How to “Smoke” Medical Cannabis Flower
People have been smoking cannabis flower for thousands of years and have developed distinct ways to to burn, inhale and experience the incredible effects of cannabis.
First, the cannabis flower is ground or milled in order to create a smaller uniform size, disposition and shape in preparation for consumption via smoking. The milled cannabis flower can then be placed into a smoking medium such as a pipe or water bong, or it can be “rolled” into a cannabis cigarette or “blunt” with rolling papers.
Once the smoking medium is prepared, the cannabis can then be ignited using an open flame. Once the cannabis flower is ignited and begins to combust the cannabis smoke can be inhaled into the lungs.
The effects of the cannabis flower’s chemical compounds, cannabinoids and terpenes are typically felt within minutes of smoking.
“Vaporizing” or “vaping” cannabis flower is a relatively new delivery method of inhaling cannabis that is gaining popularity among the medical cannabis community.
It is similar to “smoking” cannabis, yet not the same because it vaporizes the cannabinoids and terpenes while leaving the plant matter unburnt. More will be explained about “vaporizing” later in the article.
What Supplies do you Need to Smoke Cannabis Flower?
- A manual Grinder or a pair of scissors
- If you are unable to grind the flower yourself have a friend do so or you can buy pre-milled flower from some cannabis vendors
- You can also use a clean electric coffee grinder. We suggest designating a coffee grinder strictly for milling cannabis flower and only using it for this purpose due to the residual trichome crystals that the flower will leave behind. You do not want any surprise cannabis dosing happening with your, or someone else’s, morning cup of coffee.
- We prefer manual cannabis grinders
- Cannabis flower
- One of the smoking tools below
- A lighter unless you are using a vaporizer
Smoking Tools
There are only a few types of mainstream cannabis smoking tools available on the market today.
Rolling Papers
We suggest using organic rolling papers. The skill of “rolling” takes time to master and is not easy to do if you are a beginner. Rolling can be frustrating and challenging, so you can always have a friend help or you can use a “rolling machine.”
Vaporizers
There are many types of vaporizers on the market and they come in all different sizes and price points. We suggest buying the highest quality vaporizer you can find due to the fact that you will be inhaling cannabis through this device and could experience potential adverse effects if it is low quality and poorly made. Using a vaporizer is not as straightforward as smoking cannabis using a rolling paper, water bong or pipe.
One of the most popular stationary vaporizers is the Volcano made by Storz & Bickel which was released in 2000. It has been around for 20 years and has a loyal customer base. Other popular options are made by Arizer and Herbalizer.
The medical science behind “vaporizing” cannabis is still quite unclear in terms of how it affects the cannabinoids being vaporized differently than traditional smoking. The health benefits are clear that vaporizing is a better option than smoking because you are not physically burning and inhaling the plant matter, therefore the overall damage on the lungs are reduced.
Many patients swear by the process of vaporizing and prefer to “vape” their cannabis rather than smoking it. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who prefer to “smoke” their cannabis in more traditional manners and are not convinced that “Vaporizing” is the future of cannabis inhalation, as they believe it diminishes the cannabinoid profile of the cannabis flower.
This school of thought is due to the fact that different cannabinoids combust at different temperature levels. At the end of the day, determining if you want to use a vaporizer will come down to your own personal preference, your circumstances, and your specific medical cannabis program.
Water Bongs
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of variations of water bongs on the market today. Depending on your preference you will be able to find one that works best for you. We suggest that most people buy a water bong that is easily picked up, manageable and one that has a chamber for ice cubes.
Glass Pipes
Similar to Water Bongs, there are various types, models and companies that make glass pipes. Depending on your preferences, such as size, style and price, you will most likely be able to find a glass pipe that works well for your needs.
The 6 Steps to Light Up the Dankness
- Take your cannabis and “mill” it by either cutting it into small pieces with scissors or by using your manual grinder. Using a coffee grinder can be challenging at first because it can grind the cannabis flower so fine that it can be difficult to work with, especially if you are planning on rolling the flower into cannabis cigarettes. Manual Grinders are what most experienced cannabis patients use when they are “grinding” their cannabis flower before smoking or vaporizing.
- Put the ground up cannabis in your smoking medium and fill the “bowl” of the water bong, pipe or vaporizer, or roll it up into a joint.
