As cannabis legalisation continues to expand and consumption becomes more commonplace, consumers are becoming increasingly interested in methods for consuming cannabis that are acceptable for their health, especially regular cannabis users.
Smoking and edibles are two of the most common forms of consumption, and while they both have experiences unique to each method, the conversation over which method is healthier is continually growing.
Here we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each method of consumption and help you evaluate the two in terms of your health and wellness in the long term.
Understanding the Basics
Smoking generally refers to the inhalation of cannabis flower through using joints, which are hand-rolled cigarettes, but also through using pipes or bongs. With smoking, cannabinoids, mainly THC and CBD, enter your bloodstream almost instantly through the lungs, leading to fairly rapid effects that can last 1 to 3 hours.
Edibles are food or drink that are infused with cannabis. For example, gummies, brownies, chocolates, and beverages. Edibles are absorbed in the digestive system, leading to a slower onset, but a longer experience of specialty foods and drinks, usually between 4-8 hours.
The Health Impacts of Smoking Cannabis
Smoking is one of the oldest and traditional methods of consuming cannabis. While it can be effective and preferred, it does come with some health concerns.
Advantages of Smoking:
- Rapid Onset: Effects are felt within minutes, allowing easier control over the dosing and management of effects in real-time.
- User-Friendly: Rolling a joint or packing a bowl is relatively simple for most experienced users.
- Wide Accessibility: Smoking flower is much more accessible than other consumption methods in many areas.
Wellness Issues:
- Breathing Problems: Just like tobacco, cannabis produces combusted products in your lungs when you smoke it. Long-term cannabis smokers also experience symptoms like chronic bronchitis, coughing and phlegm.
- Toxins and Carcinogens: Even though cannabis has fewer harmful additives than tobacco, you expose yourself to tar and carcinogens by smoking anything.
- Lung Irritation: Regularly smoking can irritate your lungs, even in people who do not have asthma or another respiratory condition.
Are Edibles a Safer Alternative?
Edibles provide a completely different experience. Rather than bypassing the lungs and going through the digestive system, therefore leading many to feel that this is the healthier option.
Pros of edibles
- No Smoke Inhalation: Edibles do not require smoking, and thus have also reduced the risk of lung damage and respiratory issues.
- Discreet Odorless Consumption: Edibles can be easily consumed discreetly, and vapor or smoke does not linger.
- Longer Effect Time: Good for chronic conditions like pain or insomnia, where the effect time is extended.
Health Considerations
- Delayed Onset: Edibles can take from 30 – 90 minutes to take effect. Because of the delay, users who are new to edibles may take more than desired, resulting in negative effects or overwhelming effects.
- Dosing issues: Dosing can be difficult to get right. Potencies can be different. Additionally, the body processes THC in a different way from when it is taken in edible form, making the experience more intense.
- High Caloric Consumption: Depending on the product, edibles can contain sugar, fat, and additives. Regular use could contribute to health or diet problems.
Which Is Healthier for Regular Users?
When weighing the two, especially for daily or long-term use, edibles tend to be best from a health standpoint. The sole reason is that it doesn’t add foreign particles to the lungs.
Why Edibles May be Better:
- Less Damage Done to the Respiratory System: Not introducing combustion and smoke is largely beneficial for anyone, especially folks with respiratory illnesses.
- More Predictable Dosing with Time: As users become experienced, they learn how to control their edibles to produce a predictable result.
- Better for Long-Term Usability: Edibles are most beneficial for many daily consumers because there are fewer short- and long-term respiratory risks.
The best option depends on your health condition and unique circumstances, experience level, and lifestyle. If you use cannabis for immediate relief, like anxiety or acute pain, smoking still serves a purpose.
Lifestyle Factors to Consider
Here are a few personal aspects to consider when deciding between edibles and smoking:
- If you are an athlete or are sensitive to lung complications, choose edibles over smoking.
- Smoking or vaping can provide relief on the spot, while edibles take longer.
- Choose low-sugar or tincture-based edibles to avoid all the unwanted calories.
- Edibles have you covered, with no smoking, ash, and no smell.
For Ontario users, if you need some assistance in trying to implement cannabis into your wellness routine, some great Cambridge weed delivery offers a wide variety of smoke-free products and options available for delivery at your front doorstep.
Final Thoughts
Using cannabis responsibly is always important. Regardless of whether your preferred way of consuming cannabis is through smoking, vaping, or eating, you must always be aware of dosage, frequency, and the reaction of your body, to make the healthy decision for your lifestyle.
As cannabis continues to become more established and commonplace, especially with services such as weed delivery services becoming so accessible, no matter how you decide to consume cannabis, the convenience has never been greater for cannabis to be enjoyed safely and responsibly.
