years. Early Chinese physicians used cannabis as an anesthetic and it is considered one of the 50 fundamental plants in traditional Chinese medicine.
With its roots going back as far as the earliest developed civilizations, it’s no wonder we’ve found different methods to use medical marijuana. With that said, here are some of the best ways you can consume medical marijuana.
Ingestion
Munching on edibles, taking capsules, pills, or basically eating raw or decarboxylated cannabis can be considered one of the easiest and most straightforward means of consuming medical marijuana. Because of how simple cannabis ingestion is, it became one of the go-to consumption and delivery method of many patients, especially those who are not used to some of the more advanced means of cannabis use.
While it may be as easy as taking regular medication, ingestion poses its own pros and cons.
Here are a few.
Pros:
- Offers lasting relief.
- Ideal for patients reluctant to inhaling smoke or vapor.
- Precise dosage.
Cons:
- Takes hours to feel effect.
- Edibles can pose a potential hazard for children and pets.
Ingesting medical marijuana bridges the gap between the far ends of the spectrum, as far as the efficacy of medical marijuana is concerned.
It does offer lasting relief, but it can take an hour or so to kick in. On the one hand, the active ingredients of cannabis are being processed in your gut as it is being digested. Like the food that is slowly broken down mechanically and chemically, the capsules, the edibles, and the actual plant matter you’ve ingested have to go through the same process of churning and are subjected to the same acids and enzymes that break your food into consumable and digestible compounds.
On the other, the longer the active ingredients stay in your system, the longer you get to experience the benefits. The length of the efficacy of ingesting medical marijuana can be comparable to that of other methods, making it a great option for many who have been prescribed medical marijuana.
Furthermore, because of the advancements in today’s culinary industry, you’re sure to find easy to swallow pills and edibles that taste like they don’t even have cannabis in them.
Smoking and Vaping
Another popular means of consuming medical marijuana is by inhaling smoke or vapor with the former favored by recreational consumers and the latter by medicating patients. Unlike ingesting medical marijuana, smoking and vaping usually entails additional preparation.
Preparation begins with breaking down “nugs” or nuggets of medical marijuana into smaller pieces as the come in these nuggety forms when you get them from medical marijuana dispensaries. While others may use bare hands or scissors to cut down medical marijuana before they roll them into spliffs, pack their bowls, or load their vaporizers, many use dry herb grinders to maximize their medication.
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Here are the pros and cons of smoking and vaping medical marijuana.
Pros:
- Offers fast-acting relief.
- Practical and natural.
- Manageable dosage.
Cons:
- Smoke can be harmful to your lungs.
- Makes you smell.
Unlike ingestion, inhalation of smoke and vapor allows you to bypass the long and arduous process of digestion and lets the active ingredients to be absorbed by your lungs, making its way to your bloodstream and into the receptors in your brain.
For patients that require immediate relief, inhalation is the best option. You’d literally feel the effects and reap the benefits of your medication in minutes, offering fast relief for pain and inflammation.
It can be a practical and natural way of consuming medical marijuana, since these herbs are well taken care of by professional bud tenders and medical marijuana growers whose main goal is to preserve the plant matter in its most natural form. Unlike capsules and edibles, the very plant matter does not go through processing keeping them clean and pure.
Because the effects are experienced moments after you take a drag, dosing is made easy. Taking a small hit or a short pull from your joint or your vaporizer lets you get a feel of its curative and psychoactive upshots. When you feel like you’ve had enough or you’ve reached your desired effect, you can simply put your spliff or your vaporizer down.
Tinctures and Sublingual Solutions
Patients that require fast results but are hesitant to inhale smoke or vapor will find that consuming sublingual solutions and tinctures is a viable way of consuming medical marijuana.
These products often come in containers with glass droppers or in small spray bottles. Application involves dropping an amount of the solution or spraying it under your tongue.
Like edibles, tinctures and sublingual solutions are one of the preferred and recommended ways of consuming medical marijuana for both children and the elderly. Nevertheless, like all the ways we’ve presented in this article, sublingual consumption has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Here are some.
Pros:
- Simple and easy.
- Controllable dosage.
- Is not harmful to your lungs.
- Will not irritate your throat.
Cons:
- Can be an expensive option.
In terms of how fast tinctures take effect, they’re somewhere in the middle of ingestion and inhalation.
Patients can experience the effects of the active ingredients in about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the potency) as the solution is absorbed by the thin tissues under the tongue. They do not go through the process of digestion or having to be broken down in your gut, but the active ingredients are absorbed into your blood.
It gives you decent action time and does not irritate your throat nor harm your lungs like smoke or vapor.
Final Thoughts
There are many other ways of consuming medical marijuana like dermal patches, salves, and topical creams. However, the ways we’ve mentioned above are by far the most effective and the most preferred ways by real patients who were prescribed medical marijuana.
Because of the amount of research put into the development of cannabis as a medicine, it’s no surprise that we’ll be offered more ways to consume medical marijuana.
In the end, what works for others might not work for you. So, be sure to talk with your doctor to help you decide the best and most beneficial way to consume medical marijuana.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to reflect the specific views of the publication.
