Despite the fact that millions of people now use medical cannabis on a regular basis, there are others who are eligible to do so but choose not to. A big concern among them is the idea of smoking marijuana. They avoid medical cannabis because they mistakenly believe that smoking is their only option. It’s not.
There are lots of ways to consume medical cannabis. In the industry, we call these delivery methods. None of them involve smoking. And in fact, states with legal medical cannabis programs tend to prohibit smoking because it is detrimental to human health. The recreational market may be different, but smoking is not part of the medical market.
Below are four medical cannabis delivery methods complements of Beehive Farmacy. Beehivefarmacy.com is a Utah company that operates medical cannabis pharmacies in Salt Lake City and Brigham City.
1. Inhalation
Inhalation is arguably the most preferred delivery method because patients begin feeling the effects almost instantly. In the absence of smoking, there are two ways to inhale medical cannabis products:
Vaping (similar to nicotine vaping but with THC instead)
Dry Heating (heating plant material to release its THC)
Note that dry heating requires a specialized device. It heats the plant material to a temperature high enough to release its cannabinoids without actually initiating combustion.
Inhalation’s bioavailability is 10-60% depending on product specifications and inhalation technique. The effects of the drug typically lasts 2-3 hours.
2. Oral Ingestion
Medical cannabis can be consumed by way of oral ingestion. Think capsules, tablets, and edible products – like gummies and THC-infused snacks. Onset is typically much longer at 1-2 hours. But for certain types of conditions, oral ingestion is actually better.
Symptom relief tends to be more consistent and lasts twice as long as relief from inhalation. Unfortunately, bioavailability is less with the top end at about 20%.
3. Sublingual Application
A sublingual application delivers THC through the skin of the mouth. This typically means using a tincture or spray under the tongue. Why under the tongue? Because there are a lot of blood vessels in this part of the mouth. You place a drop or two under the tongue or hit the bottom of the tongue with a spray and that’s it.
Symptom relief with sublinguals is almost as fast as inhalation. You feel the effects pretty quickly. However, there are certain circumstances that could delay onset for 15-30 minutes. As for bioavailability, it is comparable to inhalation because THC is absorbed by the skin and transferred directly to blood vessels.
Patients typically enjoy symptom relief similar to what they would get from inhalation. So for patients who prefer inhalation but are unable to participate for whatever reason, tinctures and sprays are the next best thing.
4. Topical and Transdermal Applications
Last but not least is delivery through the skin. Topical applications are creams and ointments applied to sore joints, areas of inflammation, etc. A transdermal product involves the use of a patch. It’s like a nicotine patch in that you place it on the skin where it delivers a consistent stream of THC over a set amount of time.
Bioavailability is comparatively low for topical creams but higher with transdermal patches. Both applications are most suitable for localized pain relief and inflammation.
Beehive Farmacy reminds medical cannabis users that their pharmacists are the most qualified medical providers to recommend the most appropriate delivery method. Just remember this: you can use medical cannabis without smoking. There are plenty of options for delivering the medicine you need without requiring you to light up a joint.