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Edibles are MUCH stronger and last much longer than vaping or smoking cannabis. This is because of the way the body metabolizes and processes orally consumed cannabinoids. Eating 10 milligrams of THC is a MUCH different experience than vaping or smoking 10 milligrams of THC.
Patients must USE CAUTION when consuming edibles for the first time. Even experienced smokers and vapers should approach their first edible doses conservatively. Start with a low dose (2.5 mgs-5 mgs) and increase that dose slowly. Edibles are very easy to make at home from dried flower.
Remember that edible take a lot longer to work compared to smoking. Smoking and vaping are felt almost instantaneously but an edible can take 30 mins to 2 hours to start working. Be sure to wait the full two hours before adding another dose, because it’s very easy to experience anxiety from too much orally consumed THC.
Keep in mind, that edibles can cause different therapeutic effects compared to smoking or vaping. Ultimately, edibles don’t work for everyone. Some people simply can’t process or metabolize orally consumed cannabinoids. It really depends on your individual metabolism.
Lots of patients realize they need to decarb before making edibles, but many don’t realize you can also decarb before vaping or smoking dried flower. This helps boost the amounts of THC or CBD.
When you smoke or vape dried cannabis flower, the heat from the vape or flame decarboxylates, converting the THCA to THC (and CBDA to CBD). However, these sudden bursts of high levels of heat are NOT the most efficient method of decarbing.
Perfectly decarboxylating the flower before vaping or smoking, results in a more potent inhalation experience. The molecules are already fully converted. The heat will simply make them airborne and ready to inhale. Many patients report decarbing prior to smoking or vaping, helps them conserve flower.
Many patients report they conserve flower when they switch from smoking to vaping. When smoking, the high heat of the flame can cause many of the cannabinoids to be destroyed by combustion. At the same time, many of the cannabinoids can be lost in the smoke that escapes from the burning flower.
When using a high-quality vaporizer, like this one, the temperature of the heat is much lower. This means combustion is avoided. Most vaporizers do not produce excess smoke, so cannabinoids are not lost to the air. Many patients report that dry herb vaporization is much more efficient and economical than smoking.
It is very easy to consume too much cannabis. It can be helpful for patients to plan out their consumption in advance.
I’ve worked with many cannabis patients to that place their weekly edibles, flower, or concentrates in premeasured containers, or pill organizers like this one from amazon, or this one.
Stretching your stash could be as easy as switching your strain. Many patients report that they become tolerant of a specific strain when using it constantly. Most patients benefit from keeping a rotation of several strains/cultivars in their medical plan.
If you’ve been using the same strain consistently and you find it’s no longer working well, you might just need to switch to a new strain to experience improved results. Don’t worry, many patients report their beloved strains seem to work better after a brief hiatus, especially when they add a rotation with other cultivars.
Shopping cannabis sales can be challenging. First, not all regions have dispensaries that offer sales, but many do. Secondly, many patients require specific strains/cultivars, so waiting for a sale on your required cultivars can be very challenging.
If you’re fortunate enough to be in an area that offers sales, keep an eye on the marketing emails and social media accounts from your local dispensaries. Also be aware that many dispensaries offer a discount for first-time customers, so consider buying in bulk if you’re offered a first-timer discount.
Finally, ask the dispensary about discounts. Some dispensaries offer a variety of discounts. I’ve seen dispensaries offering discounts for front-line workers, veterans, disabled patients, and low-income patients. Ask and you might be surprised at what they offer.
Cannabis “shake” generally refers to the excess pieces of cannabis that fall off during the growing or trimming process. These pieces are often too small or disfigured to be packaged as premium cannabis flower/bud but still have high levels of medicinal value and so they are often ground up and sold as ‘shake”. Depending on the quality of the shake, it can be used for smoking and vaping and is also ideal for cooking and extraction. The quality of the shake varies a great deal from brand to brand.
Cannabis “trim” generally refers to extra cannabis leaves that have trichomes and thus still have medicinal value. Most trim is suitable for extraction and cooking but may not be ideal for smoking or vaping. Too many leaves and not enough ground flower can have a grassy unpleasant taste and a harsher inhalation experience. Like shake, the quality of trim varies from brand to brand or dispensary to dispensary.
Additionally, some brands/dispensaries mix their shake and trim together and sell it as a single product. You’ll need to evaluate the shake/trim products available to you.
Shake and trim are always priced significantly less than their flower counterparts, which is what makes these products appealing to many patients.
The endocannabinoid system can be affected by many non-cannabis herbs and supplements. For example, Kava kava directly impacts the endocannabinoid system, as does black pepper, which contains high levels of beta-caryophyllene (a common terpene in cannabis that some clinicians consider a “dietary cannabinoid”). Some patients mix herbal blends with their cannabis, for example, lavender which is high in the terpene linalool is helpful for some patients for pain and anxiety.
Many patients swear that eating mango increases the effectiveness of their cannabis. The enhancement by mango is attributed to the high quantities of myrcene in mango which is another terpene found in many cannabis strains. Whether or not mangos or other foods and herbs will boost the effectiveness for you, depends on your own personal body chemistry and metabolism.
Some patients choose to add and experiment with terpene extracts. I encourage patients to use caution when adding terpenes. In nature, we see nanoscopic levels of terpenes, while terpene extracts contain extremely high amounts that one would never be exposed to in nature. If you choose to experiment with terpene extracts, use excessive caution and only buy organically naturally derived versions.
If you’re making edibles at home, adding organic sunflower lecithin like this one may boost the effectiveness of your edibles.
This is because lecithin may enhance the absorption of orally consumed cannabinoids. This is based on individual body chemistry and preference. Many patients add lecithin to their edibles as a standing rule, while others don’t seem to notice a difference. Some others prefer cannabis edibles without lecithin.
If you choose to use lecithin, only use sunflower lecithin and be sure that it’s organic.
It’s easy to spend too much money on cannabis because it’s so abhorrently expensive. Fortunately, there are economical and effective ways to consume. Changing how or what you consume could positively impact your wallet. By using these 15 tips, you can stretch your stash and make your medical marijuana last longer which will ultimately save you money.
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