Alternatives to lighting up
Medical cannabis has advanced far beyond the days of simple raw cannabis buds. With medical legalization and adult-use laws, those raw flowers can be refined into a wide range of different types of products for more targeted therapies. Here is what’s popular with seniors.
Topical
A topical is a type of skin cream or ointment like Bengay or Tiger Balm that comes infused with the active ingredients in cannabis.
Pros: Won’t cause euphoria; very tame modality for new patients; targets joint and muscle pain and also can treat skin disorders.
Cons: Works locally, not throughout the body; can have an aroma; can stain clothing.
Sublingual
A sublingual is like a breath mint or strip designed to be held under the tongue or inside the cheek. The medicine is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth.
Pros: Faster than eating cannabis; can be very tightly dosed; very inconspicuous.
Cons: Sublinguals can be more expensive; slower-acting than inhalation; not as widely available.
Vape pen
A vape pen is a small, battery-powered, handheld inhaler that works with cannabis extracts.
Pros: Vape pens make vapor, not smoke; it’s very easy to dose with a vape pen; effects come on in seconds.
Cons: Vape pens require inhalation, which can be off-putting to some; cannabis vapor might be banned in certain facilities; vape pens can require some lessons to learn how to use or special refill cartridges.
Tincture
A tincture is a liquid that is infused with cannabis’ active ingredients.
Pros: Very approachable for cannabisaverse patients; does not require smoking; faster-acting than eating if held under the tongue.
Cons: Can have a funny taste to new patients; slower-acting than inhalation; can be hard to titrate dose.
Edible
An edible is a food or beverage that has been infused with the active ingredients in cannabis. Pros: It’s not smoked; edibles last longer and treat body pain; edibles can be very sedative. Cons: It is very easy to overmedicate with edibles; edibles take a long time to kick in, up to two hours; edibles can vary in potency and some are very strong.