As cannabis becomes more and more normalized and accepted in society, we are becoming more and more aware of the medicinal benefits of medical marijuana. But what’s not so good for you? Smoking marijuana.
The combustion of cannabis fills your lungs with toxic compounds and irritants, it feels terrible in your throat, and let’s face it…it’s not that sexy, or classy. But, luckily there are other ways for you to get your medicine and the medicinal effects of marijuana that are much more classy.
1. Use Vaporizers
Vaporizers are so amazing because they reduce the smoke intake by up to 95 percent! Because the marijuana is burned at a lower temperature, there are much lower levels of tar and carcinogens that enter your body.
Additional perks: there is less resin buildup, so you can keep your pearly whites and you don’t get that nasty burnt taste like you did from the bong in college, plus there are some pretty classy vapes out there – so you can use in style!
Overall, experts agree that using a vaporizer is the healthiest way to consume marijuana.
2. Eat Edibles
Not only is this method more fun and enjoyable than smoking marijuana, it also saves your lungs and throat from all that coughing.
You can either buy edibles that are already made (from candy to baked goodies), or make them yourself – to do so, you’ll want to buy cannabis infused oil or butter.
Keep in mind though that it does take much much longer for you to feel edibles, so start with small doses and make sure that you don’t take too much!
3. Apply Topicals
With medical marijuana topicals, there is no risk for any potential psychoactive reactions, because they only work on your muscles and skin, not your mind. These products include lotions, salves, and creams and can relieve physical painand reduce inflammation.
Topicals can also be used to speed up the healing time for small injuries such as: cuts, insect bites, and sunburns.
4. Use Tinctures & Tonics
Most people have never heard of “tinctures,” but ironically, they used to be one of the most common and trendiest ways of consuming marijuana. Tinctures are alcohol extractions of the cannabis plant and still contain all 80 of the essential cannabinoids, despite the extraction process being cheap and efficient. Furthermore, similarly to topicals, there is very little risk for users to experience any psychoactive effects, and you can have better dosage control. Therefore, there will not be a big “high” to wait for, like you’d experience with edibles.
The best way to use tinctures is to place a few drops underneath your tongue – or you can put a pinch in coffee or even apply it directly to your skin.
Those that find tinctures to be most beneficial are patients undergoing chemotherapy, treating muscle spasms and cramping and even epilepsy.
5. Beverages
If you want to keep it simple, you can pour hot water directly over the plant and let it steep for about a half an hour. You can also make cannabis coffee or chai tea! If you are more into the sodas… you can even purchase Canna Cola – who sells a variety of flavors, from grape ape to orange krush.
These alternatives are great for those who do not want the negative side effects of smoking marijuana. This is very appealing for a different crowd that does not want to be attached to the stigma of being a “stoner,” including: mothers, grandmothers, professionals and more.