The most traditional way to consume cannabis has historically been to smoke it. You can roll up some cannabis
flower like a cigarette, or use tools such as pipes and bongs to customize your cannabis consumption to suit you.
BONGS are larger than pipes and have the added bonus of a
built-in water filtration system (just add water). This filtration system cools the smoke as you
inhale, resulting in much larger, smoother
hits. Bongs seem to produce more intense effects
due to the speed at which cannabinoids are absorbed,
so make sure to pace
yourself.
BUBBLERS or water pipes are generally much smaller than bongs and also use
water filtration, making them perfect
for smokers who want a more discreet or
desire a less intense alternative to a bong.
JOINTS consist of finely ground buds
stuffed inside a rolling paper. Papers don’t cost much and are available
in a wide variety of materials, flavors
and sizes. If you have trouble rolling by hand
or desire perfectly uniform joints with
minimal effort, there are inexpensive rolling machines available at
most head shops.
PIPES are also a great way to
consume cannabis, but tend to produce hotter and harsher smoke which can be hard on the throat. Most pipes have a “choke” or “carb”
on them, which by quickly raising and
replacing your finger over that hole allows
extra airflow and control.
For recreational use, smoking gives you the most instantly powerful effects compared to most other consumption methods. However, be advised that smoking in general is harmful for your lungs, so if you’re using cannabis
medicinally it’s probably better to choose a more health conscious method.
- Hard on lungs- Effects can be too
strong for some
+ Fast acting+ Convenient
+ Cheap
- Milder effects- Slower onset- Expensive tools
+ Better for lungs+ More discreet
+ Cleaner flavour
Vaporizing is the act of heating cannabis flower without burning it, releas-ing the active ingredients into a vapor that is inhaled. As no combustion occurs, the carcinogens you would inhale while smoking are drastically
reduced. “Vaping” is becoming increasingly popular because it is more dis-creet than smoking, better for your health and milder in its effects.
It’s important to find the right vaporizer to suit your needs. We suggest choosing one that has good temperature control settings. Temperature is very important so be sure to keep it under 455°F or else the herb will be-
gin to combust. You can also receive different effects from the same strain based on the temperature you choose. Lower temperatures (350-370°F) are a great way to get the best flavor possible, while higher temps (375-
450°F) are a good way to get more instant and hard hitting effects.
Please keep in mind that while the scent of vapor is less pungent and doesn’t linger as long as smoke does, there is still a scent. Make sure you are cautious of vaping anywhere you wouldn’t smoke, in-
cluding hotel rooms, public buildings and parks.
There are both portable and desktop models of vaporizers to choose from. Portable ones tend to be smaller and less expensive, but also tend to have less temperature control and inferior
heating quality compared to desktop ones. Ask the staff at your local head shops for some rec-ommendations if you need some help choosing
the right vaporizer for you!
Wondering what to do with all that brown bud that’s left over after you’ve vaped?
Let us teach you the AVBs!
“After vaped buds”, or AVB, is useful as it has already gone through a process called Decarboxylation. Raw cannabis contains the acidic form of cannabinoid THC-A, which is not psychoactive. It takes the process of
adding heat to convert it into psychoactive THC. This process unlocks the full medicinal potential of other cannabinoids as well. This means that
AVB is edible and ready to be enjoyed again!
You can smoke your AVB, but we don’t
recommend it. There is usually still a little
THC and CBD leftover after vaporization. However, smoking
AVB tastes awful and is usually only
done out of des-peration, or if
you really don’t like to waste.
Add to your coffee grounds or mix in
with loose leaf teas for a delicious hot bever-age. AVB can also be made into tinctures using alco-hol, which
can then be added to
beverages or consumed as drops under the tongue.
Sprinkle on anything you like, add to baked
goods, or stuff some gel caps full if you don’t like
the taste. To get a bet-ter effects from direct
consumption, wash AVB down with a beverage
containing fat - like milk! You can also use AVB to
make can-nabis butter
or oil to use in the kitchen.
You will need:
1-2 oz ABV weedMelted coconut oil – Enough to thoroughly saturate the cannabisBig piece of cheesecloth
Directions:
1. Add ABV to the crock pot
2. Add enough melted coconut oil to completely saturate the AVB
3. Cook for two hours on low – stir occasionally
4. Strain with cheesecloth and store in an airtight container.
You can use this oil in a ton of your favorite recipes, or take a spoonful as is! Just use caution with heat, cooking with this oil at high tempera-tures will destroy its potency. Mix it in at the end of cooking or use it as a garnish instead!
