Ah, yes. Weed. This wonderful herb has many names given to it by humanity throughout the centuries and “weed” is the most popular name that it goes by.

The plant’s actual name is Cannabis but people commonly call it marijuana. Anyone of the names you’re saying like weed, cannabis or marijuana, kush, veg, green you are essentially referring to all marijuana strains.

Whether you are just here for educational purposes or if you are an avid consumer and you want to know more about the plant, this article is going to give you the information you need.

So, let’s get into it, shall we? Weed: Everything you need to know about the herb.

What is Weed?

The term weed which is used so endearingly for the marijuana plant. Saw its origins in the 1940s. Ever heard of the classic detective book “The Little Sister”? The author of the book, Raymond Chandler is reportedly the first person ever to use the term weed for the herb in the book.

Fast forward to the 90s and the term saw a reinvigorated use. Weed started becoming used more prominently back in the 90s.

How does one Consume Weed?

There are several ways in which you can consume weed nowadays. The marijuana plant initially saw a very primitive form of consumption. This happens to still be the most popular: Smoking.

The wonders of technology and our better understanding of how things work in the world led humans to come up with more creative ways of consuming the cannabis plant. Here’s how people consume marijuana.

Smoking:

The most popular form of consuming marijuana for as long as we know. People have been smoking it. There is a naturally occurring chemical compound which is found in cannabis called THC.

When we smoke Marijuana it heats an active chemical called THC. We then inhale and the bloodstream receives the THC chemical. After entering the bloodstream, the THC travels to the brain and you get to immediately experience the thrill of being high.

Smoking is now considered to be a primitive form of consuming weed. As now we have a better understanding of what’s healthy for us and what isn’t.

When you smoke weed. It is combusted to heat the content of the plant and release the THC for us to inhale. Along with the THC, we are also consuming the smoke and any form of smoke is not good for the body.

Vaping:

For those who are very concerned about their well being and prefer not to smoke the marijuana plant. We have a good alternative in the form of vaping. It is also a method in which the cannabis is entering the body through the lungs but it does not involve having to burn the plant.

The reason why a growing number of people prefer to vape marijuana is, that they want to feel the effects of the THC immediately like how smoking does but they do not want to inhale harmful smoke.

Vaping involves the heating up of the marijuana plant to the point where the THC takes on the form of vapors. At the same time, the vape does not heat the cannabis to the point of causing it to burn.

The vaporized THC can then be inhaled to get the same immediate effects of smoking marijuana without the problems to the health caused by smoking.

Edibles:

Marijuana edibles is an excellent way of consuming marijuana. If you are looking for a long lasting high, this is the way to go.

The reason why marijuana highs using edibles last much longer than smoking or vaping is to do with how the THC from cannabis enters the system when you eat it.

Unlike vaping, the THC does not directly enter the bloodstream. The human body’s metabolism comes to play when you consume marijuana edibles. The only problem is that you have to give it a bit of time to kick in after you eat the edibles but when it hits, it is a high unlike any form of inhalation.

Raw Cannabis:

This method of consuming marijuana has recently started to become more and more popular. Considering the fact that we are becoming more and more creative with how we use marijuana, the prospect of cannabis smoothies and marijuana juices is becoming popular.

This method does not involve any form of smoking and it is the only way that the natural chemicals are in their raw form when they enter the body as even edibles require some sort of processing to activate the THC.

The thing about consuming marijuana in its raw form is that it enables you to experience the medicinal benefits of the plant without the psychoactive highs from activated THC.

Transdermal Consumption:

This is the most unique manner in which people administer marijuana into their bodies. With the advent of advancing technology, extracts from the marijuana plant that contains THC and other cannabinoids have started to be integrated into products that can be applied to the skin for transdermal administration of marijuana.

Marijuana patches are a trendy way in which marijuana is consumed transdermal. The patch is stuck onto the skin and over time, the skin absorbs the THC.

Just like how it works with lotions and balms. This is the method which gives you the longest lasting high.

The reason why the high from transdermal consumption is the highest is because of the fact that the marijuana enters into your system in a consistent quantity over a long period of time.

That makes the metabolization rate of marijuana in your system much slower than any other methods and the high that you experience from transdermal consumption is also the most consistent when you compare it to all of the other methods.

Who Uses Marijuana?

During the 60s and the 70s, the stereotype was that hippies smoke cannabis. Currently, the general point of view is that young males are the more avid consumers of weed.

The fact is that marijuana has started to be seen in a better light in recent times. The subsequent legalization across the country has seen a rise in the use of marijuana. The accessibility is making it easier for a lot of people to smoke the plant.

Headset made an analysis of cannabis retailers’ transaction data. To get a better understanding of the demographic of the people who are buying legal weed nowadays.

According to their findings, the data suggests that customer loyalty programs point toward a predominantly male demographic. The age range, however, was from the early 20s to mid-90s. Males in their 40s constituted to the majority of the buyers.

As far as the matter of gender is concerned. 70 percent of the buyers from legal weed dispensaries were male according to their findings. We have seen an increase in buying weed online as well.

The data obtained from their analysis also pointed out that over 30 percent of the buyers were females. That goes to show that the ratio according to their data favors males but it does not conclusively say that men are the ones who smoke marijuana more than females.

Final Thoughts

As the movement to legalize marijuana continues to pick up pace in the country. It is better to know more about the plant. Educate yourself about what the ground reality is and how it is not as harmful as it has always been made out to be.

With more and more states jumping on board to legalize marijuana in some form or the other, it seems that it will become a prominent aspect of our lives moving forward.

The pesky problem of urine tests will also be done away with once the federal law changes its stance on the Schedule I classification of marijuana.