As of 2018, 30 US states and DC have legalized medical marijuana in some way, even while it remains against federal law. Only a handful of these states (Florida being the most recent) including DC, have legalized smoking medical marijuana.
It’s a huge win for the states that have already legalized medical marijuana. It has the ability to treat and heal so many different illnesses and symptoms. However, we must ask the question, “Why is smoking medical marijuana still taboo, when every other way of using it is perfectly acceptable?”
How Consuming Medical Marijuana Edibles Affects You
In order to feel the effects of eating medical marijuana edibles, you’ll have to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. This is because it takes time for the cannabinoids to be metabolized by the liver. The liver converts the cannabinoids into a metabolite that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. This results in a much more intense high.
It’s much more common to overdo it when eating edibles when compared to smoking. Many first time users will only wait a few minutes, not feel anything, and then eat another serving or two. As a result, the delayed effects will come on much stronger than anticipated. It’s extremely important to wait the recommended amount of time.
There are many people that claim eating edibles is much safer than smoking. There are pros and cons to each, however, when consuming edibles regularly, you may want to choose healthier food options. Many times edible medical marijuana comes in the form of cookies, brownies or candy. Obviously, consuming foods like this on a regular basis could be bad for your health. You could try adding cannabutter (cannabis infused butter) or cannabis infused coconut oil to salad dressing, coffee, hummus or any other healthy option. It doesn’t always have to be in “sweets”.
How Smoking Medical Marijuana Affects You
By smoking, you are giving the cannabinoids a direct pathway to your brain. You will feel the results almost immediately, making overdoing it much less likely. Usually the effects of smoking medical marijuana will subside within an hour or so.
Questions have been raised as to whether or not smoking marijuana is safe, or healthy. Many state and federal lawmakers that are against the legalization of medical marijuana argue that smoking should remain illegal because it “may be dangerous”. Inhaling smoke of any kind comes with the risk of irritating or inflaming the respiratory tract. It’s important to note that no medical treatment is without risks.
The biggest issue with legalizing smoking medical marijuana is that it can be difficult to standardize and/or administer doses, properly. To date, there has not been extensive research, however, cannabis does offer some anticarcinogenic effects which may counteract any potential carcinogenic byproducts.
Conclusion
In summary, the United states is heading in the right direction. Every person in need of relief should have access to this incredible drug. Any medication that you take is going to come along with side effects. Medical marijuana has so many benefits to offer with even less risk than most federally approved drugs (no matter which way you use it.)
Luckily for Floridians, we will soon have full access to medical marijuana. On June 5th, 2018 the smoking ban was officially lifted. Flower is coming to Marijuana Doctor!
Are you a Florida resident in need of relief? Call Marijuana Doctor today, at (786) 224-4005 to schedule your free consultation with one of our highly qualified physicians. You can also book online or stop into one of our 12 Florida locations.
