Marijuana is effective for anxiety relief, pain relief, and managing various conditions. Although advanced technology has created a wide range of cannabis-infused products, cannabis flowers remain popular among consumers.
Also Read- Top Health Benefits of Cannabis Consumption You Should Know
Cannabis flowers, also called buds, are referred to as the smokeable parts of the plant that are preserved after harvest. Smoking is one of the most common methods of consumption of flowers for medical purposes. It delivers immediate effects, which usually last for 1-3 hours, varying from consumer to consumer.
At medical dispensaries, you can find a wide range of fresh flowers of different varieties. However, to access them legally, you require a medical marijuana card Riverside CA. So, before visiting a local dispensary, make sure you have a valid MMJ card.
So, what are the different ways to consume flowers? Let’s discuss!
How to Consume Cannabis Flowers?
When it comes to smoking flowers, the majority of people think about joints and blunts. While there are numerous methods of consuming buds, which one you should choose to depend on your personal preference.
Joint
A joint is a rolled paper containing cannabis flowers. Smoking joints deliver immediate medicinal effects, thus helping patients to ease symptoms.
Rolling a joint is easy. All you require—a rolling paper and cannabis flowers. You can grind the flowers, put them on the paper, and roll slowly in a cylindrical shape. Need more explanation on how to roll a joint?
Here’s a nice YouTube video about it-
Rolling papers are usually made from wood pulp. However, you can use some other papers, such as hemp-based papers, long papers, etc.
Blunt
Blunts are quite similar to joints. These are flowers rolled in cigar papers, which are usually made from the tobacco leaves containing nicotine. So, consumers get a combination of marijuana and nicotine. You can find pre-rolled cigars at online stores.
The only downside of smoking blunts is that nicotine can lead to certain health risks.
Glass Pipes
This is another popular method of consuming flowers. They are usually preferred for their small size and convenience. For hand pipes, there’s a wide range of styles and designs available. To use them, just put cannabis flowers in the bowl, light it, and inhale the smoke through the mouthpiece.
Bongs
Bongs are also called water pipes. Other names are—binger, bing, and billy.
The major advantage of smoking cannabis using a bong is that the water filters the smoke, thus ensuring a smooth inhalation. Additionally, the length of the bong also provides a cooling action. However, keep in mind that bongs tend to get crack after longtime use. So, it’s necessary to clean them regularly to have a pleasant flower consumption experience.
There’s a wide range of bongs available in different sizes, shapes, and designs. Some people modify bongs so that they can add ice for cooling the smoke before inhaling.
DIY Devices
Many prefer making their own tools for consuming flowers. A pipe is one of the most common DIY devices for cannabis smoking. People use different materials for making pipes, even some use their creativity to make amazing, eye-catching designs.
It’s important to note that the medicinal effects you receive from smoking flowers can vary depending on the material and process of manufacturing your own device.
Dosing Structure
Like other cannabis forms, flowers don’t have any standard structure for dosage. However, the potency of buds is measured by checking the cannabinoid profile. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that bind to cannabinoid receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system, thus boosting mood, appetite, memory, and sleep.
Also Read- How Exactly Marijuana Help in Boosting Sleep?
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is a psychoactive cannabinoid responsible for delivering high effects associated with marijuana use. Consuming high-THC strains may cause side-effects. So, when buying flowers, it’s important to check THC content. However, for beginners, it’s recommended to start with high-CBD strains. CBD is a non-psychoactive compound.
How to Keep Your Flowers Fresh?
To preserve the medicinal properties of your flowers, make sure you store them properly. It’s necessary to note that moisture, temperature, and light are the three major factors that influence the potency, flavor, and taste of the buds.
Listed below are some tips to store your cannabis flowers to preserve their freshness-
Air-Tight Glass Container
Storing flowers in air-tight glass containers can protect them from external factors that work against them. Remember, you should only use glass containers. Using plastic containers may make the flowers to sweat moisture.
Additionally, it’s necessary to keep the air-tight containers with flowers away from light. However, you can also buy UV airtight jars to prevent your flowers from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Maintain Ideal Temperature
Storing cannabis flowers in a cool, dry place can help you preserve their medicinal properties. If the buds are exposed to excessive heat, it may dry out the chemical compounds and terpenes, thus resulting in hot, harsh smoke.
However, low temperatures can slow down the process of decarboxylation—it involves activating raw cannabinoids, thus stimulating the ECS.
So, what’s the ideal temperature for storing cannabis flowers? You should aim for anything below 70 degrees F.
Consider Humidity Factor
If the buds are exposed to too much moisture, the risks of mold and mildew development will increase. And, too little moisture can dry the trichome resin, thus affecting the medicinal properties of cannabinoids. So, try to maintain optimal relative humidity—anything between 59 and 63 percent.
However, you can also use humidity monitoring devices for maintaining optimal humidity levels.
Control Light & Air
Ultraviolet rays coming from the sun aren’t good for flowers. So, it’s necessary to keep your buds away from sunlight. According to a 1970s study, marijuana buds kept in well-closed containers in dark, room temperature can maintain the potency for about 12-24 months.
Too much air can accelerate the degradation process while too little air can affect the relative humidity. So, it’s important to maintain the right amount of air in the container to keep the buds fresh.
Bottom Line
Smoking cannabis flowers delivers immediate medicinal effects. There are many ways to consume flowers, such as joints, blunts, pipes, and bongs. For beginners, it’s important to learn the process, advantages, etc. of each method. For example, bongs help in filtering the smoke, thus ensuring smooth inhalation. However, you should clean your bong regularly to have a pleasant cannabis consumption experience.
Moreover, you need to store your cannabis buds to keep them fresh and green. Use air-tight glass containers for storing flowers and maintain optimal temperature, humidity, and air.
Looking to access medical dispensaries legally? Get your medical marijuana card Riverside CA today.