I Want To Try Medical Marijuana, but…
I Don’t Want to Smell Like it.

I Want To Try Medical Marijuana, but…
I Don’t Want to Smell Like it.
by Ellen Lenox Smith

It can be overwhelming to try anything new, but to then add the stigma given to medical marijuana, it makes it even more confusing and haunting. I am proud of you for wanting to learn more about using marijuana as medicine and want to help you understand there are many different ways we have learned to administer it, which I will share in this article. Please remember, I am not an expert, just a woman that was desperately trying to find a solution as to how to address her chronic pain. I have been learning this slowly, through reading, help from others and trial and error.  You will find many suggestions out there. Keep exploring until you find your best way to use it.

              

                                                       HOW TO MAKE MEDICAL MARIJUANA OIL

Due to having sarcoidosis in my chest, smoking anything could be fatal. So, I had to turn to an alternative method that I could safely self administer this medication. From the advice of a friend, I started my journey utilizing medical marijuana as medicine in an oil form. The directions I have developed are found on our web site listed at the end of this article, if you, would like to utilize this method.

 

I simply grind up the dried product in a simple coffee grinder, but am always careful that I use only an INDICA strain. (NOTE: Many times I make this oil using the clippings around the bud instead of the actual bud. Our patients love the oil made this way and the clippings are loaded with the THC and CBD ) The reason for this choice is that indica plants give you pain relief and allow you to rest. My oil is taken at night to allow sleep. If I ever took this same oil during the day, I would be sleepy and groggy.

 

I heat up oil, (I use extra virgin oil oil, but you can use other types your prefer) and when it gets hot, but not to a boil, I try sprinkling the ground product over the oil. When you hit it just right, there is a sound similar to putting an alka seltzer tablet in water and you are actually hearing the THC and CBD being released into the oil. You then just allow it to cool, strain and then store in away from the sun. Medical Marijuana Oil lasts for a long time.

 

At night, one hour before I want to go to sleep, I take my medication. I presently use one tsp of the medical marijuana oil mixed with some applesauce or something I enjoy eating. You do not want to take this on an empty stomach. You always start slowly gradually introducing the medication to the body and then if needed increase the dose nightly by ¼ Tsp more until you have reached your appropriate level which could be the original dose – when you sleep through the night and you are not groggy but relatively clear headed when you wake then you know your dose is appropriate.  When that is achieved, you are done experimenting. If, however, your pain level increases or decreases, then you repeat the process until you are again getting the rest and not groggy.

 

Keep in mind,that utilizing this method the medication takes time to kick in as it is being ingested so  plan your evening out carefully and be sure to be ready for bed once  you have medicated – it usually activates within 30-60 minutes. We all react differently, so get safe and enjoy the rest!

 

If you want to make this Medical Marijuana Oil even easier, then purchase the machine called Magical Butter and it will do all the work for you after you grind, measure and plug in! NOTE: there are a lot of people now making concentrated Medical Marijuana Oil – I have had no reason to want to try this since what i have been doing is working – it requires a lot of product and you take it by drops instead of tsp. Google – Simpson oil and you can find the directions.

 

                                             HOW TO VAPORIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

 

Most days, I do not need any medication due to the effects of having had a good nights sleep and the oil calming the system from the night before. But on the days I need something else for help, i find vaporizing simple and easy. I have found two vaporizers I love – one is call the Vape-or-Smoke and the other is called PAX. They require a small amount of product, are small enough to carry in the car and are simple to use. You will hear many talk about using their volcano, which is a larger model that would be used at home. There are so many types, you just have to decide on what you are willing to spend and how mobile you need it to be.

 

Now be careful, for you want to vaporize the correct type of medication. I could list all the fifteen strains we grow, but I can tell you that there would be no guarantee they would be your magic. The main thing to remember is if you are going to vaporize during the day, then you need to use a SATIVA strain. This type of plant allows you to gain pain relief and also helps to stimulate you and keep you awake, not sleep like the INDICA plant. Again, if I vaporized an INDICA during the day, I would want to sleep. So be careful you have selected the correct type of plant.

