How to Use Marijuana
There are many ways to consume and enjoy marijuana depending on your personal preference, experience level, and desired effects. From rolling joints and packing bowls to vaping, eating edibles, dabbing extracts, and applying topicals, explore every method of cannabis consumption below.
Primary Methods of Consuming Cannabis
Whether you prefer traditional flower inhalation or smokeless alternatives, here is how each method of using marijuana works.
Roll It (Joints & Blunts)
One of the most classic ways to consume cannabis is rolling ground flower, popcorn buds, or shake into thin rolling papers to craft a marijuana cigarette (joint) or wrapping it in hemp/tobacco-free wraps for a slow-burning blunt. Pre-rolls are also available ready-made at EarthMed.
Pack It (Pipes, Bowls & Water Bongs)
Packing ground cannabis flower into a reusable smoking piece crafted from glass, metal, ceramic, or silicone offers convenient, controlled inhalation:
- checkOne-Hitters & Chillums: Compact, discreet pipes designed for quick solo sessions and micro-dosing.
- checkHand Pipes, Spoon Bowls & Steamrollers: Portable dry pipes with a carburetor hole that are easy to pack and share.
- checkWater Pipes (Bongs & Bubblers): Use water percolation to cool and filter smoke prior to inhalation for a smoother, cleaner-feeling hit.
Vape It (Vaporizers & Vape Pens)
Vaping heats cannabis oil cartridges, concentrates, or dried flower just enough to aerosolize cannabinoids and terpenes into an inhalable vapor without burning plant matter—avoiding harsh combustion smoke and reducing lingering odor while delivering rapid onset within minutes.
Edibles & Tinctures (Smokeless Ingestion)
Cannabis-infused edibles—such as gummies, chocolates, baked goods, mints, and beverages—are made with cannabinoid-extracted butter or oil. Because edibles are digested through the liver, they take 30 minutes to 2 hours to take full effect and produce a potent, long-lasting body high. Remember the golden rule: start low and go slow. Sublingual tinctures dropped under the tongue offer faster smokeless absorption and precise milligram dosing.
Extracts, Concentrates & Dabbing
Cannabis concentrates (such as shatter, wax, live budder, crumble, sugar, and rosin) contain highly concentrated THC and terpenes. Experienced users consume extracts by dabbing—flash-vaporizing a small dab of concentrate on a heated quartz banger or e-rig—or by adding concentrates to flower in a bowl or joint.
Topicals (Lotions, Balms & Salves)
THC- and CBD-infused topicals are rubbed directly onto sore muscles or joints. Standard topicals interact with peripheral cannabinoid receptors in the skin to provide localized physical relief without entering the bloodstream or producing a psychoactive high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about how to consume marijuana safely and effectively.
Inhalation methods (smoking flower, pre-rolls, vaping, or dabbing) take effect within 1 to 10 minutes and last 2 to 4 hours. Sublingual tinctures take effect in 15 to 45 minutes. Edibles take 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in and can last 6 to 8+ hours.
Starting with a small dose (such as 2.5mg–5mg of an edible or one small puff from a vape or pipe) and waiting to feel the full effects before consuming more prevents uncomfortable overconsumption.
Edibles (gummies, chocolates, beverages), sublingual tinctures, oral capsules, RSO, and cannabinoid topicals provide 100% smoke-free ways to experience the benefits of cannabis.
Have questions about your cannabis options?
Visit our Addison, Rosemont, or McHenry stores to consult directly with certified Patient Care Specialists. We will help you find the right strains, products, and consumption methods for your lifestyle.