Does Medical Marijuana Have to Be Smoked?
Medical marijuana is no doubt healthier for you than many of the prescription pills on the market today. Many people however do not like the idea of smoking anything to take away their pain, or help them feel better.
This brings the question, does medical marijuana have to be smoked, or are there other ways to use marijuana as medicine, without the stigma that comes with smoking?
The truth is, there are many ways to use medical marijuana without smoking it, and some of these methods of using marijuana as medicine – don’t even get you “high”!
Many people still prefer smoking medical marijuana over other methods, for various reasons. The main reason many medical marijuana users like to smoke their medicine is, it is the fastest acting method of use. When you smoke marijuana, the cannabinoids (compounds that contain the medical properties) are absorbed by the lungs and into the bloodstream. The results are felt almost instantaneous.
Also, when smoking marijuana for medical use, it is easy to regulate dose. For example, you first wake up and are in pain. In many cases, a few puffs from a joint (rolled marijuana cigarette), or pipe is enough to get you up and moving, without making you too “medicated” or “high” feeling. Other times, like before bed, may require a patient to use more. In this case they just take a few extra puffs, and get a little more of the “effect”.
Other methods of using medical marijuana include:
- Using a Vaporizer
- Medicated Marijuana Capsules
- Medical Marijuana Edibles
- Marijuana Infused Oils
- Medicated Topical Balms/Rubs
- Marijuana Tinctures
The above methods of using marijuana medically, seem to be the most popular these days.
Vaporizing medical marijuana involves using a vaporizer, to heat your medicine to a point just below combustion and then inhaling those vapors, just like you would if you were smoking. The resulting vapors are much easier to inhale than smoke, and they contain all the healthy-medical properties you want from medical marijuana, without the harmful byproducts that may be contained in smoke of ANY form.
Much like smoking, vaporizing your medical marijuana is also a very fast acting method. This makes vaporizing medical marijuana, the second most preferred method of use, for many patients.