Smoking vs. Consumables
- Purple Smog Genetics
- Mar 14, 2017
- 5 min read
There are lots of different forms of taking in cannabis these days, particularly in places where it is legal. In addition to the old fashioned way of smoking it, now you can smoke oils, extracts, waxes as well as consume it through edibles in the form of pastries, chocolates, candies, etc. So with all of these options available, which is the best one for you?
That depends on not only what is available to you, but what you feel most comfortable doing and what you want to get out of it.
For some people, smoking herb is the truest and best way to take in cannabis. For people past a certain age, this is almost always the first form of experience with cannabis and a high percentage of cannabis users have never strayed from smoking - whether its in the form of joints, blunts, pipes, vaporizers, or bongs. Even with the boom in cannabis edibles, the convenience and nostalgia of rolling joints and owning paraphernalia as well as the smell and act of smoking is pleasant. For many the instant gratification of smoking cant be matched.
Consumables come in a wide range of forms and can either be purchased (where legal) or made at home by the user. Some people like them because smoking doesnt appeal to everyone - coughing, lingering smells, and not wanting to smoke for health reasons are all driving some people towards consumables. Plus in states where it is legal, consumables make up a healthy portion of items for sale in dispensaries, because they are popular and also because it can be produced not only with the bud portion of the plant, but also the other materials such as stems and leaves. Another advantage with manufactured consumables is the chemical content can be controlled, giving the option of consumables with varying THC/CBD ratio.
Both versions have their pros and cons.
Smoking is relatively easy. You have your bud which you can smoke in large chunks in your pipe or bong. You can grind it up, either by hand or grinder, and roll it up or throw it in your vaporizer. Most things needed for smoking are readily portable and concealable (unless you are lucky to have a Volcano vaporizer or a 3 foot Grafix bong). Many people also like the ritual that comes along with smoking - rolling it up, puff puff give, packing the bong, etc. Dosing is also something that comes easy with smoking. Because you feel the effects immediately, you more or less know when you're good and should stop.
Some of the downsides of smoking include having to actually smoke. While some people enjoy the sensation of smoking, some hate it - either being caused to cough incessantly or prefer not to smoke in general for health considerations. Vaporizers do help in this respect, but not everyone wants to cough up big money to buy one of these. Another downside is the lingering smell. Smoking can cause your breath to smell, your fingers to stink, your clothes to reek, and your dorm to have the obvious stench of wrongdoing. Your bongs and pipes will stank no matter how often you clean them.
Consumables have their own appeal. For people who don't like to smoke, its a more appealing way to take in their cannabis. And far from the sometimes wretched and grainy cookies and brownies we used to make, the consumables sold today can be top notch confections. Aside from the obvious difference between eating and smoking, another striking difference between the two is the time it takes to hit. Smoking herb or herb products takes an immediate effect, while consumables can have a delayed and prolonged effect. Depending on the person, and the amount ingested, it can take upwards of an hour to feel the effects of ingested cannabis. While this may be annoying for some people who are wanting instant gratification, for some the delayed onset is pleasant. Instead of BAM! YOURE HIGH! Its more of a gradual progession to that point. Dosing is a point that can be problematic. Whereas with smoking you can more easily tell when enough is enough, with consumables there is always the dreaded problem of either not ingesting enough, or worse ingesting far more than intended. For many people unfamiliar with consumables and how they work this is a common mistake. Expecting to be high sooner than is realistic, they will eat more and more, waiting for the effect. And when it kicks in they may become inconsolably high. Best advice is to trial and error your way to figure out how much you should eat, and when you should expect it to kick in.
Your author enjoys both versions, each with their benefits.
His preferred method is to make a gentle tea. A bud which would be large and potent enough to achieve the intended high if smoke is instead kept whole and dropped in a quarter full tea cup (with water). This is place in the microwave for about a minute and a half - long enough to come to a boil. The bud is allowed to steep in the water for 5 minutes. The heat activates the important chemicals in the bud. Sometimes I add a tea bag, but usually just honey to give the water some flavor. Once cooled it can be drank in one big gulp. The tea cup is only filled a quarter of the way so it can be drank quickly, more water can be added if you like to sit with a hot cup of tea. Sometimes a shot is preferred. The bud can then be eaten after the tea is drank - to ensure all the desired chemicals are ingested, guaranteeing the highest high with 100% ingestion. But sometimes, when a moon shot is not desired, the bud is fished out of the tea cup and placed to dry on a small piece of aluminum foil. The author saves this “spent” bud and when it accumulates he uses it to make a lower potency joint. When you have really good weed, a whole joints worth is overkill, this “spent” bud gives you a nice option - a joint that has all the flavors of high potency chronic, but is toned down to not knock you on your ass.
Another common variation of this recipe is roach tea. Sounds disgusting, but just makes use of those saved roaches which are too harsh to smoke. The herb from these not only has its own chemicals, but is doused in the resin of the part of the joint that was smoked, so is actually more potent, including the resin soaked paper.
So as to smoking vs ingesting, no wrong answer, just what you happen to prefer. The final end result is all the same. Good times.
