4 Different Ways to Consume Marijuana

The four main ways to consume marijuana are inhalation (smoking, vaporizing, dabbing), oral (edibles, capsules, tea, raw), sublingual (tinctures under the tongue) and topicals on the skin. Inhaled cannabis acts within minutes, while edibles take 30 to 90 minutes to start and can last 4 to 12 hours. Your average dispensary menu carries all four.

These menus can be overwhelming for new patients, especially if their experience is limited to just smoking.  They may not be familiar with certain products and how they’re supposed to be consumed.

Capable dispensary staff should be able to school you on the different ways to consume marijuana, but it’s nice to have some working knowledge under your belt.  That way, if a staff member tries to recommend a product you’ve never tried before, you aren’t totally in the dark.

There’s another good reason to bone up on the different ways to consume marijuana: it can help you find a consumption method that actually fits your health needs.

So we’re going to help you have your Goldilocks moment.  We’re going to list four different ways to consume marijuana.  We’ll also explore the pros and cons of each method.  Use the sections below to prepare questions for your physician about which method fits your needs.

1.  Inhalation

When marijuana is inhaled, THC and other cannabinoids enter your body through the lungs and pass quickly into your bloodstream. Effects start within minutes, peak after 15 to 30 minutes and taper off within two to three hours.

There are three main methods of inhaling marijuana: smoking, vaporizing and dabbing.  Let’s take them one by one:

Smoking

Smoking marijuana is pretty straightforward.  You expose dried marijuana to a flame, and when it ignites, you breathe in the smoke.

You can smoke using joints, blunts, pipes or bongs.  Some people really push bongs because the water chamber supposedly filters out carcinogens and preserves THC.

But as we’ve covered in a previous blog post, water pipes do not make smoke safe. NIDA notes that cannabis smoke contains many of the same toxins, irritants and carcinogens as tobacco smoke, however it is smoked.

Smoking cannabis can harm lung tissue, and long-term smoking is linked to airway inflammation and chronic bronchitis, according to NIDA. If you want to avoid smoke, you may want to consider…

Vaporizing

Vaporizing gives you the quick onset of inhalation while heating the plant below the point where it burns, so you inhale vapor rather than smoke.

It works by heating marijuana below its burning point, often around 200 degrees Celsius in lab studies, which releases cannabinoids as a vapor. Lab tests found vapor carried fewer combustion by-products than smoke, though not zero.

Vaporizers come in different types, shapes and sizes. You can get something as small as a vape pen that fits in a pocket, or a larger tabletop device that plugs into the wall.

Some vaporizers only work using plant material, and others are specifically designed for concentrated marijuana oils.

Average THC in seized cannabis rose from about 4% in 1995 to about 16% in 2022, and NIDA says dispensary flower and concentrates can top 40%. That gap is one reason first-time medical marijuana patients should ask a physician before trying concentrates. Which brings us to our next and last inhalation method.

Dabbing

Dabbing is a powerful and controversial form of marijuana inhalation. Dabs, also called shatter or wax, are highly concentrated extracts that NIDA says can rapidly deliver large amounts of THC.

Dabs are inhaled by applying the dab to a hot surface such as a nail.  The resulting vapor is then inhaled through a dab rig.

NIDA does not list dabbing as a treatment for chronic pain, and the high THC dose raises the risk of side effects. Because the THC concentration is so high, (1) first-time medical marijuana patients should not try it and (2) anyone thinking about dabbing should first ask a physician.

2.  Oral

If you’re not comfortable putting anything in your lungs, other than oxygen, it’s okay.  You don’t have to inhale marijuana.  You can always just eat it.

Edibles

Edibles are marijuana-infused products such as brownies, cookies, cakes, oils, candies, salad dressing and plain old butter.

Cannabinoids dissolve in fat, which is why edibles are often made with butter or oil. In Florida, edibles are made by MMTCs, and state law requires the marijuana a patient buys to stay in its original packaging, so patients use the MMTC products their physician ordered rather than cooking their own.

How long does it take to feel the effects of an edible? Usually 30 to 90 minutes, with a peak after two to three hours, and the effects can last 4 to 12 hours depending on the dose.

An edible lasts longer than smoked cannabis, and because it is slow to start, people may take more than they meant to, NIDA warns. Florida also caps MMTC edibles at 10 mg THC per serving.

It’s also easy to take too much with edibles, which can lead to anxiety, a racing heart and changes in blood pressure. For Florida patients, the certifying physician sets the dose, so follow that order.

Capsules

THC and CBD also come in the form of capsules. For children, the only FDA-approved CBD is the prescription drug Epidiolex, and Florida requires two physicians to agree before certifying a minor.

Capsules come in measured amounts, so you don’t have to cut a brownie into even squares. Still, NIH notes that cannabis products can differ substantially from their labels, so check the lab label and follow your physician’s order.

Tea

“Tea” used to be an old slang term for marijuana, but marijuana-based teas are a real thing.  If you’re a regular tea drinker, this might be right up your alley.

But you can’t actually steep cannabis flowers in hot water to make tea.  Well…you can, but you probably won’t get much mileage out of it.  Remember: marijuana is fat soluble, not water soluble.

That’s why marijuana tea bags are usually a mixture of herbal tea and marijuana-infused oil.

Raw Marijuana

Yes, you read that correctly.  You can eat raw marijuana.  Now whether you’d actually want to is a different story altogether.

Some people juice or blend raw marijuana leaves and flowers into smoothies. NIH does not describe raw cannabis as a treatment for inflammation, diabetes or any other condition.

To be clear, raw marijuana is far less intoxicating than smoked or cooked marijuana. Most of its THC is in the form of THCA, a cannabinoid acid. Heat from cooking, smoking or vaporizing converts THCA into THC.

3.  Sublingual

If you don’t want to inhale marijuana but you also don’t want to ingest marijuana and wait who-knows-how-long to feel the effects, the solution is sublingual products.

These include marijuana-infused tinctures, lozenges, sprays and some types of candies.  They’re meant to be applied either directly under your tongue or in the area around your gums.

Some of the cannabinoids are absorbed inside the mouth, and some are swallowed. Tinctures can carry a lot of THC in a few drops, NIDA warns, so measure carefully and follow your physician’s order.

4.  Topicals

We did a post on topicals not too long ago, but we’ll recap here.

Topicals allow patients to apply medical marijuana directly to their skin using balms, lotions, oils, creams, topical sprays, etc.

Topicals are applied to a specific area of skin. There is little clinical research on cannabis topicals for arthritis or other joint pain, so ask a physician before relying on one.

Many topicals are designed to act on the skin, but ask your physician whether a product can reach your bloodstream before you use it at work or before driving.

Is That It?

This isn’t a comprehensive list of all the different ways to consume marijuana, but we hope to have at least covered the major bases.

What’s your preferred consumption method?  Smoking?  Brownies?  Dabbing?  Skin creams?  Are there other different ways to consume marijuana? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram.

If you live in Florida and have a qualifying condition, you can schedule an evaluation with a qualified physician at one of our Florida offices.