You may be surprised to learn that marijuana has been used in the medical field for millennia. According to the NCBI, evidence suggests that it was used extensively in Romania about 5000 years ago. During the 19th and 20th centuries, cannabis was used as a charter medicine in the U.S. It was first introduced in the United States Pharmacopoeia in the year 1850. However, it was later erased in 1942 before rising legal penalties for the possession of marijuana were enacted in the years 1951 and 1956. It was again legally permitted in California, only under physician supervision for medicinal purposes, in 1996. In 2017, 21 states decriminalized the use of marijuana and legalized its possession in small amounts. 8 other states legalized its use for adult entertainment. The history of marijuana as a recreational and medicinal drug is quite extensive. Read this article to find out 6 important things you need to know about the types of medical marijuana.
- Pills
The first type of medical marijuana you can consume is capsules or pills. This type is ideal because it offers all the advantages of the flower and concentrates minus the danger that comes with inhaling the smoke or vapor. CBD and THC are the two main compounds present in marijuana pills. If you were wondering, there are psychoactive properties present in THC. These properties could possibly make you more alert and creative, or rather “high.” Meanwhile, little to zero of these properties could be found in CBD. If you don’t want to feel the typical effects of recreational marijuana and are opting for no more than its medical benefits, search for pills that contain a low percentage of THC and more CBD.
- Tinctures and Liquids
Liquid extracts that result from elements soaked in alcohol so that the active elements are released create what is known as tinctures. These active elements or ingredients are what donate the most impact after the patient consumes them. THC is medical marijuana’s active ingredient released in the tincture. You can expect liquid marijuana to be a shade of green, with the exact tone depending on its plant’s material. To consume this type of marijuana, you would need to take it through a syringe under your tongue.
- Extracts
You can make extracts by heating the oily elixir of the plants. This way, you can inhale highly concentrated target molecules. Surprisingly, these extracts can be a lot more potent than the original plant from which they derive. You can either vaporize or inhale these extracts, and you’ll usually be able to obtain them in one of the following forms: budders, resin, or shatters, which are higher in THC, wax, which is lower in THC, or oils, which can be found in different levels of THC.
- Topicals
Topicals have become quite a popular means of marijuana consumption. These types don’t have to be orally consumed, unlike pills and tinctures. Instead, you rub the medical ointments, creams, or gels directly onto your skin for a localized anti-inflammatory remedy. They can help relieve and reduce your body pains. Even though topicals don’t necessarily penetrate the skin, they work by uniting the receptors’ network in and across your body.
- Flower
You need to vaporize dry leaf, or medical marijuana flower, in order to consume it. This treatment is created by drying the leaves from the marijuana plant. These leaves contain around 70 cannabinoids. Each one of them can affect your body differently. You can find flowers in several consistencies of CBD and THC. Many popular CBD flowers are available if you don’t want the effects of leisure marijuana. The treatment you choose should depend on whether you want great amounts of psychoactive properties present in your medication.
- Patches
You can use a patch of medical marijuana on a regular veiny part of your body. By doing so, you are allowing cannabinoids to make their way to your bloodstream; this makes the effect of the treatment last longer. Their slow release into your blood, thus the long-lasting effect, is perhaps the reason why they’re more advantageous than other types of medical marijuana. You can purchase different patches in varying cannabinoids, like THCA, CBN, CBD, and THC. Each of them has many different benefits to provide. For instance, if you’re struggling with sleep, opt for CBN patches and if you’re suffering from inflammation, use a CBD patch.
Marijuana has been used for thousands of years because of the endless benefits that it provides. Its adverse effects, which many people desire for recreational purposes, are probably why they’re a controversial treatment in the medical world. However, ever since they’ve been legalized in various states, more forms of consumption are now available.
