Ingesting Medical Marijuana

As the use of medical cannabis is becoming more mainstream, more and more users are turning to the ingestion of marijuana to alleviate their symptoms. By ingesting cannabis infused products the marijuana goes through the digestive tract, eventually ending up in the liver before entering the bloodstream. It is here at the liver that THC cannabinoids are converted into 11-hydroxy-THC, a much more potent version that induces a greater, longer lasting stoned effect. As you can imagine, this is a great advantage for many medical users, especially those suffering from pain or sleeping disorders.

Edible cannabis comes in many shapes and forms. It can be added into food recipes, infused into butter or used as an oil. Depending on how the patient wants the final to taste they can either use straight up bud or use concentrates like hash or oil. Hash and oil tend to have less of an impact on the flavor of the food, whereas raw bud leaves quite a planty, chlorophyll taste in the food.

Because ingested cannabis goes through the digestive tract, all of the health issues that are associated with smoking marijuana are eliminated. There is no smoke, tar etc to worry about. However, some patients find that ingesting cannabis can make them feel nauseous, making this form of treatment ineffective should they be suffering lack of appetite or nausea itself. There are no known long term side effects to ingesting cannabis, which cannot be said for methods such as smoking.

As the ingested cannabinoids have to go through the digestive tract before they reach the bloodstream, the onset of its effects can often take quite a while. On average it takes about 45-90 minutes for the high to take effect. Once felt though, the effects can last up to 10 hours depending on the strength of the cannabis.

This is often a problem for people as they start out with ingestion as their method of administration. It can be quite hard to get a dosage worked out that will work for you, and it takes quite a long time to find out if it was correct. Many patients get impatient when they do not feel anything fairly quickly and end up taking another dose, an action that they come to regret when things get into full swing. Also, because it is such a long lasting high, if you take too much there is nothing you can do about it until it wears off, meaning patients can end up quite uncomfortable for long periods of time. The standard dosage is about 20mg of pure THC per portion, but this can vary depending on the actual strength of cannabis chosen. It is always worth asking at the dispensary if they have any knowledge of dosage for ingestion for the strains you are thinking about choosing.

To summarize:

Pros of Ingestion:

Long lasting effects mean constant administering of medication is not required.

No known negative health implications

Can be consumed anywhere discreetly making for great versatility

It is easy to transport cannabis infused food discreetly.

A much more powerful version of THC is created by the body, an advantage for some conditions

Cons of Ingestion:

Long lasting effects may not be suitable for everyone or every situation

It takes a long time to take effect when compared to other methods of using it

Its slow onset can cause the inexperienced to become impatient and take more than they require

Makes some people feel nauseous

It can be hard to manage dosage

Precautions must be made to make sure it is not unknowingly consumed by someone thinking it is normal food.

Disclaimer: Please note, we are not doctors nor are we qualified to give medical advice. We cannot accept any responsibility should your experience of medical marijuana differ in any way from what is described in this article. The above information is based on the experience of others, we have not conducted our own medical research. If you want to be sure, please ask your doctor.