The following information regarding medical marijuana has been derived from experience. You may find some of it will be of benefit.
Many people experience different effects, just as is true with any medication. Temper your use and consider that marijuana is another form of medicine that might serve to alleviate some of the symptoms of your illness and may enhance other aspects. How it benefits you is what is important. Tell your doctor that you use medical marijuana and make sure this fact is entered into your medical records. Informed doctors can better serve patients.
Smoking:
The most expedient method of using medical marijuana is to smoke it. The effects are more controllable in this form and experienced within moments.
Inhaling smoke is a concern. We recommend a vaporizer, available in local stores. Some people don’t like to smoke it because of the aroma it gives off, that could tip off less understanding neighbours.
Eating:
Another method of using medical marijuana is ingestion. It can be baked directly or made into butter that is used to prepare foodstuffs. You must be aware that It takes considerably longer to experience the effects. Occasionally a patient may feel of uneasy. Another feeling may be of weight or heaviness, or perhaps even grogginess. It is appropriate to allow time to rest in order to assess how you will respond. Remember that every batch of baked goods will vary with the potency of the marijuana leaf that is used.
Teas:
Teas can be made from water or milk, soy, seed, nut or rice milk. The active ingredients are oil soluble. If you prefer to drink tea made from water then be certain to 'notice' the oil floating on the top of the tea. This method takes a few minutes if a flower top is being used, it may be saved and used on another occasion. Otherwise let the tea steep for 1-2 hours and add a tsp. of butter. The effects vary so begin by steeping for a short time period, increasing as needed.
Using milk requires an all day cooking period, or overnight (no less than 2 hours) if you have a crock pot. Add a cup of 'milk' (you can use soy milk or nut milk) and 2 heaping tbls. of marijuana leaf flour to the container, simmer on a low heat. You can take your "milk" with you in a thermos or reheat.
Tincture:
Preparing a tincture with vodka can be used topically, sublingually or internally. Tincture Recipe
You will need:
Glass jar- 1 quart mason jar is ideal but any size will do.
3 parts ground marijuana. Leaf bud or shake.
4 parts high proof alcohol. Everclear or Vodka.
To make Tincture:
Fill jar ¾ full of herb
Fill rest of jar with alcohol; leave some room at top stir.
Shake jar one or two times a day for 2 weeks.
Strain through metal tea strainer or silkscreen.
You can use whatever kind of clean glass, not plastic, jar you have with a tight lid. One-quart mason jars are ideal. Grind the herb thoroughly in a blender. It should be well ground but doesn’t have to be a powder. You can use leaf, bud, shake, joint leftover, or stems. Too many stems will wreck your blender and result in a weaker tincture.
Leaf works fine but for higher potency use shake or bud. Fill the jar ¾ full of herb; it does not have to be exact. You can use anywhere from ½ to 2/3 part herb but ¾ will make a full strength tincture. Use the highest proof Vodka you can find. Pour alcohol over the herb, filling the rest of the jar. Leave just enough space (an inch or so) at the top so that you will be able to shake the jar. Stir the mixture; the herb will absorb some of the alcohol so you may need to add more. Put the lid on tightly; label the contents and the date you started. It takes two weeks for the alcohol to extract all the active elements from the herb. Shake the jar once or twice a day for 2 weeks. The alcohol will rise to the top and a deep green/red color will develop. After 2 weeks of aging you can strain the tincture through a metal tea strainer or a silk screen into a small tincture bottle with a dropper. You can leave the rest in the jar if you want, it will age and mellow in flavor and you can strain off as much as you want at a time. Alcohol is a strong preservative it will hold for a long time, be careful when handling the tincture, it satins and will turn everything it comes in contact with green. Use Ultra Palmolive anti-bacterial dish soap, the orange kind, to clean the glass, metal or other ceramic utensils, (do not use plastic) sinks and counter tops works best at dissolving THC residue.
Dosage varies per individual but start with half a dropper dissolved in hot tea or water. Hot tea will dissipate some of the alcohol and activate the THC a bit. It can be taken straight but may burn the tongue and has a very strong herbal taste. Enjoy and be well.
Compress:
Make the preparation as you would tea made with water, or the tincture made with vodka. Thoroughly soak a compress in the mixture and apply directly to affected area. Allow the compress to remain for at least a half hour. Compresses are often used to alleviate the pain.
Possible Side Effects of marijuana use besides the lessengin of illness symptoms.
Marijuana use has been recorded to date back as far as 5,000 years (there has never been a single death attributed to the use of marijuana). If you are unfamiliar with its use then you should know that occasionally undesirable side effects might occur. Being informed can aid in more effective use of this herbal remedy.
- Uneasiness - Often marijuana has a soothing and comforting effect. On occasion some patients will experience feelings of anxiety instead of or in conjunction with a sense of heightened awareness. Should this anxiousness occur, there are several approaches for resolve. First remember that there is no place that you can go in your body that you can not get back from. Try to use marijuana when you are in a comfortable and secure environment. Lie down and relax. If you are with a friend or caregiver then ask your friend to keep eye contact with you. Request that they call you back to focus on the eyes, do not let your gaze wander, stay focused on the eyes. If you are alone, try looking into a mirror. If you are with your loved ones an embrace might be helpful. Sometimes we feel nervous about breaking the law, or doing the "wrong" thing. There is no shame in alleviating suffering. Not too many years ago anesthesia was against the law. \
- Hunger - Often marijuana will induce hunger. For many patients this is of great benefit and aids in weight gain in certain cases such as morning sickness and severe weight loss during pregnancy, aids, other illness, and therefore is the desires effect, not a side effect. However, If you are not happy about the idea of getting hungry and gaining weight as a side effect, and are therefore reluctant to try it though it could improve your life greatly ion other areas, try to eat nourishing food when you get the munchies. frozen ice cubes made of sugar free drinks like sugar free kool aid, or crystal light can be helpful Chew on carrots or celery, pop cherry tomatoes, and other low calorie foods.
- Thirst- Keep some water handy, it can never hurt you to drink more water J
- Drowsiness - The same warning that applies to any medication that may cause drowsiness also applies to marijuana. If you feel tired then rest. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery or anything that might endanger the well being of you or anyone else.
- Insomnia - Some patients find that they can not sleep after using marijuana or that the mind is active. Should this occur try reducing your dosage and avoid using prior to going to bed. Incorporating meditation or quiet time is useful at times like this.
- Short-Term Memory Loss - Some patients find it difficult to carry out complicated tasks or conversations, keeping track of details or learning new information. Schedule your time so that you can benefit from the use of marijuana and not be hindered by its effects. Long term memory will not be affected.
- Red Eyes - This effect will not hurt you. Wear sunglasses or use a saline solution if you feel it is absolutely necessary
- Giddiness - Sometimes marijuana can bring on a feeling of euphoria. Again it may be necessary to adjust your schedule so that happiness will not interfere with your activities. Though a good laugh can be a powerful remedy at times
