If you are new to the world of cannabis…one of the most confusing things you will come across (besides the gazillion strains that are available now) will be the various intake methods now at our disposal. Again, back in the day 30+ years ago, you either smoked weed or you sprinkled some of the shake on your school lunch or baked it into a brownie. That was pretty much it.

Smoking consisted of either a rolled joint, as they are referred to, or you packed a bong or pipe. 99% of old school cannabis users consumed it via smoking.

But fast forward to today and you can smoke it, vape it, cook with it, eat a gummy or cookie, take it in pill form, use it as a lotion, tincture it under your tongue, dab it etc. If you are averse to smoking it for the sake of your lungs, never fear, you can still enjoy the medical benefits of cannabis without ever puffing.

BUT…I am here to tell you that your overall experience will vary greatly based on the method if intake that you choose. If you do NOT prefer the taste of cannabis, then there are methods for you that alleviate that. If you are just wanting the benefits of MMJ but prefer never to smoke it, you can easily get the good medicine in your system and quite quickly.

But it is my opinion that smoking cannabis offers the best overall experience and here is why I say that. My cannabis use mainly takes place in the evenings. I like to wind down my night by going outside on my patio with a nicely rolled joint. I enjoy that first puff after lighting it. That is the moment where you get that first taste of the wonderful terpenes. It is when you smell the spicy notes or the herbal notes or citrus notes or whatever notes are coming from the terpene profile of your particular strain. It is my way of easing into the rest of my night. Each puff offers a moment of relaxation.

With smoking it via a joint, you can see the product that you are consuming. You can see the ash and know if the grower did a good job keeping contaminants at bay. A whiter ash means the end product was carefully cleansed of any left over pesticides of fertilizers. A more peppery ash indicates a lesser quality cannabis. You can see the resin ring building from those wonderful trichomes that are the part of the bud that encapsulates the flavor as well as the effects. And…smoking is about the quickest way of feeling the relief that the particular strain you are consuming is about to offer.

So as you are on your MMJ journey…find that intake method that works best for YOU. Smoking a joint is my preferred method but that may not work well with your situation. So again the great news today is that there are an abundance of intake modalities to try. Take your time. Make notes of things you liked and disliked about the method you try and keep experimenting until you get into your flow zone. But always try to make it about the whole experience…not just the “affects” you will be feeling. Shouldn’t all medicine be an enjoyable experience?