Covid-19 has taken the world by storm these last few months. We’d be lying if we didn’t acknowledge that life is just different now. As this respiratory-driven disease makes its way around the world, keeping your lungs strong and healthy is definitely a top priority. Smoking cannabis can be a little harsh on ones lungs, so we wanted to highlight a few other ways to ‘feel good’ without sparking up.
Topicals
For those who want relief, but don’t want to feel high – topicals might be for you. Cannabis topicals include lotions, salves and oils infused with CBD and THC to provide targeted relief. Since topicals are absorbed through the skin they bind to your cannabinoid receptors but usually don’t break through the bloodstream they are considered non-psychoactive. Many consumers prefer using topicals throughout the day since they are discreet and don’t have a lingering smell like smoking or vaping.
Some of our favorite topicals include Dr. Raw Organics, Care by Design, and Humble Flower.
Pro tip: pair a topical with a tincture, edibles, or a capsule for a more relaxing experience.
Tinctures
Tinctures are alcohol or olive oil based cannabis extracts and they are one of our favorite consumption methods. There are a number of things you can do with a tincture. You can use them sublingually by dripping a few drops under your tongue (for max absorption) or topically by rubbing them directly onto a targeted area of your skin. They are discreet, portable, offer a quick onset and they’re easy to dose. Drop them into your favorite drinks or add it to dinner, dessert, whatever!
We love The Root of it All for their Ayurvedic ingredients, Fiddler’s Greens for their organic olive oil blends, and Made from Dirt’s MCT Oil.
Edibles
Cannabis-infused edibles have really expanded in the marketplace. The assortment of treats available at your fingertips is either exciting or daunting. From chocolates and peanut butter to gummies and syrups, there is an endless amount of choices. Edibles have to make their way through your digestive system before they hit your bloodstream and pass into the liver so they tend to take longer to kick in. However, the effect can be more intense and last longer than when you smoke so remember to start low and slow – you can always eat more, but you can never eat less!
Here are a few of our top picks. Punch Bars offer a variety of flavors like Milk chocolate toffee crunch and Strawberry Cheesecake worthy of a confectioner’s dream. Sluggy’s gummies are a fun, tasty, gluten-free option. Each gummy is dosed at 10mg and individually wrapped, so you can take them on the go. Nug Pops cannabis-infused popsicles are the adult treat we all need in our life with flavors like watermelon lychee lemonade and prickly pear margarita.
Drinkables
Did you know there were drinks infused with cannabis? Think sodas, teas, lemonades, the list goes on.. Drinkables have a fairly quick onset and effects can last for multiple hours. Cannabis Quencher, Keef Cola, Good Stuff Tonics, and CANN have all created unique natural fruit flavored, low-dose beverages that will knock your socks off. Cannavis isn’t exactly a drinkable, but their fruit syrups are still worth mentioning. Drizzle the syrup into your milkshakes or add it into your next mocktail and say goodbye to hangovers. Cannabis-infused beverages ARE the social drink of the future.
Bath Bombs
Few things are more relaxing than soaking your sore muscles in a cannabis-infused bath. Depending on the ratio of the bath bomb or the dose of your infused soak you may or may not feel psychoactive effects. Over the years Kush Queen has perfected the cannabis-infused bath bomb. The Relax 1:1 has a blend of 25MG of CBD and THC so your body is relaxed but your mind isn’t hazy. These two cannabinoids combined create an entourage effect providing you the ultimate de-stressor for the end of your day.
Transdermal Patches
In addition to topicals, new innovations like transdermal gels, patches, and lubricants have quickly gained popularity in the market. Transdermal products can penetrate the cannabinoids into the bloodstream producing longer, potentially psychoactive effects. Mary’s Medicinals and Papa & Barkley offer a variety of cannabis infused patches that easily stick to your skin for targeted relief. With a quick, easy single application, you get up to 12 hours of relief for your whole body. Most consumers don’t feel cerebral effects from patches, so these are great to put on while you conquer your day.
Another transdermal favorite is the gel pen from Mary’s Medicinals.
Capsules
Cannabis in capsule form. These little pills offer a clean, quick, effective method of consumption that allows consumers to ingest full-spectrum or strain-specific oil rather than combust flower. With a variety of cannabinoids available in capsule or tablet form, you can customize your experience to your desired effect. Our top recommendations would be ABX soft gels, Care by Design 18-1 soft gels, Mary’s Medicinals capsules, Level tablinguals and Protabs, or Papa & Barkley’s capsules.
We understand if you’re still feeling skeptical about steering away from flower. It’s hard to break up with your bong, but your lungs will thank you for a little tolerance break. For those with a high tolerance or those used to consuming flower/extracts daily, you might want to try a variety of methods mentioned above until you find your right dose. Remember everyone is different so what worked for someone else might not always work for you.
Stay home, stay stoned, and stay healthy!