CAUTION: It’s really hard to tell how potent your AVB oil will be, as it depends on the initial vaporization. We suggest starting with test dos-es of ¼ and ½ teaspoons of oil to see how you feel.
- Sensitive dosing- Slower onset
+ Longer lasting+ Discreet+ Medicinal benefits
Eating or drinking marijuana is a great way to get all of the medicinal
benefits of cannabis without the harmful effects of smoking. When you ingest cannabis it takes longer to feel the effects but they last much longer, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to kick in and the effects lasting any-
where from 4-12 hours, depending on tolerance and dosage.
• You don’t want to or can’t smoke or vape
• You want longer lasting effects
• You need help with help with insomnia of other sleep problems
• You want a mild daytime buzz
• You need help with nausea or other tummy issues
• You simply want to experiment
Reasons you may want to consider trying edibles:
When you ingest cannabis, it is processed by the liver, which con-verts THC into a different type of molecule believed to be as much as 10 times more psychoactive than the type of THC experienced
when it is absorbed by the lungs.
Understand dosage and pay attention to any labels. 10mg is the standard medicinal dose
for most people, so if a chocolate bar has 100mg of THC, make sure you only ingest 1/10th of the bar and not the whole thing.
If you eat too much cannabis, try to relax, breathe normally, and we promise the feeling will pass! No one has ever died from ingesting
too much cannabis!
Never take an edible on an empty stom-ach. Treat edibles much the same as you
would any prescription pain reliever.
You will need:
4 cups of water1 gram cannabis, lightly 2 tea bags Milk or creamHoney
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, boil the water and add the cannabis leaves.
2. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or so.
3. Add the 2 teabags as well as the honey and milk.
4. Let the mixture boil for another 5 to 10 minutes.
5. While adding the milk, make sure that you pour it in slowly to prevent it from curdling. You can also heat up the milk a little so that it is warm as you pour it in.
There are many things that you can add to your homemade marijuana tea. Jane loves using a good herbal chai tea bags! You can also use 10% cream as an alternative to whole milk. You can even add unsalted but-ter to the water while it boils so that you have delicious butter-flavored
marijuana tea.
You don’t have to ingest or smoke cannabis to benefit from its many me-dicinal properties! Cannabis topicals are great for your skin and are an
excellent way for you to take advantage of those lovely cannabinoids with-out any psychoactive effects. They come in the form of lotions, patches,
balms, sprays and oils and can be powerful tools offering an abundance of soothing and healing properties. You can even make many of these topical
solutions yourself at home.
Cannabis topicals can provide relief for numerous bacterial skin infections, bug bites, scratches or even burns due to their powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory prop-
erties. CBD is suggested to be 10x more effective at crossing the skin barrier than THC and CBN, and also contains anti-oxidants that help heal and prevent tissue damage. Using cannabis infused lotions and oils on your face may help to
keep skin looking young!
- Some may have allergies
+ Localized pain relief+ Doesn’t enter bloodstream+ Non-psychoactive
It’s recently been discovered that our skin features a fully functioning endo-cannabinoid system that can help to stop pain transmissions where they start.
When cannabinoids are applied to your skin they do not enter your blood-stream. Instead, the cannabinoids bind with the CB2 receptors in your skin,
providing fast acting localized pain relief with zero psychoactive effects.
You will need:
7-10 grams of ground, dried cannabis1 ½ cups of coconut oil1/3 cup olive oil (optional)1/3 cup beeswax1 baking sheet1 double boiler1 jar1 cheeseclothA few drops of essential oil (your choice)
Directions:
1. First you’ll need to decarboxylate your dried, ground cannabis in the oven for 25-30 mins at 240 degree F on a baking sheet.
2. While your cannabis is in the oven, place your coconut and olive oil in the saucepan or double boiler over low heat and stir continuously.
3. Remove your decarboxylated cannabis from the oven and mix it into the coconut oil. Maintain a low heat and continue stirring the cannabis and oil mixture for 20 to 25 minutes.
4. After 25 minutes, remove from heat and pour the mixture through a cheesecloth into the jar. Set aside.
5. In the same saucepan or double boiler, add the beeswax and heat until it is melted. As the beeswax melts, slowly add the infused coconut oil. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to your mixture if you’d like!
6. Once the beeswax and coconut oils are thoroughly mixed, remove from heat and transfer into containers for your infused salve.