Cannabis use is getting popular among patients with a variety of medical conditions. Over the years, individuals have developed different methods of delivering cannabinoids in the body. But, smoking remains the most popular one.
The key benefit of smoking is — it delivers cannabinoids directly into the bloodstream, thus providing quick effects. It’s important to note that smoking marijuana isn’t limited to only joints. You can use many other methods to smoke the herb for medical purposes. Before you learn these methods, make sure you have MMJ recs signed by a licensed medical marijuana doctors california.
What is Marijuana Smoking?
Smoking involves heating the cannabis flowers to extract its active ingredients. Then, the smoke is inhaled and exhaled. Unlike edibles, smoking provides quick effects, which last for a few hours.
At the medical dispensaries, you can find a wide range of strains with different levels of cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD. Each strain provides different therapeutic effects to different consumers. High-THC strains deliver euphoric effects while high-CBD strains provide relaxing and calming effects.
Related- How CBD & THC Are Different From Each Other?
So, you need to select the strain carefully. Do comprehensive research online or seek professional help from your doctor.
What are the Different Methods of Smoking Marijuana?
Here are the different methods to smoke marijuana:
- Joints
- Blunts
- Hand pipes
- Bongs
- Dabbing
Here is explained briefly:
Joints
Joints are cannabis rolled in papers. You can roll a joint of whatever strain you love. The most popular joint styles are — basic, tipped, cone, nosecone, pinner, Dutch Tulip, backrolled, oversized, cross joint, and diamond joint.
Some consumers prefer regular rolling papers while others stick to hemp papers. However, you can also purchase pre-roll joints from medical dispensaries.
One major benefit of joints is that they are perfect for travelers. You can easily fit many joints in a small plastic bag. Ease of rolling is another convenient factor.
Blunts
Blunts are similar to joints, instead they contain marijuana flowers. What sets these two apart is that blunts are rolled with cigar papers, which are often larger than regular papers. This means they can contain more cannabis, thus providing stronger effects.
So, what is the major benefit of a blunt over a joint? Due to the thickness, the blunt burns slower and lasts longer. Moreover, the cigar paper contains nicotine, allowing consumers to receive combined effects of marijuana and nicotine.
Hand Pipes
Pipes are a commonly used smoking method. They are known for convenience. Pipes are small, portable devices, which are simple to use. Just put cannabis flowers in the bowl-shaped container, burn them, and inhale smoke through the other end.
At the dispensary, you can find a wide range of hand pipes in different styles, shapes, and sizes. Thus, you can buy the ones that suit your needs and personality the best.
Bongs
Also called water pipes, bongs are available in a variety of designs and styles. The use of water is for cooling the smoke before it reaches your lungs through the mouthpiece. Additionally, water filters harmful contaminants, which can lead to various health risks. Thus, bongs help in maintaining the original taste and aroma of cannabis. The major parts of a bong are — bowl, carb, downstem, base, and tube.
Dabbing
Dab hits provide you stronger effects than bong hits because dabs are marijuana concentrates containing high percentages of THC and CBD. The average potency of flowers is 15 percent while it’s 75–80 percent in the case of concentrates.
Dab rigs have many parts. Nails work by vaporizing the wax or shatter before they are inhaled through the mouthpiece. It’s important to cool the nails a bit so that the concentrates don’t evaporate quickly.
Dabbing is a type of vaporization, which provides powerful relief, so they are perfect for patients with severe pain and nausea. However, there are some concerns about the intense effects of high-THC concentrates. So, always read the label of concentrates carefully before dabbing.
These are different ways to smoke cannabis. However, these aren’t 100 percent safe. According to the American Lung Association, inhaling the smoke of any kind isn’t good for lung health. However, more research is required to determine the effects of secondhand smoke on health.
Related- Can Smoking Cannabis Lead to Bronchitis?
Other Methods of Cannabis Consumption
Tinctures
These are liquid extracts, which can be consumed sublingually for immediate effects. The major benefit is that tinctures can help in dosage control. Most tinctures contain alcohol as a solvent. However, you can also buy glycerine-based tinctures, but they don’t kick in as quickly as tinctures containing alcohol.
You can also make your own tinctures at home. Just mix decarboxylated cannabis with the solvent (alcohol or glycerine), and keep the solution for a few weeks. You can set your own cannabis to the solvent ratio depending on your needs. For instance, if you want to make a strong tincture, mix 1 g of cannabis in 10 ml of alcohol.
Edibles
Edibles are foods infused with marijuana compounds, such as THC and CBD. You can find candies, brownies, and chocolate bars with different concentrations of cannabinoids.
When you consume edibles, they are absorbed in the digestive system before reaching the bloodstream. So, they don’t deliver immediate effects. After eating an edible, you have to wait for 30–60 minutes to feel the therapeutic effects. However, there are many factors influencing the onset time, such as the concentration of active ingredients. If you are considering a high-THC chocolate bar, it will take effect faster.
Unlike smoking or vaping, edibles last longer, usually 7–12 hours. Again, how long an edible lasts depends on factors such as dosage, cannabinoid profile, metabolism, tolerance, etc.
Related- Difference Between Cannabis Smoking & Edibles
Topicals
Topicals are creams, lotions, etc., containing marijuana, which has been decarboxylated. Decarboxylation is the process of activating the active ingredients in cannabis, such as THC. So, you can apply marijuana directly to the affected areas to get instant relief.
When you apply a topical, its cannabinoids bind to the CB2 receptors in the skin, thus providing relief.
Topicals are perfect for treating mild skin irritations, keeping skin young, providing localized pain relief, healing burns faster, managing inflammation and arthritis, and fighting bacterial skin infections.
Before You Consume Cannabis
Before consuming cannabis through smoking, vaping or any other method, make sure you check the local marijuana laws. To use medical marijuana legally, you must have an MMJ card. Now, with telemedicine, you can see a medical marijuana doctor california online. Here’s the complete process-
- Sign up an account online
- Talk to a licensed doctor through the HIPAA-compliant software
- Get your MMJ recs in PDF format via email in 10 minutes
Conclusion
Smoking marijuana allows you to receive its amazing medicinal benefits instantly. Some of the best methods to smoke cannabis are — hand pipes, bongs, dab rigs, joints, and blunts. Each method works differently. How long the effects of marijuana last depend on various factors. If you are smoking high-THC strains, you will feel the effects longer. Additionally, your metabolism, dosage, and tolerance, also matter.
Although smoking delivers quick marijuana effects, it’s not safe. Burning the substance at a high temperature generates a wide range of harmful chemicals, which are linked to lung problems. To avoid the risks of smoking, you can opt for other cannabis consumption methods, such as tinctures, topicals, and edibles. Talk to a licensed marijuana doctor to get your california medical marijuana recommendation letter and medical advice to use cannabis.