What’s the Best Way to Take Medical Marijuana?

With marijuana becoming a more widely-accepted form of treatment for many problems, many people are considering taking it as medicine. But as this drug has been outlawed in many places around the world for the past century, open knowledge about marijuana hasn’t very widespread until very recently.

Because of the recent legalization of medical marijuana in many places in the United States, many news ways of ingesting marijuana are now available that weren’t before.

If you have a medical marijuana license, or you’re considering getting one, you might be overwhelmed with the options you have. Here is a rundown of the different ways you can take medical marijuana, as well as some of the risks you might face as well.

Smoking

When you think of marijuana, this is might what you think of. And that’s rightly so, because for the past few decades, while marijuana has been illegal, those who use it have commonly smoked it to get high. Although it was illegal for a long time, smoking marijuana is still one way you can take it medicinally.

The medicinal effects of the cannabinoids in marijuana are still activated when you smoke it, and many medical marijuana users certainly smoke to get their treatment. This is one of the most popular ways of ingesting marijuana. If there are medical marijuana dispensaries in your area, they are probably most stocked in the plant form of marijuana, which is meant for smoking. How you smoke it – whether in a rolled-up joint or with a pipe – is up to your preference.

However, there are some downsides. Smoking is bad for you regardless of what you’re smoking
Even though cannabis isn’t nearly as bad for your physical body as cigarettes are, there is still a debate as to how bad the smoke is for you, especially your lungs. More studies need to be done to find out the long-term effects of smoking marijuana.

Vaporizing

Vaporizing is a healthier alternative to smoking that has become more popular in recent years. Instead of taking a lighter or a match to the plant matter to create smoke, a vaporizer instead heats the product at a lower temperature, which is still effective in creating a vapor for you to inhale.

Vaporizing is said to be a more efficient way of getting the active ingredients out of the marijuana plant, so this could end up saving you money if you plan on using it frequently. Keep in mind, however, that a vaporizer is often more expensive than rolling papers or a pipe, meaning that you’ll have to pay a higher up-front cost.

Edibles

When you think of a marijuana edible, your mind is probably drawn to “pot brownies.” While a chocolaty treat laced with marijuana is a perfectly fine way of getting the medicinal cannabinoids into your system, the medical marijuana industry has come up with tons of other products that you can eat to get the same effects. Along with brownies, you can expect to find cookies, gummy bears, lollipops, and many other treats that will give you your medicine.

There is one major downside to edibles, however: they can be incredibly potent, so it’s harder to gauge a proper dosage. While edible manufacturers are encouraged to indicate how potent their edibles are, they are sometimes wrong, and because marijuana isn’t regulated by the government, it’s not illegal for them to pack too much or too little into one edible. Still, it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s impossible to overdose on marijuana.

In the end, how you ingest your marijuana will be up to you and your preferences. You may want to give all of these options a try to see what works best with you. And as always, be sure to talk with your doctor, who will be able to give you an informed opinion based on your needs.