- Ignite the cannabis flower. If you are using a joint, water bong or pipe use a flame to light the flower, most people use lighters to do this. If you are using a vaporizer then you will have to follow the instructions for your specific vaporizer. For the most part, all you have to do is heat the vaporizer up by pressing a button, wait for it to reach the specified temperature (many models allow you change the temperature) and then inhale through the mouthpiece or fill up the balloon bag with vapor and then inhale it. There is a wide range of vaporizers on the market so yours may work much differently.
- Puff the smoking device and inhale the smoke or vapor.
- Repeat as needed. If you are a newcomer we suggest taking one puff and then waiting for 30 - 45 minutes to see if you are interested in taking another puff.
- Enjoy the experience and you are done!
Keep it Clean and Safe
We suggest keeping all of your equipment and supplies needed for inhaling your cannabis in a clean and orderly fashion. This will allow you to keep everything clean and safe.
Orange Chronic is an effective product choice for people who want a premixed solution to clean their glass pipes or glass bongs. Isopropenyl is another solvent that works well for cleaning cannabis paraphernalia. By simply adding coarse salt to the isopropenyl will enable you to make an effective DIY glass pipe cleaner.
Here are a few organizing kits that patients are enjoying. We also recommend reading our article about storing cannabis flower to become more informed.
The Art of Inhaling Cannabis
It has been shown that experienced cannabis smokers can absorb up to 80% more THC than an inexperienced smoker due to inhaling more efficiently.
“Inhaling” is a skill that you learn over time and as you gain experience as a medical cannabis user.
Many newcomers to medical cannabis have no idea how to inhale and often say they do not feel anything after taking a puff or two. This is usually because they did not inhale effectively.
The art of inhaling takes practice so be patient and you will figure it out quickly.
How Does Inhaling Cannabis Work?
We know relatively little about the biology of cannabinoids and this is mostly due to the fact that cannabis has been illegal in most places around the world for the past one hundred years. This lack of medical and scientific research has crippled the ability of the world’s scientists to explore the science and medical benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids.
There are over 100 cannabinoids that have been discovered by scientists. We are just starting to learn more about how the body absorbs them and how they interact with each other.
This interaction has been coined, “The Entourage Effect”, and is widely understood by many cannabis experts.
Considering there are over 100 known cannabinoids, there is an immense amount of research for the medical and scientific communities to “catch up” on. We invite you to follow the links to learn more about the different cannabinoids or about the Endocannabinoid System.
THC is the most studied and famous cannabinoid and its pharmacokinetics prove how complicated the “work” of just this one cannabinoid is. Since we know little about how the other cannabinoids operate, we will focus on how THC is absorbed via the process of inhalation.
The THC Transformation
In essence, once the cannabis flower reaches the combustion phase, the THCA, which is not psychoactive, turns into psychoactive THC (also known as delta-9-THC).
This transformation occurs when the THCA decarboxylates or "decarbs." The THC, along with many others cannabinoids, is released into the body after absorption through the lungs and then enters the bloodstream, the heart, the brain and passes through the liver during “the first-pass.”
During the “first-pass” is when THC begins to be metabolized, which results in two other cannabinoids being created through the process. These relatively unknown and mysterious cannabinoids are “hydroxy THC” which is psychoactive, and “carboxy-THC”, which is non-psychoactive.
These cannabinoids, along with THC (delta-9-THC), travel through the bloodstream into the brain producing more effects on the user.
Different Strains have Different Effects
Some strains take longer for users to feel the effects (15 to 30 minutes after inhaling). These strains are known as “creeper” strains, since the effects creep up on you slowly, unlike a typical strain. On the contrary, some strains hit fast and hard and have been reported to produce effects in the user within seconds.
The cannabinoid absorption time depends on the specific strain, the user and the method of consumption. All people absorb different amounts of cannabinoids, therefore the effects are unique to the user.
The majority of people have similar experiences with specific strains, although it is not always the case.
We here at Kanteeva suggest that you start slow when trying new cannabis products and strains, especially if you are a novice.
It is always important for newcomers to ensure that they do not indulge in overconsumption in order to mitigate the potential adverse effects of cannabis.
If you are interested in learning more about the other ways to consume cannabis, we invite you to read our article, “Consumption Methods - The Basics.”
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