Ways to Consume Cannabis 

There are a number of ways to consume cannabis – smoking isn’t the only option! We’ll start with smoking, since it’s the most commonly talked about method. 

Smoking 

You can smoke cannabis flower either by rolling it up in a joint, or using a pipe or bong. Some people prefer joints, some people prefer bongs. There’s no right or wrong way – just the way you like best! 

Accessories needed: Rolling papers and tips, herb grinder, pipe, bong

Vaporizing

You can vaporize both cannabis flower and concentrates! This method does not involve combustion, and many people prefer it because they don’t want to smell like cannabis. Vaporizing cannabis concentrates (also sometimes called extracts) is also called “dabbing” and is much more potent than cannabis flower, because as the name says, it is concentrated. Because it is vapor, and not smoke, the smell dissipates very quickly. Cannabis concentrates are also typically more flavorful than cannabis flower, and you can also control the flavor and even the effect by changing the temperature at which they are vaporized. Higher temperatures will typically result in less flavor and more potency, while lower temperatures will typically result in less potency and more flavor. Again, there’s no right or wrong way to do it – it just takes some practice and trying out different ways to find what you like best! 

Accessories needed, flower: Dry herb vaporizer

Accessories needed, extracts: Dab rig, butane torch, vape pen battery and cartridge, dab tool, e-rig 

Accessories needed, cleaning: q-tips, isopropyl alcohol (at least 70%, preferably at least 90%) 

Edibles

A great, easy way to consume cannabis without needing any accessories is using edibles. Just as it sounds, these are cannabis-infused food products that can be ingested. The most popular types of edibles tend to be gummies and chocolates, although there are so many creative edibles on the market now! You can find cannabis beverages, oils that can be mixed into foods at a dosage of your choice, infused capsules that you can take like a pill, gourmet candies of all kinds, infused syrups that you can mix into drinks. 

Please do not ignore the following warning: edibles are typically more potent, and if you’ve never used them before, start low and go slow. Trust us – you don’t want to take too many edibles. If you’ve never seen the memes – edibles are notorious for sneaking up on you! You can always take more, but never less. Because edibles affect everyone differently, on your first time, we recommend taking a small dose. A typical “serving” is 10mg, however, this dose could be too much for a lot of people and cause unpleasant effects. It’s never a bad idea to start with 5mg, or even less – 2.5mg, just to see how your body reacts before taking more. 

We also recommend waiting at least 90 minutes before redosing if there is no initial effect. Many people have made the mistake of thinking their edibles just aren’t effective, but keep in mind that edibles need to be processed by your liver after ingestion before traveling to the bloodstream – and that takes time, and that time may vary from person to person. 

Sublingual

There are many ‘edible’ products with sublingual route of administration - mostly hard candies. Some companies in certain states are also making sublingual and dissolvable tablets and films to put under the tongue, but they haven’t made their way to the New Mexico market just yet. 

Topical

Cannabis-infused topical products are made to be absorbed through the skin, and are typically not psychoactive. (Because cannabis affects everyone’s body differently, some people have reported feeling a slight “high” after using topicals, but most people report experiencing relaxation and pain relief). Cannabis topicals come in a variety of products, such as salves and creams that can be applied to the skin, sprays, bath bombs, and even transdermal time-released patches!