Generally speaking, they top ways to administer medical marijuana for Florida residents:
- Inhalation
- Edibles
- Tincture
- Topical
Inhalation (vaping and smoking)
Vaping or smoking your marijuana is a consumption method that involves inhaling marijuana directly into your lungs. From there, the THC and CBD can quickly enter the bloodstream. Consuming marijuana by inhalation provides the quickest onset of action, but its effects last the shortest amount of time.
Dosing by inhalation is fairly accurate. You can measure the amount put into your joint or vaporizer. However, there is a wide range of medicine available once the THC or CBD has passed the lungs. There are variables such as depth of inhale, amount of time breath is held, cleanliness of vaporizer or relative dryness of the flower. While a specific dose is difficult to measure, the person who inhales their marijuana can alter their intake based on how their symptoms responded to previous inhalations. This is easier to do with inhalation because the effects are much more immediate.
If your condition needs immediate relief, then inhalation might be right for you such as Migraines, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, ADHD, ADD and severe Chronic Pain are conditions that might be best treated by inhalation. As of today, there are no other methods to get quicker relief.
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol produced by heating a substance. Instead of burning marijuana (which occurs in smoking), the vaping device heats the material (can be liquid/oil or wax extracts, or dried flower/herb) into a vapor, which then condenses into an aerosol (a fine spray of particles) that you inhale.
Inhaling marijuana involves one of three methods:
- Smoking
- Vaporizing dried marijuana (traditional vaping)
- Vaporizing oils (vape pens)
Smoking marijuana involves burning the dried flower and inhaling the smoke. The most common image that comes to mind when consuming marijuana is smoking. Various methods of smoking include joint, bong or pipe. About All Natural MD Florida, we recommend all routes of administration as it pertains to your medical marijuana doctors recommendation.
Edibles/Oral Administration
Eating your medicine or oral administration results in a very slow onset of action. Ingesting your marijuana can be done in 2 different ways. The first method involves taking gummies or capsules filled with THC oil. The second method will have you consuming food or drink infused with marijuana. These are referred to as edibles.
For gummies or capsule ingestion, this is a straightforward process. Take the gummies and swallow. The limiting factor is that there are only specific doses available. For example, a gummies may contain 10mg of THC or 5 mg CBD. You cannot open the gummies up and accurately take a half dose. This method does hide the taste of THC oil from your taste buds as the taste can be a deterrent for some people.
For edibles, you can purchase food or drink infused with marijuana, or make the product yourself. Common foods infused with marijuana are chocolates, gummy bears or brownies. People will also add marijuana oil to their tea or other drinks. Whether gummies or edibles, ingesting marijuana brings THC or CBD to the stomach. Once in the stomach, it is moved to the liver for processing. The amount and type of food in your stomach also affect the rate and amount of absorption. Once processed at the liver, the cannabinoids are ready to enter the bloodstream to produce therapeutic effects.
When consuming edibles, the onset of action is usually 2 hours and the effects can last 6-8 hours, sometimes even longer for some people. Edibles are an effective way to provide a dose of medicine spread out over a long period of time. A condition of chronic pain which is present all or nearly all the time may respond well to a long acting dose of edible THC or CBD. Ingesting your CBD can be a tasty way to consume medicine, but the amount of medication available after the liver completes its process is greatly reduced. Some literature suggests from 5-20% of the initial dose. For THC edibles, the liver converts the THC to a more potent form that has the potential to create more significant effects. The THC effects may not be felt for 2-3 hours, so do not take a second dose because you feel nothing. Contact the Marijuana Doctors at All Natural MD Florida today to learn more about getting your medical marijuana card certification. All Natural MD Florida. Call (800) 250-6737. We have locations to better serve you for your medical marijuana doctor recommendation in Lakeland, Orlando, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Brandon and Tampa.