 

Follow the directions given to you from the model you purchase, be sure to have either a small hand grinder or use your coffee grinder to prepare the product for use. You will notice when you first try it, that you  look like you are blowing out smoke. However, what you are observing is actually the vapor. I have permission from my pulmonologist, with sarcoidosis in the lungs, to vaporize because it is safe to use. Take a simple hit, see how you feel in a few minutes and if you need more to help with the pain, just use it one puff at a time to find your needed dose. This method should be providing you with short, yet quick relief, unlike the Medical Marijuana Oil that take times to kick in, but last so much longer.

 

                                           HOW TO MAKE MEDICAL MARIJUANA TINCTURES

 

Sometimes, I also try using a tincture during the day.  As with vaporizing, it is fast acting and also fast to leave the system. We have directions for a few types. One is made with alcohol, such as lemon schnapps and it takes two months to cure. The other is made with glycerin and it can be made in less than an hour in a crock pot or using the Magical Butter machine.

 

When you make a tincture, you again have to be careful you are using the correct strain. I make day tincture, so I only use a SATIVA plant. The alcohol base type requires the product to be put into a jar, the alcohol of choice poured over it, and then covered tightly. Twice a day for two months, take a moment to shake the jar. After the two months, the THC and CBD is released and you just strain and store the liquid away from the sun. This can be taken one TSP at a time, by either putting it under the tongue, as a subligual, or in the side of the cheek. You hold it there for about twenty seconds and then swallow. Feel free to repeat this every half hour but remember come night time, this is made with the plant that stimulates, so do not take at night!

 

The glycerin recipe is so easy and is made in an hour using a crock pot. You administer it the same way as above. The difference with this method is it has no alcohol, tastes sweet even though a diabetic can use it for it is not sugar based. It’s just a matter of preference of which type you prefer and how long you want to wait for the finished product to use. Remember, there are many other ways to make a tincture so either go to our site and follow these recipes or get creative and google making tincture.

                                   

                                          HOW TO MAKE MEDICAL MARIJUANA CANDY

 

 Medical Marijuana Candy is another way for quick relief if sugar is not an issue for you. The recipe can be found on the web site on how we make ours. I have started to make much smaller ones since I have had people mention that when they use it as a lollipop, people have asked for one, not knowing it is medicine. I now make them as small drops so it is more private to others. As with the tincture, it is fast acting and can be repeated as needed. The effect is quick!        

 

                                 HOW TO MAKE TOPICAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA SALVE

 

We have had more success than imagined with using topical Medical Marijuana Salve with our patients. The recipe is simple and foremost, the results are amazing. All it requires is the Medical Marijuana tincture, (not the Medical Marijuana oil), bees wax and then also we add essential oils to prevent any marijuana odor. We have even had patients with CRPS who have turned their lives of pain around with this. Peppermint extract seems to be the favourite added to it – providing a tingling sensation as it absorbs into the skin along with the cannabis. I think we all should have a container of topical Medical Marijuana Salve in the house for many uses!

 

 As stated in the beginning, I am not an expert on all the various way to administer medical marijuana. For instance, many love using Medical Marijuana Edibles, but I live with so many food allergies that I have no interest in even trying them. Also, it concerns me, being so drug reactive, to not but sure how much I should eat or not – for it does not react immediately. It is slower to activate like the Medical Marijuana oil. So sometimes people eat more than their body needs and suddenly get shocked on how strange they feel. Go slowly and give it time to kick in before deciding you need to eat more!

 

Smoking Medical Marijuana, as stated in the beginning, is out for me due to sarcoidosis in the chest. We try to steer people away from this method if possible to keep the lungs as safe as possible. However, if that is the only way that works for you and the smell is not an issue for you, then know that at this time, there are no studies yet linking lung cancer to smoking medical marijuana.

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Ellen Lenox Smith and her husband Stuart live in Rhode Island. In addition to their work for the U.S. Pain Foundation, as Co-Directors for Medical Marijuana Advocacy, they also serve as board members for the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition. Ellen wrote a book about her journey as a Pain Warrior, “It Hurts Like Hell!” For more information about medical marijuana and how to convert it to other forms of administering besides smoking, visit their website.

 

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of this website. Medical marijuana is legal in some U.S. states but is still technically illegal under federal law. Even in states where it is legal, doctors may frown upon marijuana and drop patients from their practice for using it.

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