Imagine going through the time and effort to obtain a medical cannabis card only to discover that the medicines you choose do not actually work for you. It can be frustrating. An early failure can be enough to convince a patient to give up on medical cannabis. If you find yourself in such a position, step back and consider this: your chosen delivery method might be the problem.
Delivery method can make a significant difference for some patients. A patient might try medical cannabis gummies without success. But when that same patient switches to vaping, things are completely different. Medical cannabis suddenly works as advertised.
All the current cannabis delivery methods can be divided into a number of categories as follows:
1. Inhalation
Inhalation is arguably the most popular delivery method because it delivers THC to the bloodstream almost instantly. Inhalation is achieved in one of three ways:
- Smoking – Similar to smoking tobacco, smoking cannabis requires combustion to heat the plant material and release its desired cannabinoids. Unfortunately, inhaling smoke is not very healthy.
- Vaping – Vaping medical cannabis is identical to vaping nicotine except that vapes are infused with THC. Other cannabinoids and terpenes may be included in a vaping product as well.
- Dry Heating – You could say that dry heating is a combination of smoking and vaping. Plant material is placed in a specialized vaporizer where it is heated to release THC. However, the plant never gets hot enough to burn.
It is worth noting that most states prohibit smoking medical cannabis. That’s certainly the case in Utah, where Brigham City’s Beehive Farmacy says medical cannabis pharmacies tend to sell vaping products and flower for dry heating.
2. Oral ingestion
I spent so much time on inhalation because it is far and away the most popular delivery method. Taking second place is oral ingestion. This particular delivery method can be practiced via tablets, capsules, and pills. But more often than not, patients choose edible products, like gummies.
Where inhalation is preferred because of its near instantaneous symptom relief, the symptom relief from oral ingestion takes longer to kick in. But it also lasts longer, too.
3. Sublingual
A sublingual product is also taken orally. However, it is not ingested. It is placed under the tongue and absorbed into the bloodstream through one of the many blood vessels that populate that area of the mouth. Sublingual products are almost always concentrated tinctures.
4. Topical/Transdermal
The next delivery method is the topical/transdermal method. A topical lotion or cream can be applied directly to the skin in the same way you might use a sports or arthritis cream. It provides relief at the source of pain rather than going right to the bloodstream.
A transdermal product is also applied to the skin. However, THC is delivered through a patch rather than applied directly. Transdermal medical cannabis patches are very similar to nicotine patches in principle.
5. Suppositories
Rounding out the list are suppositories. The suppository is the least utilized delivery method because its effectiveness is limited to only a small number of conditions. Suppositories are inserted into the rectum or vagina for treating gastrointestinal issues, menstrual discomfort, or even lower back pain.
Delivery method matters because it influences:
- Symptom relief speed
- Symptom relief duration
- Cannabinoid bioavailability
It is always a good idea for medical cannabis patients to discuss delivery methods with their doctors and/or pharmacists. Choosing the wrong delivery method could mean not experiencing maximum symptom relief. On the other hand, combining the right delivery method with the proper dosage maximizes the benefits of cannabis as a medical treatment.