Smoking Vs Edibles: An Overview of Using Medical Marijuana
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a potent psychoactive drug that stimulates cannabinoid receptors in the brain, delivers the popular euphoric feeling experienced from using marijuana (cannabis).
THC is a very resilient drug hence can be processed and manipulated into various forms and still produce the same effects in the user. Recent legislation allowing for legal use of cannabis has led to the explosive growth in the use marijuana and marijuana products, particularly in Florida and other states. Florida cultivates medical marijuana through DOH approved treatment centers in a regulated, controlled, and secured environment. Licensed Florida marijuana doctors administer medical cannabis to their patients under utmost care.
People who smoke a fat joint find it extremely relaxing. The rolling process is particularly meditative, as it sparks some amazing conversations as one sits back with friends puffing. However, there are growing concerns over inhaling the byproducts of combustion that may be toxic or even carcinogenic. For this reason, many smokers are transitioning to edibles due to the total lack of combustion and inhalation of potentially harmful byproducts says tampa marijuana doctors.
When it comes to edibles however, the type of food that is medicated mainly influences just how healthy the product will be to the user’s body. Majority of them are hardly the most nutritious foods in the world e.g. brownies, sweets, ice cream, coffee, cookies and biscuits. Still, other options of using healthier snacks or meals with cannabinoids such as sandwiches, wine, curry, guacamole, sweet potato fries, or adding cannabutter to healthy salad dressings are available.
The question then remains which one would you rather? To answer that, let’s look at the effects that each method of using marijuana has on the body.
Absorption
Anybody who has experienced both smoking and eating cannabis edible is well aware of the difference in strength involved. Edibles take longer to take root, but when they do, the effects seem much stronger and stay longer. Smoking on the other hand takes effects almost immediately, but the euphoric effects wane faster.
This is because of how the cannabinoids are absorbed by the body. When smoked, THC directly enters the blood stream and into the brain. However, when eaten, they first go through the liver which metabolizes THC, making it very efficient at crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB) resulting in far more intense and stronger high.
Duration of High
When smoking weed, the effects can be felt almost immediately depending on the strain and how much you just smoked. This results in immediate euphoria, relaxation, energy, or even creative thoughts. However, these effects can then begin to wane off in the next hour or so.
Edibles on the other hand require longer processing by the body before the effects kick in; this ranges between 30 minutes and 2 hours. However, upon the onset of the effects, they last up to several hours. It is possible to overdo it, as there is no clear gauge to measure just how much THC you have taken. 2 or 3 more medicated treats to hasten the high you are looking for can turn into borderline psychedelic experience that you were not mentally prepared for.