Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that there are about 147 million people considered 2.5% of the world population who consume cannabis or as some people may be familiar with the name marijuana or weed. That includes the men, women, the LGBTQIA+ from the older to the younger generation.
Let’s dive deep into what you should know about the different ways that people choose to consume cannabis, the advantages that it gives as well as the risks of cannabis that you should be aware of.
Methods
- Smoking
Whenever people think of cannabis, they always think of smoking. It is a classic way of consuming cannabis.
- Joints
A joint is a rolling paper or a cigarette filled with cannabis. It’s portable and great for sharing but it takes time to roll a perfect one.
- Bongs
You may know bongs as water pipes. How to use it, you may ask? Well, you basically burn the weed with the lighter and inhale the smoke and that’s it.
- Vaping
Vaping can cause less harm to your lungs compared to smoking. However, vaping can be as dangerous as smoking since it still can cause lung disease. Although, there’s something you should know about vaping for tourists wanting to go to Thailand. Unfortunately, vaping is illegal in Thailand. Those who violate may face penalties up until imprisonment.
- Vaporizers
There are several types of vape pens such as disposable ones that you can throw away once you are finished and refillable vape pens that come with the rechargeable battery or you can always buy the refill from the store.
- Oral Consumption
- Edibles
Edibles are foods and drinks that are infused with cannabis extract. The popular ones are brownies and gummies. The edible cannabis products are said to last longer than inhaling cannabis which can last up to 12 hours.
- Tinctures
Cannabis tinctures are cannabinoids resulting from the extraction of soaking cannabis in alcohol, oil, or glycerin. The way to consume tinctures is to put a drop of the tincture under your tongue and wait for 30 seconds before swallowing the yet-absorbed rest.
Even though you can find cannabinoid tinctures in Thailand, that doesn’t mean that you can use them freely. There’s a limit of THC extracts in Thailand of 0.2% which means that THC extracts containing over 0.2% are illegal.
For medical purposes, patients who need THC extracts for their treatment must be prescribed by a doctor since medical cannabis was legalized in 2018. The patients can only be given medical cannabis from licensed facilities.
- Topicals
Cannabis topicals refer to the products that apply directly to the skin, hair, and nails, such as lotions, creams, and oils. Although it’s touched the surface of your body, its treatment goes much deeper than you might imagine.
Benefits
Here are some pros of consuming cannabis that you might not know of:
- Sleep
According to researchers from the 1800s, it shows that THC promoted sleep-driving as it caused you to feel ‘high’. Besides, it can help people with insomnia and people who experience sleeping disorders.
- Anxiety and Depression
Suffering from anxiety and depression can be terrible and people with mental health knows it well. That’s why some people seek help and use substances like cannabis to help them get through difficult times as it helps you more relax and decrease anxiety when used in lower doses. On the other hand, it can increase anxiety if used at a higher dose.
- Increase Appetite
Cannabis contains the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which makes your food more tasty. It also helps with the release of the hormone that stimulates your hunger.
- Medical Uses
Even though you might think that cannabis only brings bad effects, in fact, it also gives positive advantages to the medical field such as cancer. There is wide use of cannabis by patients with cancer that can be used to reduce the nausea from chemotherapy. It can also reduce pain in some people.
Effects
The coin has two sides, of course, cannabis also causes negative effects to the consumers.
- Effects on the brain
The THC can pass through the lungs into the blood system which carries into the whole body including the brain. It increases the chance of making you hallucinate and having difficulty with deciding and problem-solving.
- Effects on the body
Constantly inhaling cannabis, can cause irritation to your lungs which might finally lead to breathing problems. On top of that, it can be risky since it can cause a heart attack when it increases your heart rate after you smoke for up to 3 hours.
- Effects on mental health
I know I said consuming cannabis can reduce stress and help with your anxiety and depression. However, if you have it too much, your mental health can get worse and I believe you don’t want that. So please, be cautious before deciding to consume it.
- Addiction
Regularly consuming too much cannabis can lead to an addictive behavior in the individual. If you’re doubting that you or the person you know have cannabis addiction, please watch out for some of these signs and symptoms:
- Bloodshot eyes
- Strong mood swing
- Strong cannabis craving
- Having the desire to stop but unable to stop
- Having financial problems due to the purchase of drugs
- Indecisiveness
Dosage Considerations
The THC dosage that beginners start taking is usually about 2.5 – 5 milligrams of THC to avoid the following side effects of consuming too much: extreme confusion, panic or paranoia, anxiety, severe nausea, and vomiting. Usually starts low regardless of your experience, and slowly increases as needed.
Disclaimer
The material on this site is intended for educational purposes and is not intended to persuade or recommend the use of cannabis. It does not constitute part of the Cannabis Act or its regulations.
Conclusion
Cannabis is a hit among people in several countries and comes with different types of consumption. The popular ways that we often have heard about are smoking or vaping marijuana for fun, taking cannabis by ingesting edibles and tinctures, and directly putting it on your skin with cannabis topicals.
You might not think that cannabis cannabis can give benefits as well. In fact, it provides some good effects such as increasing sleep, reducing anxiety, and making you relax, and most importantly, it offers medical bits of help for some patients.
However, some cautions need to be paid attention to as even though you feel good consuming marijuana, it is still an addictive substance that can lead you to cannabis addiction as well as several effects on physical, mental, and psychological.
