Intro to Cannabis: Breaking Down 3 Methods of Cannabis Consumption

It’s 2019, and smoking isn’t the only way that you can get high on luxury cannabis products anymore! Although smoking is still a tried and true method of cannabis consumption, there is now a broad variety of different methods you can utilize to suit your preferences, curate your high, or just try something new!

In this blog, Genesis Grow Corp. will be taking a look at some of the different options available in the cannabis world. 

Method One: Smoking 

As we said above, this is a tried and true method that cannabis aficionados have been harnessing since humans first began consuming marijuana. That being said, there are a variety of ways to smoke cannabis, depending on the medium (flower, concentrate, THC-A crystals), and your preferences. 

Joints/Blunts

When smoking, a lot of peoples’ go-to method is the joint or blunt. If you didn’t know already, both of these methods require you to roll your ground-up cannabis flower in rolling papers if you’re craving a joint, or a tobacco leaf/wrapper if you’re craving a blunt. After the joint or blunt is rolled, you light it up and smoke it until it burns down to a filter.

In terms of rolling paper/blunt wrap selection, there are no limits to the possibilities. With rolling papers, you can find them in different flavors, sizes, and materials. It’s the same story for blunt wraps! So find a brand that you like and puff, puff, pass! 

Hand Pipes

Hand pipes, also referred to as bowls, are another medium you can use if you enjoy smoking cannabis flower. If you’re having a tough time picturing what this device is, imagine a tobacco pipe. With a handpipe, there is an indentation called the ‘bowl’ where you pack your ground-up cannabis flower. On the opposite side of the device, there is a mouthpiece from which you inhale. When you want to smoke, simply put your mouth on the mouthpiece, ignite the flower you packed in your bowl, and breathe in! 

Hand pipes come in different shapes, sizes, and styles. You can get a beautiful hand-blown glass bowl, an ornately carved stone or glass bowl, and if you’re in a pinch, you can even make one out of an apple! Our favorite aspect of smoking out of hand pipes is that you can find really wonderful, functional pieces of art that have been made by local artists for your smoking pleasure.

Water Pipes 

Water pipes, also known as bongs, are extremely similar to hand pipes. However, the major difference lies in what happens to the smoke in the area between the bowl and mouthpiece. With hand pipes, once you light the bowl and inhale, the smoke travels from the bowl directly into your mouth and lungs. 

With water pipes, the smoke travels through the bowl into a downstem, which is a glass tube that ends under water at the base of the water pipe. Once the smoke reaches the end of the downstem, it filters through the water and up to your mouth and lungs. Ultimately, the water pipe is a cleaner method of cannabis smoking when compared to bowls and joints/blunts. What’s more is that you can buy additional filtering devices to pair with your bong to limit even more tar from entering your system. 

In addition to water pipes for cannabis flower, there are water pipes specifically designed for smoking cannabis concentrates. Where a water pipe designed for flower has a bowl where you pack your ground cannabis, a water pipe made for concentrates has a metal, ceramic, or glass nail (also referred to as a banger) that you heat up before ‘dabbing’ your concentrate of choice upon. When the concentrate meets the hot nail, combustion takes place, and before you inhale the smoke, it filters through water (and sometimes a series of percolators), filtering the smoke and creating an intense, clean hit. 

As with nearly every medium of cannabis consumption, there is a wild amount of variety when it comes to water pipe selection. There are big and small water pipes, simple and intricate water pipes, and artistic and utilitarian water pipes. At the end of the day, deciding which water pipe is best for you comes down to your smoking preferences and budget. 

Vapes/Cartridge Pens

The last method of smoking we’re going to mention today is vaping and cartridge pens. Recently rising in popularity, these methods allow the cannabis user to inhale vapors created from concentrated cannabis products without using combustion, or burning the cannabis concentrate. It’s also recognized as a healthier method of cannabis consumption, as it’s not technically creating smoke as there is no combustion. 

It’s also arguably the most convenient method of smoking, as with both vapes and cartridge pens one simply has to charge the unit’s battery, either fill a vape with concentrate or their cartridge pen with a pre-filled concentrate cartridge and turn it on! Then boom, you’re high! These methods have additionally been growing in popularity due to their inconspicuous nature. 

Method Two: Eating/Drinking

Another classic means of consuming cannabis, eating (and drinking) cannabis products has been a staple of cannabis culture as long as it’s been around. However, the exciting thing is that as the cannabis industry continues to grow, the different mediums of cannabis products that are designed for eating and drinking continue to expand and diversify. 

Edibles

Edibles are very simply a consumable that contains cannabis! Pot brownies may be where your mind goes when you think of edibles, but it’s 2019, and you can get edibles in almost any form that you can imagine! From brownies and cookies to candies and gummies, to pills and tinctures, there are a variety of different edible mediums you can use to get high without smoking. 

And if you’re not looking to buy a pre-made edible? Don’t worry! You can buy (or make your own) Cannabutter/Cannaoil, which is butter or cooking oil that has been infused with cannabis. With Cannabutter, you can make baked goods, full course meals, dressings and sauces, or you can even just spread some on a piece of toast! 

Another recent development in commercial edibles are cannabis-infused drinks. Now you can relish in all the joys of edibles, but instead of eating, you can drink a soda, electrolyte beverage, or use a THC infused simple syrup to mix a drink! 

Finally, if you’re looking to consume an edible without eating a sweet, you still have plenty of options! From softgel pills full of THC and CBD to cannabis tinctures you apply under your tongue, to ingestible sprays, there’s definitely an option available for the cannabis aficionado who wants all the effects of an edible without eating food or drinking a beverage. 

Method Three: Topical Application 

While most people assume that cannabis products stop after edibles, that’s not the case! With more and more states legalizing recreational cannabis, more non-consumable products are becoming available in the market. 

The most common topicals on the market are THC creams, salves, patches, and lotions that you simply apply to your skin! Over time, the THC enters your bloodstream and bada-boom, bada-bing, you’re blazed! 

Another topical that we find extremely exciting is the cannabis bath-bomb! Essentially, it works the same way as a regular bath-bomb, however, it contains THC and CBD that you absorb while you’re taking a nice, relaxing bath. 

What A World We Live In

Honestly, it’s truly incredible that after so many years of cannabis prohibition, we’ve reached a point where innovators in the cannabis industry are able to create cannabis products that increase the variety of ways in which we can consume cannabis. 

At Genesis Grow Corp., we pride ourselves on being leaders in the cannabis industry — constantly striving to bring new, luxury cannabis products out into the market. For those cannabis lover’s who appreciate smoking, be sure to check out our incredible Mad Cow Genetics, Pacific Crest, and Oh My Ganj brands of luxury cannabis flower and concentrates. 

Interested in becoming a Genesis Grow Corp. retailer? Contact us today!