The Best Ways to Consume Cannabis: Finding What Works for You

There are numerous ways for new users of medical cannabis to take their medication, including vaping, gummies, lotions, and joints. However, where should you begin if you’re just starting out with medical marijuana? Are some approaches superior to others? Getting an online medical card can help you access expert guidance on the best consumption method for your needs.

Not every ingestion method is suitable for everyone, even though they all introduce cannabinoids into your system in some way. When choosing an administration method, individual needs and preferences are crucial factors to take into account.

We’re dissecting all of them in this guide: topicals, tinctures and oils, edibles, smoking, and vaping. After describing how each one operates, we’ll go over which approach might be most appropriate for you given your particular requirements.

Exploring Different Cannabis Consumption Methods

The sheer number of administration options can be overwhelming for a newcomer. First, let’s shed some light on how each one works to bring this landscape into focus.

Smoking

Smoking is the cannabis community’s go-to method for introducing cannabinoids into the body, perhaps because it’s so simple:

• Users grind raw cannabis flowers into a finer consistency before rolling it into a joint (a hand-rolled cigarette) or packing it into a piece of glassware.
• After preparing their smokables for consumption, users ignite the cannabis and inhale the smoke produced by combustion.
• Smoke that has been infused with cannabinoids enters your bloodstream through the mucous membranes in your mouth, throat, and lungs. A portion of combustion smoke is released into the atmosphere.
• Smoking is one of the easiest ways to use cannabis and yields quick results. To begin, however, beginners will require a lighter, rolling papers (or a piece of glassware), and a grinder.

Vaping

Vaping is the high-tech cousin of smoking. Although smoking and vaping employ slightly different techniques, both aim to deliver cannabinoids to the body through inhalation.

Here’s a brief rundown of how cannabis vaping operates:

• Users load a cartridge (also known as a “cart”) with oil infused with cannabis into a vape pen.
• By raising the temperature of the cart’s contents with a heating element, the vaping device eventually produces vapor—not smoke.
• To get the active ingredients into their bodies, users inhale the vapor that has been infused with cannabinoids. Very little vapor leaves the device and enters the atmosphere, depending on the device.

Vaping is a fast-acting method, just like smoking. It does, however, need a cart and a vape device as initial supplies.

Edibles

Edibles introduce cannabinoids through ingestion, or absorption through the digestive system, whereas smoking and vaping introduce them through inhalation.

Two types of edibles are:

• Premade: In certain states, a dispensary or pharmacy may sell patients premade, prepackaged edibles. These are packaged with nutrition facts and are precisely dosed.
• Homemade: “Special brownies” are homemade baked goods made with oils infused with cannabis that you’ve probably seen if you’re familiar with the black market for cannabis. These typically have less accurate dosage.

Both homemade and premade edibles function in the same way: After consumption, the components are broken down by the digestive system, and the cannabinoids enter the bloodstream like any other ingested substance. Although the effects of edibles can take some time to manifest, they usually last longer than those of smoking.

Tinctures, Oils, and Concentrates

Usually, cannabis-infused oils are used to make edibles, but patients can also buy these oils before they turn into delectable treats.

Two types of liquid-based cannabis concentrates are oils and tinctures:

• Tinctures, such as vanilla extract, are extractions based on alcohol.
• Oils, such as cooking oils flavored with herbs, are liquid fat-based extractions.

It is possible to introduce these to the body sublingually, or beneath the tongue.  Since edibles take longer to absorb into mucous membranes (the tissues in your mouth), applying a few drops of an oil or tincture infused with cannabinoids is a little faster.

Dispensaries do, however, also offer a greater selection of solid cannabis concentrates.

There are numerous names for these, such as:

• Dabs
• Budder
• Shatter
• Wax
• Resin

There are several ways to use these extremely powerful solid concentrates, but only a few of them are suitable for beginners. See our comprehensive guide to cannabis concentrates for more information.

Topicals

Inhaling or consuming cannabis in some way is necessary for all of the aforementioned techniques. However, topicals are an outlier choice for patients who want to adopt a more external strategy.

