Methods of Consumption
Cannabis comes in a variety of forms and navigating the different products can be intimidating. Luckily, with a little information, as well as guidance from the Riverside Wellness Customer Care Advocates, your journey into cannabis can quickly transform from overwhelming to exciting!
Methods of cannabis consumption include inhalation, oral (including sublingual) & topical, and each delivery method has a unique onset of action, duration and effect. You will find information and examples of the various ways to ingest cannabis below. Finding the right method of consumption based on your individual needs and lifestyle allows you to experience the full benefits of cannabis in a comfortable, safe and enjoyable manner!
INHALATION
Cannabis products are inhaled through two different methods – smoking and vaping. Inhaling cannabis delivers the active compounds of marijuana through the lungs, quickly entering the bloodstream and providing an immediate effect.
Cannabis can be inhaled through two different methods:
Smoking – Cannabis flower is combusted (burned) and inhaled through a pipe, water pipe or joint.
Vaping – Cannabis concentrate or flower is heated to below the temperature required for combustion but above the temperature required for release of a vapor that incudes active cannabinoids & terpenes and inhaled. Vaping is considered a safer alternative to smoking, as additional compounds produced in combustion can have adverse health effects. Our vaping products never contain harmful additives such as Vitamin E Acetate or MCT Oil.
Onset of Action: Immediate
Duration of Effects: 30 minutes to 3 hours
Common ways to smoke marijuana – pipes, joints & water pipes (also known as bongs)
Common ways to vape marijuana – Vape pens, desktop vaporizers, dabs
Pros: Immediate effects allow for quick personal titration for individualized needs.
Cons: May have negative consequences to respiratory health; High heat may burn individual compounds, diminishing their effects.
ORAL
Cannabis products that are ingested through the mouth, either sublingually or through ingestion.
Ingestion – Cannabis products (edibles) that are ingested are eaten and absorbed through the digestive tract & liver and carried through the blood stream. Because it takes longer to absorb into the bloodstream, the onset of action produced by ingestion can be much longer than other delivery methods. Because the cannabinoids are processed through the gastrointestinal tract & liver, they more effectively pass through the blood brain barrier, and are more likely to bind to endocannabinoid receptors, increasing their potency.
Sublingual – Cannabis products are placed under the tongue for absorption into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes of the mouth. Effects are more rapid than ingestion, as the active compounds of cannabis are absorbed directly to the bloodstream, rather than moving through the digestive tract.
Onset of Action: 30 minutes – 3 hours (depends on individual metabolism)
Duration of Effects: 4-8 hours; Higher dosages result in longer duration of effects
Pros: Ability to use discreetly and the effects last longer. When used sublingually, patients can experience both immediate and longer lasting effects as some of the product will be ingested.
Cons: Onset of action takes longer so individualized titration of medicine is much more difficult. Longer duration means that undesirable effects take longer to subside.
Common ways to ingest cannabis: pressed pills, capsules, tablets, liquids, and food
Common sublingual cannabis products: tinctures, lozenges
Finding the right dose and allowing full onset of action is critical when ingesting cannabis products as it is a common problem to take additional doses before the primary dose fully takes effect, resulting in negative experiences that last longer periods of time.
TOPICAL
Cannabis products that are absorbed through receptors in the skin, rather than through the bloodstream, producing effects that are non-psychoactive and localized for treatment of symptoms such as muscle pain, soreness, & inflammation (although some transdermal patches can pass cannabinoids into the bloodstream).
Onset of Action: 5 minutes – 2 hours
Duration of Effects: Up to 12 hours
Pros: Most topicals do not produce psychoactive responses. Can be used for site specific symptoms. Ability to use discreetly for extended effects.
Cons: Most topicals do not produce psychoactive effects. Must be aware of other ingredients that may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions.
Common ways to ingest cannabis: lotions, transdermal patches, balms, creams