Common Way of Consuming Marijuana in the USA

Way of Consuming Marijuana! There are four main methods of ingesting marijuana: Smoking, Gravity Bongs, Vaping, Oral, Sublingual, Marijuana Tinctures, and topical. Each method has unique characteristics that make it more or less appropriate for some consumers. Below is an overview of the various methods of ingestion and their risks and benefits.

Marijuana can be use in more ways than simply smoking it like a cigarette. The delivery methods are important considerations for medical marijuana users as well as those who are using it recreationally. Whether legally or not. Learn about the variety of methods available.

Smoking

A common method of using marijuana is to roll it into a cigarette (or joint) using tobacco rolling papers and then smoking it. It can also be smoked in a pipe or a bong (which is a filtration device that uses water).

Marijuana can also be smoked in a blunt, which is a cigar that has been hollowed out to replace the tobacco with marijuana or a mixture of tobacco and marijuana.

Some smoke marijuana in bubblers, which are mini-bongs about the size of a pipe. And, of course, one of the oldest methods of smoking marijuana as well as hash, tobacco, and other substances are hookah.

However, marijuana users are known for their creativity and ingenuity, especially when they run out of rolling papers. They can fashion bongs and pipes out of soda bottles or cans, corn cobs, and even pieces of fruit.

Marijuana smoke is carcinogenic; therefore, the American Lung Association recommends continued research to study the effects of marijuana use on lung health.

Gravity Bongs

Another way to smoke marijuana using common household items is a gravity bong. Sometimes called a bucket bong or waterfall bong. This is made from plastic bottles, milk jugs, buckets, and two-liter soda bottles. The homemade gravity bongs use gravity to pull the smoke into the chamber using water, or sometimes beer or wine.

Vaping

A relatively new method of consuming marijuana is vaporization. Vaporizers heat the marijuana to a point just below the point of combustion. The active ingredients can inhale as a vapor, rather than as more harmful smoke.

Vaporizers use for several reasons:

• Some claim they get a better high when they “vape.”
• Vaporizers produce less marijuana smell than smoking.
• Vaporizers are usually small and easy to conceal.

In order to deter minors, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration enacted a rule to require e-cigarette companies to cease manufacturing. And selling fruit-flavored vaping products by the end of January 2020.

Dabbing Way of Consuming Marijuana

This method of using marijuana is somewhat similar to vaping. But it uses tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) resins extracted from the marijuana plant. (THC is the ingredient in marijuana that produces a high.) It may be in oil form (hash oil or honey oil), a soft solid form (wax or budder), or a hard solid (shatter).

A glass pipe or bong heat with a blowtorch. When the resin extracts place into the pipe, it creates vapor almost immediately. Dabbing is thought to produce a greater high than smoking marijuana.

Oral Way of Consuming Marijuana

Marijuana can also be ingest orally. This can be in the form of edibles, tinctures, capsules, or oils. The onset for oral ingestion is slower and the effects are stronger and last longer than with inhalation. People who consume marijuana orally usually report feeling the effects within thirty minutes to one hour or longer. With peak effects around the two-hour mark and total duration of effects ranging as long as six hours.

This is because, during the process of digestion, the cannabinoids undergo a chemical transformation that makes them stronger. Also, when ingesting orally, none of the product is lost by sticking to the pipe or rolling paper. People using marijuana medicinally for long-lasting chronic pain often prefer oral ingestion because it lasts longer and they don’t have to consume it as often. However, marijuana ingested orally is difficult to properly titrate dosage due to the increased time of effect onset.

Sublingual

Marijuana can also enter the bloodstream when placed under the tongue and held in the mouth; within the mouth, there are a large number of blood vessels that can absorb cannabinoids. Common examples of these types of products include dissolvable strips, sublingual sprays, or medicated lozenges or tinctures. Sativex, the one clinically approve, cannabinoid medication that includes the entire spectrum of natural cannabinoids, is deliver as a sublingual spray. The time of onset for this method of consumption is similar to those seen in general oral consumption. However, some studies have reported an earlier onset.

Tinctures

Tinctures are liquids extract from marijuana plants that are infuse with a solution of alcohol or alcohol and water. The user places a few drops of the solution under the tongue and it is quickly absorb into the bloodstream.

Because this form of marijuana is highly concentrate, highly potent, and fast-acting, it is generally use for medical purposes. But because it produces an intense high, it is often abuse.

Topical Way of Consuming Marijuana

A final way to consume marijuana is through topical applications. These come in the form of lotions, salves, bath salts, and oils that are apply to the skin. The skin has a relatively complex absorption process that is based on a chemical’s ability to dissolve in H20. The cannabinoids penetrate the skin and work to reduce pain and inflammation. This method is very popular with older consumers because it works well on localized pain (like arthritis) and is non-psychoactive.

While not widely studied. There is research that shows that topical application of cannabinoids has an onset of action within minutes locally. With the duration of these effects lasting one to two hours. Individuals who used patches reported onset of action within two hours. And duration of effect lasting upwards of two days due to the time-release nature of this method of administration. Additionally, the topical application of marijuana does not allow a significant amount of cannabinoids to reach the brain and therefore is unlikely to cause any intoxication.