Topical products infused with cannabis:

• Absorb into the skin: To get localized (or generalized, if the product is used all over the body) effects, users apply a small amount of the product to their skin.
• Do not enter the bloodstream: Despite the presence of THC in the ingredient list, topical products’ cannabinoids do not cause intoxication.  Why? since topical medications don’t truly enter the bloodstream. Instead, a topical formula’s cannabinoids work locally, wherever the product is applied.

Topicals are especially helpful for treating chronic pain and have comparatively quick, long-lasting effects.

How to Choose the Right Cannabis Consumption Method for You

There’s a lot to process from the above. To get right to the point, which one best suits your needs? We’ve identified some typical patient preferences and will explain which approaches work best for each.

1. Discreet Options

You may be searching for the most covert way to take cannabis if you live with family members (including kids), in a shared apartment, or next to nosy neighbors.

The most subtle choices consist of:

• Edibles: Nothing is easier than popping an edible because it doesn’t smoke, has very little smell, and is easy to dose.
• Oils and tinctures: Infused liquids can smell a little stronger than edibles, but they are nearly as discrete. These aren’t exactly standard household dispensers, and they’re sold in dropper bottles.
• Topicals: Topicals don’t have the potential to significantly change your behavior because they won’t make you intoxicated. Moreover, a lot of products are essentially odorless.

2. Precise Dosing Options

You need a precise dosing method because, whether you’re a professional pharmacist, amateur mathematician, or nootropics enthusiast, you want to know exactly how much of a particular substance you’re putting into your body.

In the realm of medical cannabis, your best options are:

• Premade edibles: The consistency and content of commercially produced edibles are strictly regulated. Every time, you get precisely what is listed on the label. For beginners, edibles aren’t always as accurate, though, as it can be challenging to divide a gummy into precise portions if you’re starting with a small dosage.
• Tinctures and oils: You can adjust the dosage of your tinctures or oils to the half-milligram with a few easy calculations.

3. Affordable Options

How can you get the best deal at the pharmacy or dispensary?

Certain options are more affordable than others:

• Tinctures, oils, and concentrates – These are extremely powerful cannabinoid extracts that have a high cannabinoid content in a small amount of volume. Thus, these goods have a long shelf life. Known for their strength, concentrates in particular are not for the weak of heart (or the novice).
• Vape cartridges – The same principle applies to vape cartridges, which contain concentrated cannabis oils: a large cannabinoid volume in a small package.

Tinctures, oils, concentrates, and vape carts usually sell for more than raw cannabis flowers because they are highly concentrated (and require manufacturing procedures). But remember, since you’re technically purchasing cannabinoids in bulk, you might end up saving money in the long run.

4. Long-Lasting Options

You need a cannabis product that will continue to provide relief for the duration of your shift because you have a busy job.

The most durable way to administer cannabis is through edibles. Edibles work for several hours, so you don’t need to refuel during your lunch break, even though they can take some time to start working.

5. Fast-Acting Options

Fast-acting options are essential in the medical cannabis industry, whether you’re trying to relieve muscle soreness immediately following a strenuous workout or calm an intense anxiety attack.

For quick results, the best choices are:

• Smoking, vaping, and concentrates –These methods start slowly but yield results almost immediately. Even though the effects will be felt immediately, they may get worse over time. This also applies to dabbing, which is the process of breathing in the vapor from solid concentrates.
• Topicals – Although topicals don’t work as quickly as inhalation techniques, they can still be used as a reasonably quick remedy for post-exercise aches or chronic pain.
• Tinctures and oils – When applied sublingually, tinctures and oils usually take 15 to 30 minutes to start working; this is faster than edible ingestion but slower than inhalation.

Online Medical Card: Connecting You to Holistic Cannabis Care

No matter your specific needs, there’s a medical cannabis administration method (and product) out there for you. One of the benefits of medical marijuana? It’s highly customizable and easy to tailor to your exact preferences.

Another benefit is easy access—it’s never been easier to get a recommendation for medical cannabis, especially with help from provider networks like Online Medical Card. Our licensed providers offer same-day telehealth appointments and recommendations, getting you started on your medical cannabis journey fast. Plus, with the right recommendation, you can grow 99 plants in CA, allowing you to cultivate your own supply legally and conveniently.

Ready to unlock the healing powers of cannabis? Schedule your first appointment with Online Medical Card.