How to use Cannabis

How to use cannabis is a complex topic. There are many consumption methods and after flower consumption delivery method is the second most important consideration. Obtain the mental an physical effects you desire from cannabis is dependent of how you consume it. Each delivery method provides a distinct experience and how cannabis affects your body.

There are 3 basic methods of delivery:

• Inhalation
• Oral
• Topical

Each of these will provide you with different effects that could be useful for different desired effects or occasions.

Inhalation

There are two methods to inhale cannabis; Smoking and vaporization. When cannabis is inhaled, the gases enter the lungs before absorbing into the bloodstream. Each smoking and vaporization provide different compounds and concentrations into the lungs giving you different effects.

Inhalation methods

As cannabis has been part of the fabric of our history many individuals have come up with innovative ways to consuming cannabis. The original consumption method is smoking. Over the years folks have developed different devices to help in smoking cannabis; hand pipes, water pipes, rolling papers (Joints), hookahs, and homemade one-time use devices, vaporizers and more. Each of these devices will provide a different way of producing and inhaling smoke with different levels of thickness and effectiveness of providing THC and other active ingredients to the lungs. Some are more portable than others, but three is sure to be one for every occasion.

Hand Pipes

Hand pipes are the most common smoking deice in use today. They operate by guiding the smoke into a small chamber as they burn the cannabis in the bowl, where the cannabis is placed, burned then inhaled by the user. Hand pipes come in a number of materials like, wood, metal and glass. over the years they have grown more artistic and personalized. The longer the area where the smoke collects the smoother the hit will be. Essentially it allows for the smoke to cool down before it hits your lips and throat.

Water Pipes

The concept of a water pipe is to filter the ash that some times comes down the bowl and can some times make it to the users lips. Some times called bongs or bubblers. Bubblers are like hand pipes that have a water compartment but very small and portable. Bongs are larger typically with a slide where the cannabis is placed and burned. Bongs have more space to hold water and have complex water filtration mechanisums. While the water cools the smoke further than a pipe and also eliminates thicker particulates like ash it is still not know if there are medical benefits to smoking form a water pipe vs a non filtered pipe. Personally I like the filtration the water provides but I also like more portable hand pipes.

Rolling Papers

Rolling papers are used to roll joints or blunts. These are done by girding up the cannabis laying it on the paper with a filter placed at the bottom then rolled tingly like a cannabis cigarette. Blunts are the same but rolled in cigar paper made from tobacco plant. Some rules of thumb on rolling a joint or a blunt is to start with small ones first it makes it easier. Don't roll them too tight or too lose, how the material burns once rolled is affected by how tight you roll it. While this is one of the most social methods of consuming cannabis its not the healthiest as there is little to no filtering of the smoke you intake. If you are health conscious try another intake method like oral but if you are going for convenience and socialization joints and blunts can be perfect for you.

Hookahs

This is a device with Middle eastern roots. Typically used to smoke shisha, a wet flavored tobacco typically. While this is not a very popular method it is well known for is filtering and its social energy as it typically consumes large amounts of flower that is shared among a number of people, not many will smoke a hookah on their own. Many hookah smoker will mix the shisha and the cannabis to create a blend with various flavors and smoke textures. Like a cigar aficionado Hookah smoking is more of a cult following than it is a common every day device.

Homemade One-Time Use Devices

Through out the years of prohibition, many have creatively found materials and objects to transfer their creativity to, while creating unconventional smoking objects. We have seen people that want to smoke but don't have a devices or tools turn an apples, a soda can, a plastic soda bottle, other fruits or vegetables as well as wooden devices or simple created a hand pipe out of aluminum foil.  Necessity is the mother of ingenuity. Cheers to the many inventors out there, but be assured you can find a small glass pipe that is portable that will give you a better smoking experience, but may be less fun than creating your own.

Vaporization

Vaporization is the act of heating flower or concentrate to a temperature that extracts the active ingredients in cannabis; cannabinoids, terpenes and releases them in the form of vapor, but the heating temperature is not high enough to cause combustion of the material, creating smoke and release toxins, which are linked to many of the health risks of smoking. This is not to say that all health risks are eliminated but they are reduced.

Another benefit of vaporization is that it reduces the odor of cannabis. There are a number of vaporizer technologies that focus either on flower or concentrates. Most devices are for a 510 thread which as cartridges with oil concentrate. Then you have devices that take wax, shatter or other concentrates in a chamber that heats it to create the vapor. Lastly are the devices that heat the flower, these are typically more complex designs.

Last but not least is dabbing the method of heating up a nail or high strength glass bowl to drop concentrates into and then inhale through a water pipe or other device. this is a rather new method of consumption and while some argue that the clean concentrate vapor is better for you than burnt flower others show concerns over the high potency of the concentrates and how much THC can be consumed with a few puffs.

Oral

This delivery method is described as any method that is taken by mouth; tinctures, ingestible oils, infused foods or drinks. Most often we assume that oral means ingestion through the digestive track before it enters the blood stream but some tinctures and oils can be absorbed from the month an tong making it to the blood stream before they go though the digestive track.

Tinctures

Tinctures are a cannabis extract that is used by taking drop in the month that are then absorbed by the mouth. Ingested tincutes are absorbed quickly on an empty stomach and may take longer if you have eaten. They also need to be processed by the liver reducing dosage control that way. They are fast acting and are great for dosage control. They are a great way of administering cannabinoid and terpene dosages without smoke. Most tinctures are either alcohol or oil based. Other fat soluble liquids can also be used lie vinegar or glycerol. 

Ingestible Oils

The most popular ingestible oil is Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). Ingestibles are likely what is used in edibles but gives you the control of measuring your dose more accurately apply dosing the edible yourself. Its like half concentrate half edible, as you can typical vaporize the oil too. 

Edibles

Edibles provide a very different effect to smoking vaping or tincutes as it has a much longer onset time and the effects can be more powerful, full-body, and are longer lasting. An edible is any food that contains cannabis. Most often edibles or drinks are infused with a high fat ingredient like butter or oil. Others have used tinctures and claim it provides more dosage control and ease of infusion. Cooking with Cannabis flower can be difficult as you need to activate or decarboxylate the cannabinoids so it can be absorbed by the digestive track properly.

Topical

Topicals are used by applying them directly tot he skin. Typically thick oils and waxes that have been decarboxylated to activate the cannabinoids so they can be absorbed through the skin.

Topicals do not provide the psychoactive "high" for which cannabis is known. Topical are great fro those looking for no high with a local relief typically to the skin or external areas or extremities. Bath bombs are great to treat arthritis for example.