24 Jun More than Smoke: The Many Ways to Consume Cannabis

Not so long ago cannabis was something that you smoked…or perhaps ate, if you had a particularly industrious stoner friend.

But now it comes in a wide array of options to choose from! ‘Tis no longer relegated to bowls, papers, and butter. There’s a whole world of options when you walk into Green Cross of Torrance. For newcomers it can be overwhelming, where do you even start?

Here’s some of the options as well as who they are good for:

Smoking Flower: “Flower” refers to the dried cannabis plant. One generally pops it in a joint or a bowl (of a bong or a pipe), lights it on fire, and breathes it in. Using a bong, or water pipe, is a faster way to achieve desired results and is helpful for those with higher tolerances.

Vaping Flower: A vaporizer heats up the cannabis without causing combustion, or burning, while still getting it hot enough to extract beneficial compounds. This makes for a cleaner taste and smell and is also easier on the lungs. It also uses cannabis more efficiently; so even though vaporizers can be pricey up front, you save money on flower.

Vape Pen: These are pen-looking devices that you attach a cannabis-concentrate-filled cartridge onto. They have mouthpieces on the end, and you just draw your breath in to ingest. The smell is considerably less noticeable, making them great for on-the-go medicating.

Tinctures: Tinctures are a liquid form of cannabis that you can take orally, by mouth, by dropping or spraying it under your tongue or adding it to other drinks. You can also use them topically by putting it on your skin. Tinctures are great for people who want a precise dose, like those who don’t want to overdo it. These are also great for under-the-radar medicating.
Edibles: They’re so much more than brownies! (Though “special” brownies are certainly a classic.) Edibles come in all kinds of delicious varieties, from infused dinners to medicated breath mints. Edibles are processed differently in the body and can take over an hour, or two even, to start doing their thing – be mindful of this before having a second helping.

Concentrates: Concentrates are very potent extracts, sometimes diluted (like in tinctures and edibles), but most widely known in ‘dab’ form. Dabbing is a form of vaporization in which potent cannabis concentrates are dropped on a heated nail, creating vapor that is trapped in a glass globe and inhaled. Hash and kief are other forms of concentrate. These are all great for people with higher tolerances.

No matter what you’d like to explore, our friendly and knowledgeable Budtenders will be happy to guide you to a wonderful experience. Our menu is here, feel free to explore!