Picking the Right Cannabis Consumption Method for You
For those of us who grew up in the days when it was still called “pot,” the world of cannabis medicine can be a real head-spinner. Not only are there thousands of cannabis products, but also more of us aren’t even smoking it anymore. Instead, people are flocking towards cannabis consumption methods that didn’t even exist a few years ago!
Confused? You’re not alone. That’s why we’ve compiled this article to help you sort through the many options available to you. Once you’re familiar with all the methods of cannabis consumption, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which method best suits your needs.
Cannabis Consumption: Smoking and Vaping
It’s safe to say that all of us are familiar with the “old-fashioned” method of accessing cannabis medicine: by smoking it.
Whether it’s done through a pipe or a joint, it’s a relatively simple and effective process. The cannabis medicine takes effect quickly—typically within a few minutes—which makes it reasonably easy to gauge when you’ve taken the minimum effective dose.
On the downside, while smoking cannabis is objectively less harmful than smoking tobacco, it still introduces potentially irritating smoke into our airways and lungs. Many people find cannabis smoke harsh or bitter, and if you’re in your place of work or a public space, smoking certainly isn’t a discreet method of cannabis consumption.
There’s another way to “smoke” cannabis, although it doesn’t actually involve any smoke or fire. It’s called “vaping,” and some suggest it presents several advantages over smoking. In addition to providing a more precise dose of cannabis compared with smoking, using a vaporizer—like those offered in the Vireo Spectrum™ line—greatly reduces our exposure to potentially irritating materials.
That’s because vaporizing cannabis isn’t actually burning it. Instead, a carefully refined cannabis concentrate or extract is heated to the temperature at which its volatile compounds—the oils containing cannabinoids such as THC and CBD—are released as a cool mist.
As with smoking, the onset time is very brief. This is useful for those of us who want to access cannabis’ medical benefits quickly, but what about those who want a longer and more gradual onset time, or those who experience some anxiety around the potentially rapid onset of psychoactivity (the “high”) produced by consuming cannabis with a high THC content? In that case, there are other cannabis consumption methods may be a better option.
Cannabis Consumption: A Slower, More Gentle Method with Capsules and Oils
How are the cannabis flower you pack in a pipe and the cannabis oil contained in a capsule the same thing? The oils and concentrates we sell are extracts: carefully refined oils made from whole cannabis flower in a laboratory environment. The capsules and oils we sell at Green Goods contain the same cannabis medicine as our vaporizers, but they affect our bodies in different ways. Because they’re consumed orally, the medicine is metabolized through the liver rather than in the lungs.
This means the onset time for these methods is far slower than with smoking or vaping. It’s normal for the effects to take an hour or more to become apparent, and they can sometimes feel more intense than those associated with smoking or vaping. For these reasons, we advise patients to wait at least three hours before taking another dose of cannabis capsules or oils. Remember, you can always take more cannabis medicine, but you can’t take less!
What’s the benefit if we have to wait for the medicine to take effect? For one, the effects of cannabis consumed this way typically last longer than with vaporizers. And again, many users report that the effects are stronger.
Whether or not this suits your particular needs is very much dependant upon your own comfort level. With vaping, for instance, some of us are uncomfortable with the rapid onset of psychoactivity produced by THC. For them, the slower onset of consuming cannabis capsules or oils might help relieve this feeling. But for others, the more gentle effect of a small puff from a vaporizer may be a better way for them to consume cannabis.
As with all medicines, some adjustment may be necessary to find the best product, consumption method, and dose to meet your particular needs. If you have questions or concerns about methods of cannabis consumption, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to help!