Medical cannabis has been given the green light in thirty-nine states, the district of Columbia, and four U.S. territories. In the majority of these jurisdictions, smoking is still prohibited. Medical cannabis users can vape or use raw flour in their recipes, but they cannot light up with marijuana the same way recreational users do.
Not allowing smoking among medical users is a sticky issue. Understandably, patients using medical cannabis for certain conditions want relief as quickly as possible. Smoking has traditionally been the preferred method for consuming marijuana because it delivers THC to the bloodstream almost instantly. But smoking itself comes with its own inherent dangers.
The Vaping Compromise
You can visit the Beehive Farmacy medical cannabis pharmacy in Salt Lake City, UT and find all sorts of vaping products. Vaping is a compromise that gives patients the fast-acting relief they want without encouraging them to smoke. Ironically, patients can also purchase plant material for use and a specialized dry heating device. The device heats the plant material just enough to release THC without actually burning.
What we have here is a situation in which regulators understand that people want quick delivery. A back pain patient experiencing discomfort severe enough to prevent getting out of bed does not want to wait two or three hours for relief. She wants to feel good enough to get up right now.
That same patient could make her condition worse by smoking marijuana. Obviously, inhaling smoke is not good under any circumstances. So lawmakers would rather she find another form of delivery. That is where vaping comes in.
A Harm Reduction Strategy
Vaping was first introduced to the U.S. market around 2007. It was promoted as a safer way to consume nicotine. Vaping offered the opportunity to use nicotine without inhaling toxic cigarette smoke. Despite the government doing everything it could to stamp out vaping, regulators eventually had to concede that it was less harmful than smoking.
Vaping is now seen as a harm reduction strategy for people who either cannot or will not quit smoking. I am assuming that regulators are applying the same mentality to medical cannabis. Patients want to inhale for fast-acting relief, and vaping represents a less harmful way to do that.
Still, vaping is not without its risks. Anytime a person inhales something other than oxygen, risks need to be considered. That begs the question of whether people already suffering from chronic health conditions should be inhaling their THC.
Other Ways to Consume
There are other ways to consume medical cannabis. Granted, not all of them provide the same level of relief or act as quickly as inhalation. A patient would have to try each one and decide for himself whether it is doable.
On the other hand, the folks at Beehive Farmacy say tinctures placed under the tongue deliver relief almost as fast as inhalation. This is due to the sheer volume of blood vessels in that area of the mouth.
A tincture is a concentrated oil that penetrates the skin very quickly. A drop or two under the tongue delivers THC to the bloodstream almost as quickly as breathing it in. The benefit of the tincture is that a patient isn’t inhaling anything.
Smoking medical cannabis is a sticky issue due to its health implications. Vaping is better, but is it the best solution for people using cannabis to treat chronic health problems? I don’t know. I am neither a doctor nor a scientist. But I do know that keeping the lid on medical cannabis smoking makes a lot of sense.